Children are highly impressionable. That’s why educators who teach children must behave in a specific manner. An up-to-date preprimary teacher training course in Kolkata can teach aspiring teachers these skills. It can also teach aspiring teachers how to engage and encourage students to explore their interests and utilize their strengths. 

But preprimary teacher training courses aren’t the only ones offering such training and education. In fact, many aspiring teachers prefer to enroll in a primary teachers’ training institute in Kolkata instead of a pre-primary institute. 

So, what’s the difference between pre-primary and primary teacher training? Let’s find out. 

Primary vs. Preprimary Teacher Training Course in Kolkata

The main difference between pre-primary and primary teacher training is the age group of the children they educate. A traditional or distance preprimary teacher training course in Kolkata will prepare aspiring teachers to educate children between the ages of 3 and 5 years.

On the other hand, a primary teacher training course (traditional or remote) will prepare aspiring teachers to educate children between the ages of 6 and 12 years. Here are some other key differences between the two types of teacher training courses:

Focus of Training

Pre-primary teacher training focuses mainly on early childhood development. Students are able to learn skills like play-based learning, team building, social development, and emotional development. Primary teacher training focuses more on slightly advanced academic subjects like reading, art, writing, and math.

Teaching Methods

The curriculum in pre-primary teacher training courses revolves around child brain development. Students get to learn a variety of child-centered teaching methods like the following:

• The Montessori method of preschool teaching
• Project-based learning
• Exploratory learning (students learn via hands-on experiences)
• Multisensory learning in which children learn through music, art, and movement

While hands-on, experiential learning is the main focus in pre-primary teacher training courses, primary teacher training features more traditional, teacher-directed instruction. In the primary teacher training, students get to learn the traditional teaching methods such as:

• Giving lectures, providing demonstrations, and asking questions. 
• Question-and-answer teaching method
• Recitation-based teaching for building communication skills
• The discussion teaching method in which students are asked to collaborate on specific tasks

Length, Content, and Requirements

Preprimary and primary teacher training courses differ in length, content, and requirements. Pre-primary teacher training courses are typically shorter. They also don’t require as many academic credits. Primary teacher training courses are typically longer. They also have stricter academic requirements.

Final Take 

Knowing these differences can help aspiring teachers make the right educational and career choices. However, aspiring teachers must know despite the differences, both courses have a similar goal: to create teachers who can take on the challenges of providing early childhood education. 

Plus, most preprimary teacher training graduāates at top institutes like Larn EduTech go on to complete their primary teacher training courses. Anyone interested in either of the two courses can contact institutes like Larn EduTech and learn more about their offerings!