The Curriculum. A good early childhood curriculum is based on how children develop and learn. It...

The Curriculum

A good early childhood curriculum is based on how children develop and learn.

It consists of a wide range of

•concepts

•experiences

•materials

•designed to meet the developmental needs of a group of children.

In an early childhood program, the program goals outline the philosophy of the center.

Program goals are broad statements of purpose that state the desired end results – what is to be achieved.

Program goals based on child development focus on the “whole child.” Sometimes they are also called developmental goals.

Program Goals

To develop a positive self-concept and attitude toward

learning

To develop independence

Program Goals


learning


To think critically and develop problem-solving skills

Program Goals


learning



To respect and understand cultural diversity

Program Goals


learning




To develop effective language skills, both listening and speaking

Program Goals


learning





To develop fine motor skills


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To develop large motor coordination

Program Goals

Program Goals


learning







To develop personal initiative

Program Goals


learning








To develop curiosity about the world

Program Goals


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To develop positive social skills, including cooperation and interdependence

Program Goals


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To develop respect for one’s own rights as well as the rights of others

Program Goals


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To develop respect for one’s own rights as well as the rights of others

To develop an understanding of the relationship between people, events, and objects

Who plans the curriculum?•Curriculum development can involve one person or several staff members

•Directors, teachers, aides, parents, and in some cases even the center cook may all be included at some time.

Pre-planned Curriculum

Advantages

•For a staff with little training or experience

•Activities, procedures, and suggestions are outlined in detail

•Saves teachers time and energy

Disadvantages

•Does not factor for individual differences and learning styles of children

•Experienced teachers may feel stifled or limited

•If the preplanned curriculum does not match the need of the children, both children and teachers may feel frustrated

Provides information about what the children already know and what skills they have already achieved

Helps to fit the curriculum activities with the needs of the children

Content and process-centered Learning is seen as a

constant process of exploring and questioning of the environment

“Hands-on” activities are stressed

“Developmentally appropriate” or age appropriate materials are chosen and structured by the teacher

Content and Process-Centered Learning is seen as a constant

process of exploring and questioning of the environment

“Hands-on” activities are stressed

“Developmentally appropriate” or age appropriate materials are chosen and structured by the teacher

Spiral Curriculum

•As children grow, their circle of interests becomes larger, like a spiral

•Two and three -year-olds are interested in their families, shapes and concepts they are learning

•As three–year-olds are introduced to the world outside their home, they are more aware and interested in the people in their world and their community

•Four and five-year-olds children enjoy themes related to a wider range of topics such as puppets, tools and transportation

Direct learning experiences

Are planned with a specific goal in mind

Example: a carpentry activity may be planned to develop fine motor skills and to teach the use of safety goggles

Indirect learning experiences

Occur on the spur of the moment

Example: a child may learn to mix paints by watching another child mix paints or by experimenting on her own

Information to cover

Is the information worth knowing?

Is the information testable?

Is the information developmentally appropriate?

Learning Styles Learning Characteristics





Learning Styles

• Field-sensitive children like to work with others

• Field-independent children prefer to work alone

• Visual learners depend a great deal on the sense of sight

• Auditory learners are those who learn best through hearing

Learning Characteristics





Learning Styles






• Some children work slowly

• Others work quickly

• Some children are attentive

• Others are easily bored

• Some children are decision makers

• Others are cautious





Learning Styles






• Some children work slowly

• Others work quickly

• Some children are attentive

• Others are easily bored

• Some children are decision makers

• Others are cautious

Theme Length

•The length of attention spans within the group of children

•The interest level of the children

•Available resources

Examples of themes:

The Five Senses

Zoo Animals

Colors

Seasons

Flowers

Holidays

Community Helpers

Transportation

Circus

Plants

Bugs

Step # 1 Choose a theme.

•A flowchart outlines major concepts related to a theme.

•A concept is a generalized idea or notion.

•Drawing a flow chart is a simple method for listing concepts related to a theme.

Both concepts and skills may be listed on a flow chart

Block Plan Lesson Plan

A block plan is an overall view of the curriculum.

Lesson Plans are more detailed that block plans. They outline specific actions and activities that will be used to meet goals and objectives.

Writing the Lesson Plan

Lesson plans are more detailed than block plans. While a block plan gives just the title of a book to be read, a lesson plan provides step-by-step directions for sharing the book with the children.

Lesson plans contain the following:

•Developmental goals

•Learning objectives

•Concepts

•Materials needed

•Motivation

•Procedures

•Closure/transition

•Evaluation

Developmental goals are statements that tell the “why” of the activity. They are more specific that program goals. They explain what the children will be learning from this activity.

(examples are shown on p. 269)

Learning Objectives describe the expected outcomes of an activity. There are three parts to learning objectives.

1. The conditions of performance list what materials, equipment, or tools the child will use or may not use.

2. Behaviors refer to any visible activities done by the child.

3. The level of performance states the minimum standard of achievement. It should note how well the child should do.

Remember to use only measurable behaviors in learning objectives.

List everything that is needed for the activity.

Motivation describes how you will gain the children’s attention.

The procedures section resembles a cook book. Simple, step-by-step directions should be provided. Each of the developmental goals should be covered in the procedures.

Closure refers to how an activity will end. It might include clean-up tasks or sampling of food items at snack time.

Transition refers to the movement from one activity to another. In some cases, closure and transition are the same task.

This process involves three steps:

1. Evaluating the learning experience

2. Evaluating the children and their responses

3. Evaluating your own teaching strategies

The Curriculum. A good early childhood curriculum is based on how children develop and learn. It...

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