Curriculum in Early Childhood Education (MAERCE 103)

SPECIALIZATION: EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Focus: Preschool Curriculum

Trends and Issues in Preschool Education

Part I-Content Update

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

A: Types of Preschool Curriculum

 The child initiated curriculum is based on the cognitive theory of child development that children
learn by doing. Playing and experimenting with objects rather than by being taught about them.

 In this philosophy most of the activities are initiated by the children, who are free to move from
one place to another as they feel motivated. They are encouraged to make their own activity
choices, take out the appropriate materials and put away when they are done.

 It is driven by the idea that young children learn through play

 It is being sensitive to and supportive to the development age, and experience of young children
individually and in the classroom community.

 This type of program has an unstructured feel which experts believe is fitting because for every
young child most of the time at school is devoted to free play.

 In summary, the school curriculum is said to be child-initiated if child-centered learning activities

are done at each child’s pace and the teacher’s role is to arrange the environment and provide
ideas and materials for children to choose their own activities.

 The role of teachers in the child centered curriculum:

-Sets up the classroom and the daily routine so children could plan, do, and review their own
activities and engage in key learning experiences.

-Makes available to a children variety of materials and activities.

-Prepare materials for all areas of the classroom

-Acts as resources and facilitator of learning

-Asks questions to encourage children to discuss, reflect and examine.

 The Typical Elements of a child-or Play-Centered School

-There are variety of stations like art, music, books and blocks where children will be able to
move easily from one activity to the next.

-Children will usually be playing alone or in small groups.

-Plenty of chattering and discussion between the teacher and the students.

-Teacher imparting concepts are through songs and games.

2. The Teacher-Directed Curriculum

 This is more structured philosophy, in which the teachers generally plan the daily activities, and
then guide the children in carrying them out.

 It typically incorporates the behaviorists’ theory of child development.

 It is a direct contrast to child-initiated approach

 Its general ideas is to help children adopt to the classroom setting and to prepare them for later,
more formal setting.

 The role of the teacher in the Teacher-Directed Curriculum

-Describes what activities the children will do, when they will do the activities, for how long and
how the materials will be used.

-Prepares children for later grades carefully

-Teacher subjects as a series of skills, each more complex than the one before it.

-Reinforces or rewards children who perform the desired behaviors or tasks with verbal approval,
an extra privilege, or a symbolic reward such as star.

-Asks questions like “What letter is this?” or “Who knows what color is this?” these questions
may be presented in a playful manner such as guessing game or sing along.

 The Typical Elements of Teacher-Directed Curriculum

-The emphasis is on simple academic skills like pencil and paper activities.

-More quite and organized environment than in a play-centered classroom.

-Teachers are guiding through low-key activities, like games and art project.

 Teacher-Directed Instructions

-Conversation

-Do not talk unless you have been recognized

-Do not blurt out questions, answers or comments

-Do not have personal conversations

-Help

-Raise your hand if you have comments or a questions

-Activity

-Take your notebook/ paper and writing instrument

-Take notes from overhead

-Listen carefully to the lecture

-Actively participate in the discussion

-Make sure your notes are in proper orders in your notebook

-Do not work on any other assignments for this class or any other class during note taking

-Movement

-Sit in your assigned seat

-Do not ask to leave your seat or the classroom during teacher-directed instruction
-Participation

-On-task: sit up straight, lean forward, active listening: Note important information, track the
speaker

-Off-task:slouching, daydreaming, eyes not on the speaker, not taking notes, not participating in
discussion

3. The Development-Appropriate Curriculum

 Goals of DAP Curriculum

-Foster positive self-identity and sense of emotional well-being

-Develop social skills and knowledge

-Encourage children to think, reason, question and experiment (as used in Math, Science and
Social Studies)

-Encourage language (speaking, listening) and literacy development (emerging, reading, writing
awareness and skills.)

