Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Curriculum...
Yesterday, I talked about the importance of play. But there is more to providing quality care than just letting the children play... It is often said that curriculum is an important part of early childhood education, but what is curriculum? Curriculum is defined as a plan that indicates goals for children's development and learning, the experiences through which they will achieve these goals, how caregivers will help them achieve these goals, and the materials that are needed to support these goals.
A misconception about the use of a written curriculum in early childhood is that it will lead to the notion that quality care should be based on a school model rather than a home model. There is a certain pressure to define quality care as skills based and focused on cognitive development, but this is not the whole picture. A curriculum does not need to be a certain book of activities or a prescribed course of study, but it should be a framework that sets forth your program's goals, philosophy, and objectives for children as well as the guidelines for teaching that address all aspects of a child's development. A quality curriculum will look at early childhood development in separate domains (cognitive, gross motor, fine motor, language, and social-emotional) and set goals and objectives for children in each of these domains. Your curriculum should encourage social and emotional development by:
Yesterday, I talked about the importance of play. But there is more to providing quality care than just letting the children play... It is often said that curriculum is an important part of early childhood education, but what is curriculum? Curriculum is defined as a plan that indicates goals for children's development and learning, the experiences through which they will achieve these goals, how caregivers will help them achieve these goals, and the materials that are needed to support these goals.
A misconception about the use of a written curriculum in early childhood is that it will lead to the notion that quality care should be based on a school model rather than a home model. There is a certain pressure to define quality care as skills based and focused on cognitive development, but this is not the whole picture. A curriculum does not need to be a certain book of activities or a prescribed course of study, but it should be a framework that sets forth your program's goals, philosophy, and objectives for children as well as the guidelines for teaching that address all aspects of a child's development. A quality curriculum will look at early childhood development in separate domains (cognitive, gross motor, fine motor, language, and social-emotional) and set goals and objectives for children in each of these domains. Your curriculum should encourage social and emotional development by:
- enhancing each child's individual strengths;
- providing a setting that allows for building trust;
- fostering independence;
- having realistic expectations;
- encouraging respect for feelings and for the rights of others;
- supporting and respecting a child's home language and culture; and
- planning routines and transitions so that they occur in a timely, predictable, and unrushed manner, according to each child's needs.
Whether you use a purchased curriculum or make your own, there are several points for you to consider:
Does the curriculum . . .
- Promote interactive learning and encourage the child's construction of knowledge
- Help children achieve social, emotional, linguistic, physical, and cognitive goals
- Encourage development of positive feelings and dispositions toward learning while leading to acquisition of knowledge and skills
- Have expectations that are realistic and attainable at this time
- Include children with disabilities in the curriculum
- Build and elaborate on children's current knowledge and abilities
- Lead to conceptual understanding by helping children construct their own understanding in meaningful contexts
- Facilitate concept learning and skills development in an integrated and natural way
- Challenge children with disabilities to attain goals beyond those commonly expected of them.
- Permit flexibility for children and teachers
- Encourage active learning and frequently allow children to make meaningful choices
- Foster children's exploration and inquiry, rather than focusing on "right" answers or "right" ways to complete a task
- Promote the development of higher order abilities, such as thinking, reasoning, problem solving, and decision making
- Promote and encourage social interaction among children and adults
- Respect children's psychological needs for activity, sensory stimulation, fresh air, rest, and nourishment
- Promote feelings of safety, security, and belonging
- Provide experiences that promote feelings of success, competence, and enjoyment of learning
- Promote positive relationships with families
Is it . . .
- Based on sound child development principles of how children grow and learn?
- Meaningful for these children? Is it relevant to the children's lives? Can it be made more relevant by linking it to personal experiences the children have had or can have easily?
- Sensitive to and respectful of cultural and linguistic diversity? Does the curriculum expect, allow, and appreciate individual differences?
So do you use a curriculum in your program? How does it compare when considering the above concepts? Are there changes that you should make for your curriculum to adapt and expand to respond to individual needs and interests of the children in your care? Is your curriculum dynamic enough to respond to changing priorities and evolving concerns?
I hope that whatever curriculum you use serves you, the children you teach, and the parental expectations of your families as well.
// posted by Tammy Wachter @ 6:50 AM 
