+

Chapter 18

The Curriculum

+The curriculum includes:

All activities, materials and equipment used in the classroom

+Developmentally appropriate curriculum is based on how children develop and learn.

The curriculum should consist of a wide range of concepts, experiences and materials designed to meet the developmental needs of a group of children.

These needs include: Social Emotional Physical Cognitive

+A developmentally appropriate

curriculum:

Should develop, support and encourage positive relationships with the children’s family

Should tailor learning experiences to children’s ages, stage of development, interests, needs, abilities, and experiences.

Should provide the children an opportunity to make meaningful choices

+Developing Program Goals

These are described as the “WHY” of the curriculum

These goals should focus on the whole child

Each goal is broad and should relate to all four areas of development

+Examples of program goals

To develop independence

To develop a curiosity about the world

To develop effective language skills, both listening and speaking

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

+Meeting Program Goals

Teachers, available resources, and the environment all influence whether goals will be met.

Classroom activities and room arrangement should be designed to aid the children in meeting their goals

+Assessment

Should be based on the children’s activities at the center

occur as part of the ongoing life of the classroom

Rely on multiple sources

Highlight the children’s strengths and capabilities

Highlight what the children know and what they can do

Include collections of the children’s work (artwork, stories, projects) may include teacher’s observations

+Content and Process-Centered

Curriculum

Learning is a constant process or exploring and questioning the environment

All four areas of child development are included

Use a wide variety of age-appropriate materials, supplies and experiences are used

+A good curriculum includes:

Direct learning experiencesPlanned

Indirect learning experiencesSpur of the moment (mixing paint)

Teachable moments unexpected event (someone falling over toys)

+Factors to consider during

Curriculum planning

What skill and content should be covered?

Do I have a balance of learning activities that support all developmental domains?

Have I considered all learning styles? Field- sensitive Field- independent Visual learners Auditory learners

Have I considered all learning characteristics? Slow/ fast workers Attentive/ ADHD

+Emergent Curriculum

It emerges from the children’s interests and experiences

Might emerge from events, things, and people in the environment

it is always responsive to the children’s changing interests

Must use appropriate themes that have a meaningful connection to the children’s lives

+Theme

A theme is one main topic or idea around which the classroom activities are planned

Connecting activities through a theme allows children to build on previous learning

Successful themes take the children’s age, abilities, interests, and experiences into consideration

+Ways to Develop Themes

Use a web

Create a block plan

Write individual lesson plans

+Summary

A developmentally appropriate curriculum is based on how children develop and learn.

It should consist of a wide variety of experiences and materials

Program goals should focus on the WHOLE child

The content and process- centered approach to planning is the method most often used

Learning should be seen as a constant process of exploring and questioning the environment.

Activities are often based on a theme

A quality staff is one who continually evaluates the curriculum and finds ways to improve