-Enhance physical development and skills

-Encourage creative expression, representation, and appreciation for the arts

-Respect cultural diversity

 Emphasis of Developmentally Appropriate ECE Curriculum

-Active hand on learning

-conceptual learning that leads to understanding along with acquisition of basic skills

-meaningful, relevant learning experiences

-a broad range of relevant content integrated across traditional subject mater division

 Factors to be considered in Developing DAP Curriculum

- Child development in knowledge

-Individual characteristics children

-Knowledge based on various disciplines

-Values of our culture

-Parent’s desires

-Knowledge children need to function completely in our society (Spodek, 1988:1977 in press)

 Guidelines for Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum and Assessment in Programs Serving

Children 3 through 8

 The typical Elements of Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum

-This practice in early childhood program serving children from birth to age 8

-It provides for all areas of child development; physical, emotional, social, linguistic, aesthetic,
and cognitive

-Curriculum includes broad range of content across disciplines that is socially relevant,
intellectually engaging and personally meaningful to children
 -Curriculum builds upon what children already know and able to do (activating prior knowledge)
to consolate their learning and to foster their acquisition of new concepts and skills.

-Curriculum promotes the development of knowledge and understanding, process and skills, as
well as the dispositions to use and apply skills and to go learning.

-Children directly participate in study of the discipline

-Curriculum provides opportunities to support children’s abilities to participate in the shared

culture of the program and the community.

-Curriculum goals are realistic and attainable for most children in the designated age range for
which they are designed.

-It has three dimension, namely

 Age Appropriateness

-Based on the knowledge in typical development of children

-Children grow physically, emotionally, socially and cognitively in a sequence that follows a
predictable pattern by understanding the changes that children experience of each age, teachers are
better be able to provide activities that are appropriate challenging.

 Individual Appropriateness

-Based on learning experiences which are meaningful, relevant, and respectful

-Addresses the unique differences among children including individual pattern and timing of
growth as well as individual personality, learning style and family background.

 Social and Cultural Appropriateness

-Based on an understanding of individuals children’s growth, patterns, strengths, interest, and

experiences.

-A child’s unique personality is developed as a result of their own personal history and the
experiences they have within the cultural group they belong to. Among the rules they learn are how
to organize time and personal space, and how to interact with people they know well vs.those they
have just met. Therefore, decisions about how to care for and educate young children cannot be
made without knowledge of the child’s cultural social context.

B. Indicators of Effectiveness that Entwine Curriculum (Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development,

Kagan SL, Kauerz)

 Children are active and engaged. Children learn best by exploring and thinking about all sorts of
phenomena. Effective curriculum ensures that important concepts are taught through projects,
everyday experiences, collaborative activities and an active curriculum.

 Goals are clear and shared by all. Curriculum goals should be clearly defined, shared, and
understood by all adults who have a stake in children’s learning. The curriculum and relate
teaching strategies should be designed to help achieve goals in a unified, coherent way.

 Teachers have frequent, meaningful interactions with children. As already noted curriculum and
the content of what young children need to learn, know, and be able to do is children linked with
pedagogy and how such content is delivered. Teacher’s engagement with children also allows
them to regularly assess each child’s progress and make adjustments in the classroom as
necessary.

 Curriculum is evidence-based. The curriculum should be based on evidence that is

developmentally, culturally, and linguistically relevant for the children who will experience the
curriculum.
 Curriculum builds on children’s prior learning and experiences. The content and implementation
of the curriculum should build on children’s prior individual, age-related, and cultural learning
and be inclusive of children with disabilities. Curriculum should support the knowledge that
children gain from their families and communities and support children whose home language is
not English in building a solid base for later learning.

 Curriculum is comprehensive. Curriculum should encompass all areas of development including

children’s physical health; well being and motor development social and emotional
development;approaches to learning;language development, and cognition and general
knowledge.

 Curriculum is aligned with learning standards and appropriate assessments. Increasingly,

policy-makers and practitioners alike are concerned with improving children’s learning
experiences.

C. Guiding Principles of Early Childhood Programs

 Developmentally Appropriate Programs.

