Example: confidence

Early Childhood Curriculum Models

January/February 2004 Child Care Information Exchange71 Curriculumand technology aregiving us a betterunderstanding of whatexperiences lay a firmfoundation for life-long learning andhealthy standards areused to build curricu-lum content that ischallenging andrelevant to whatchildren will be learn-ing when they enterschool. It is safe to saythat .. much morehas become knownabout the power ofhigh-quality cur- Early ChildhoodCurriculum Modelsby Diane Trister DodgeThe Changing Role ofCurriculum It wasn t so long ago that the idea ofusing a written Curriculum to guide thecare and education of children underfive was not widely accepted. It wasunheard of in programs serving infantsand toddlers and still controversial forprograms serving preschool defining Curriculum for this agegroup has been challenging. Dictionar-ies typically define Curriculum as ascope and sequence for a course ofstudy.

framework. (Nikki Grazier) Similarly, in South Australia, there is a set curriculum framework called the “South Australian Curriculum, Stan-dards and Accountability Framework,” that is used statewide as a framework for all programs. It outlines essential learn-ings: Futures, Identity, Interdependence, Communication, and Thinking. It is very

Tags:

  Model, Framework, Curriculum, Early, Childhood, Australian curriculum, Australian, Curriculum framework, Early childhood curriculum models

Information

Domain:

Source:

Link to this page:

Please notify us if you found a problem with this document:

Other abuse

Transcription of Early Childhood Curriculum Models

1 January/February 2004 Child Care Information Exchange71 Curriculumand technology aregiving us a betterunderstanding of whatexperiences lay a firmfoundation for life-long learning andhealthy standards areused to build curricu-lum content that ischallenging andrelevant to whatchildren will be learn-ing when they enterschool. It is safe to saythat .. much morehas become knownabout the power ofhigh-quality cur- Early ChildhoodCurriculum Modelsby Diane Trister DodgeThe Changing Role ofCurriculum It wasn t so long ago that the idea ofusing a written Curriculum to guide thecare and education of children underfive was not widely accepted. It wasunheard of in programs serving infantsand toddlers and still controversial forprograms serving preschool defining Curriculum for this agegroup has been challenging. Dictionar-ies typically define Curriculum as ascope and sequence for a course ofstudy.

2 Organizations and experts onearly Childhood education providebroader definitions that address allaspects of program planning for a givenage group, including content, processes,context, and what teachers do. Anappropriate definition for World Forumparticipants comes from NAEYC s newposition paper on Curriculum assess-ment and evaluation, which states that .. in general Curriculum is seen asthe means by which a society helpslearners acquire the knowledge, skills,and values that that society deems mostworth having. New research and knowledge highlightthe importance of the Early childhoodyears in preparing children, especiallyvulnerable children, for school andfuture success. Because high qualityearly learning experiences are soimportant, they cannot be left tochance. There is a growing consensus,supported by many scholarly reports,that we must be more purposeful inour work with young children.

3 Acomprehensive Curriculum can helpteachers and directors make thought-ful decisions about how and what toteach. It provides a blueprint forplanning and implementing a pro-gram that addresses all aspects ofchild development and building part-nerships with the same time, content standardsfor different disciplines literacy,math, science, social studies, the arts,Why What and How Programs Use themDiane Trister Dodge is thefounder and president ofTeaching Strategies, Inc., acompanythat seeksto improvethe qualityof Early Childhood programsby designing practical,easy-to-use Curriculum andtraining materials and pro-viding staff has been a preschooland kindergarten teacher,served as the educationcoordinator for Head Startand child care programs inMississippi and Washing-ton, DC, and directednational projects in educa-tion and human is a well-knownspeaker and author of morethan 25 books, includingThe Creative Curriculum ,Building the PrimaryClassroom, and books forparents.

4 She has served onnumerous boards, includingNAEYC and the Center forthe Child Care interest in the topic of Curriculum at the World Forum reflects the changing role of Curriculum inprograms throughout the world that provide care and education for children from birth through age article is an outgrowth of the Curriculum track in Acapulco where different Models were presentedand where panel members and participants explored topics related to the ongoing implementation of acurriculum. As a follow-up to the three well-attended sessions at the recent World Forum, programs around the globewere asked to respond to questions about whether they use a particular Curriculum model , what distin-guishes their Curriculum , and how they help teachers learn about and implement their Curriculum . Wereceived approximately 80 enthusiastic and varied responses far too extensive to do justice in oneshort article to the many thoughtful ideas that were shared.