-Age appropriateness- it is important that teachers be aware of children’s predictable stages of

growth in all areas-physical, emotional, social and cognitive.

-Individual appropriateness-teachers need to know and appreciate each child’s uniqueness and
individuality and to provide activities and materials that are personally interesting and challenging. A
major mode for doing this is to play. According to NAEYC, child-initiated, child directed, teacher
supported play is an essential component of developmentally appropriate practice.

 Curriculum that integrates all areas of child Development

 Experiences that are concrete and relevant to real life

 Multicultural and non-sexist curricula

 A balance between rest and activity (indoor & outdoor)

 Opportunity to communicate

 Providing the respect, acceptances, comfort and encouragement children deserve

 Good parent-teacher communication

D. Guidelines in determining Appropriate Curricula

 A developmentally appropriate curriculum should provide for all area of child’s development
physical, emotional, linguistic, aesthetic and cognitive.

 The curriculum should include a broad range of context across disciplines that are socially
relevant, intellectually engaging and personally meaningful to children.

 The curriculum should built on what children already know and are able to do (activating prior
knowledge) to consolidate their learning and to foster their acquisition of new concepts and
skills.

 Effective curriculum should plan frequently integrating across traditional subject matter divisions
to help children make meaningful connections and provide opportunities for rich conceptual
development; focusing on one subject is also a valid strategy at times.

 Curriculum should promote the development of knowledge and understanding, processes and
skills, as well as the dispositions to use and apply skills to go on learning.
 Curriculum content should have intellectually integrity, reflecting the key concepts and tools of
inquiry of recognized disciplines in ways that are accessible and achievable for young children,
ages three through eight.

 Curriculum should provide opportunities to support children’s home culture and language with
also developing their abilities to participate for most children in the designated age range for
which they are designed.

 In using technology, it should be physically and philosophically integrated in the classroom

curriculum and teaching.

E. Guidelines for Curriculum Design

The following guiding statements will help you clarify some of the steps involved in curriculum
design. These statements, according to the authors, are based on school practice and apply to all
curriculum models.

 There should be a curriculum design committee which includes teachers, parents and
administrators; some schools might include students, too.

 The committee should establish a sense of mission or purpose in the early stages or meetings.

 Needs and priorities should be addresses in relations to students and society

 School goals and objectives should be viewed, but they should not serve as the guiding criteria
upon which to design the curriculum development.

 Alternative curriculum designs should be contrasted in terms of advantages and disadvantages

such as cost, scheduling class size, facilities and personnel required, and existing relationship to
present programs.

 To help teachers gain insight into the new modified design, the design should reveal expected
cognitive and affective skills, concepts, and outcomes.

F. Sources of Curriculum

 Children as the Focus of Curriculum

-A preschool curriculum which focused on the learner is one that organizes its learning
experiences and content around normal child activities.

-Children develop concepts about themselves, others and the world around them by observing,
interacting with others, and looking for ways to solve a problem.

 The family as the Focus of the Curriculum

-The family is another rich basis for the curriculum which the child can easily relate to and with.

-The curriculum may help children build an understanding and appreciation of their own families,
the similarities among families, the uniqueness of each family, the different family forms, the tasks of
families, and the relationships between family members.

-An examination of the children’s family homes, means of transportation, food references,
celebrations, family members’ occupation and patterns of communication are also good topics that
could enable each child to participate actively in class.

 The school as the focus of the Curriculum

-An understanding of the values of the school is important and adherence to school’s philosophy
gives stability and continuity to the school program.
 -The content of the curriculum may also be structured on what the school espouses as ideal.

 The community/Country/Word as the Focus of the Curriculum

-The community can be rich source of material and offers a wealth of learning opportunities and
curriculum material

-From the community, children may learn about people in the community, their roles in the
community, recreational facilities such as the park, the zoos, and the museums, forms of
transportation, health services, telephone services and other places in the community which children
may even visit during their final trip.