5 This article attempts to highlight some of theimportant issues involved with the selection and use of a Curriculum . For those who wish to read more,the Child Care Information Exchangeweb site will provide access tothe descriptions that were sent. In this way, we hope to keep the conversation alive and copy reprint permission from Child Care Information ExchangePO Box 3249, Redmond, WA 98073 (800)221-2864 use copy agreement available for educators by Care Information ExchangeJanuary/February 2004 Curriculuming a woven mat. It defines fourprinciples family and community,relationships, holistic development, andempowerment and five strands well-being, belonging, contribution, com-munication, and exploration. Each centercreates its own woven mat from thebasic principles and guidelines of theframework. (Nikki Grazier)Similarly, in South Australia, there is aset Curriculum framework called the South australian Curriculum , Stan-dards and Accountability framework , that is used statewide as a framework forall programs.

6 It outlines essential learn-ings: Futures, Identity, Interdependence,Communication, and Thinking. It is veryflexible and allows for teachers to planbased on what they learn about theirchildren. (Mary Scales)In Kenya, all programs must follownational Guidelines for Early Child-hood Development that describeobjectives, content, and methods and rec-ommend a thematic integrated approach. Due to the diverse nature of Kenya speople, culture, and environment ..teachers are encouraged to use a local-ized Curriculum which is developed foreach district by the district centres forearly Childhood education. (H. K. Man-ani) Curriculum Models ThatPrograms Are UsingIn the United States, most directors whoresponded to this survey identified acore, comprehensive Curriculum thatthey use. The two most commonlymentioned are The Creative Curriculumand High/Scope. Directors also listed awide variety of additional Models andresources they use to supplement theirplanning.

7 Ones that were mentionedmore than once include the ProjectApproach, Reggio Emilia, Montessori,and what several called emergentcurriculum. riculum content, effective assessmentpractices, and ongoing program evalua-tion as tools to support better outcomesfor young children. Why Programs Usea CurriculumPrograms are more likely to use a cur-riculum if they are required to do so orbecause they want to ensure that every-one is on the same pageand workingtoward the same goals. In the UnitedStates, programs that receive federal orstate funds are often required to identifya Curriculum model that they are imple-menting. The National Head StartBureau, for example, provides criteriafor selecting a comprehensive curricu-lum model but gives each program thefreedom to select the one that they thinkis most appropriate for the populationthey serve. Some states that overseeearly Childhood programs have approv-ed specific Curriculum Models thatprograms may use.

8 Privately fundedpreschool and child care programs haveno specific requirements, although manydo use a Curriculum to guide their plan-ning. They are more likely to have a cur-riculum if they are seeking accreditation,because that is a the increasing interest in preschooleducation, states are now required todevelop standards for pre-K of 2002, 39 states had developed orwere in the process of developing stan-dards defining what children shouldknow and be able to do before theyenter kindergarten. These standards areincreasingly being used to guide cur-riculum selection and many countries, Early Childhood pro-grams follow a specific curriculumframework, but they have a great deal ofleeway in designing experiences thatreflect their children and the example, in New Zealand, earlychildhood centers use a curriculumframework called Te Whariki, mean-Criteria that programs use to select acurriculum or Curriculum resourcesinclude.

9 Clearly written allows teachers to design a programthat is responsive to individual andgroup needs and characteristics contains a parent involvementcomponent addresses outcomes and statesexpectations consistent with the needs of is interesting to note that educatorswho responded to the Child Care Infor-mation Exchangerequest, like those whoattended the sessions at the WorldForum, have strong beliefs about theimportance of an approach to curricu-lum that gives teachers a vital role inconstructing Curriculum that is respon-sive to the children they teach. Theyreject prescriptive curriculumapproaches that tell teachers what toteach, how to teach it, and when. It isfar easier to hand out what to dotoday instructions, but then we missthe very essence of education for andabout the child. (Salynn McCollum)It is not surprising, therefore, that a vastmajority of responders either havedeveloped their own Curriculum ormeld a variety of approaches.

10 Peopletalked about the great diversity in theircountries and the value of allowingteachers and districts to respond to thepeople and the community they serve. Our Curriculum is distinguished fromother Curriculum Models in the waythat it is original and not borrowedfrom any country or school but is basedon strong educational philosophies Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, Steiner,Glenndoman, Reggio Emilia, a nutshell, our Curriculum has thequalities of a strong rubber band! It canstretch to encompass all kinds of cul-tural and other areas and age-specificneeds of children, teachers, andJanuary/February 2004 Child Care Information Exchange73 Curriculumparents. (Swati Popat, Podar JumboKids, India)How Programs UseCurriculum ModelsAll programs that use a particularcurriculum whether adopted ordeveloped by the programs offerorientation to its approach and ongoingtraining and support for teachers.