1. Topic II The Early Childhood Curriculum Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

2. Objectives for this topic: Explore your understanding of the components of a sound early childhood curriculum Investigate your ability to articulate the relationship of your educational philosophy, early learning standards, and teaching techniques to your early childhood curriculum Explore your understanding of one early childhood curriculum model Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

3. Introduction Before going on with this presentation, please ask yourself (and answer yourself!) How would you define curriculum? Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

4. Curriculum Curriculum can be defined as “an organized framework that delineates the content children are to learn, the processes through which children achieve the identified curricular goals, what teachers do to help children achieve these goals, and the context in which teaching and learning occur” (Bredekamp & Rosegrant, 1992) Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

5. Curriculum Your curriculum is a reflection of your philosophy (the basic principles, attitudes, and beliefs) of early childhood education (this needs to be based on sound research- based information) goals (early learning standards) for the children teaching techniques used to achieve those goals Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

6. A comprehensive curriculum includes… Social-emotional development Language and literacy Mathematics Technology Scientific inquiry Understanding ourselves and our communities Creative expression and arts appreciation Physical skills and development Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

7. What about you? Is your curriculum comprehensive? The completion of the ECERS-R should help you in answering this question Even though the ECERS-R not a curriculum, it assists in evaluating the context in which teaching and learning occur It is a significant step in ensuring an appropriate early childhood context for your curriculum Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

8. Curriculum Development is… An ongoing process Based on sound theories of child development Based on knowledge of how children grow and develop at different ages and stages (developmentally appropriate practices) Based on the cultural needs and interests of your students Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

9. Position Statements Follow these links and read some information about early childhood curriculum: North Central Regional Educational Laboratory: http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/i nstrctn/in5lk5.htm http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/i nstrctn/in5lk5.htm NAEYC: http://www.naeyc.org/about/positions/pdf/PSDAP 98.PDF http://www.naeyc.org/about/positions/pdf/PSDAP 98.PDF (see page 12 – Constructing Appropriate Curriculum) Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

10. Research in a nutshell Follow these links and read some research related to curriculum: From the Clearinghouse of Early Education and Parenting: http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/digests/1997 /dunn97.html http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/digests/1997 /dunn97.html From the Association of Early Childhood International: http://www.acei.org/playpaper.htm Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

11. Curriculum Models… Can provide guidelines for planning and organizing experiences and activities No one curriculum model addresses all of the developmental and cultural needs of children Examples of curriculum models: Montessori, Bank Street, High/Scope, Reggio Emilia, Primary Years Programme, the Project Approach Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

12. STOP! Research the Internet for more information on one of the curriculum models listed in the previous slide Select one that especially interests you Write a reflection about the information Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

13. What do these curricula have in common? They are based on developmental and constructivist learning theories (remember those from Course #1?) The philosophy, goals and teaching techniques that form the pillars of these curricula are based on developmental and constructivist theories of learning Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

14. Let’s go back to Slide #4… Remember that your curriculum is a reflection of 1. Your philosophy (the basic principles, attitudes, and beliefs) of early childhood education (this needs to be based on sound research-based information) 2. Your goals (valid standards) for the children 3. Teaching techniques used to achieve those goals (again based on research-based practices) Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

15. (1) Your Philosophy Have you written your philosophy of early education? Many teachers post this on the door to their classroom (along with their photo) or give it to their students’ parents Check out these explanations of philosophies: http://resumes-for- teachers.com/news/philosophy-of-education.htm http://resumes-for- teachers.com/news/philosophy-of-education.htm http://www.uwstout.edu/art/artedportfolios/creati ngyour/philosphy.htm http://www.uwstout.edu/art/artedportfolios/creati ngyour/philosphy.htm Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

16. (1) Your Philosophy Write a working draft of your philosophy of early learning If you already have one written, revisit it and revise it if necessary Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

17. (2) Your Goals (Standards) for Early Learning The second item that your curriculum must reflect is your selection of the early learning standards…remember the standards we asked you to identify early in the Mano a Mano journey? Curriculum must be planned with standards in mind Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

18. Ways to think about standards in early childhood Standards for early childhood programs are met in two ways: Naturalistically – this means they are part of the natural set-up of the classroom learning centers…they are embedded in learning center and classroom activities Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

19. Naturalistic example: (from Making Early Learning Standards Come Alive by Gaye Gronlund – Published by NAEYC – page 12) In Lisa and Roseanne’s classroom of four-year-olds, two girls, Hannah and Ling, played in the dramatic play area for approximately twenty-five minutes. Lisa observed them as they tried on various hats, dresses, capes, and shoes and looked at themselves often in the mirror. At one point, Ling was wearing a crown of flowers. Hannah tugs the crown off of Ling’s head. Ling smiled, fixed her hair and did not protest. She just got another hat. Then Hannah found a plastic lunchbox. She opened it up and started to put play food items in it. Ling went to the play refrigerator and passed food items to Hannah, announcing what each one was as she did so. Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

20. Naturalistic example (continued) “Apple, orange, banana, hot dog.” As Hannah put the hot dog in the lunchbox, she said, “No, that’s not a fruit,” and took it out. Lisa and Roseanne met after the morning session for a few minutes before heading to lunch. Lisa told Roseanne about the scene she had witnessed with the girls. As they talked, they realized that many early learning standards had been addressed in the play. Together, they made an oral list of standards, which included the following: Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

21. Naturalistic example (continued) Using language to converse Dressing and undressing self Playing and cooperating with another child For Ling, getting along with a friend without conflict For Hannah, sorting and categorizing So these standards are part of the children’s play…remember that play is the work of children! Besides naturalistic approaches to incorporating and observing the standards, there is also the (go to next slide!) Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

22. The Intentional Approach The intentional approach involves planning specific activities to meet the standards Incorporating the goals (standards) and activities into your lesson plan and Planning how you will assess the children’s performance in relation to the standard Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

23. Intentional approach (continued) These activities can be incorporated into learning centers Can be a teacher-led activity Does not mean that you have to instruct all the children at the same time! Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

24. Intentional approach example: (from Making Early Learning Standards Come Alive by Gaye Gronlund – Published by NAEYC – page 14) Brenda decided that she wanted to introduce the concept of measurement to her children in her mixed-age classroom of three-, four-, and five-year olds. She had noticed that they already identified which blocks were longer than others and which children were taller or shorter. She also knew that introducing children to comparison and measurement tools was a part of the mathematics early learning standards in her state. She planned a series of activities around measurement for the week that included the following: Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

25. Intentional approach (continued) Introducing children to the concept at large group time Giving them opportunities to work directly with her on a variety of measurement activities during exploration time Following up on those activities when the children gathered again in large group times Brenda began by introducing the children to a piece of string, a stack of connecting cubes, a ruler, and a meter stick. She showed them how they could hold any of these items next to another item and identify whether the item was longer, shorter, or the same size. She then put these items out at exploration time and helped children as they measured and compared items around the room. Another day, she announced that she was going to cut a piece of string as long as each child’s body so that they could measure things in the room that were just the same size as they were. Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

26. Intentional approach (continued) At exploration time, she had a lineup of participants eagerly awaiting their turn to be measured. Then off they went with their strings, measuring everything in sight. At the follow-up group time, Brenda asked them to tell the group what they measured in the room that was the same length as their string and recorded their answers on a large sheet of chart paper. Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

27. Your Early Learning Standards Think about your early childhood curriculum and lesson plans Describe and give examples of your approaches for incorporating and assessing the early learning standards you have chosen to use Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

28. (3) Teaching Techniques Your teaching techniques should be based on your educational philosophy Children learn best through active interaction with three dimensional materials (remember the information on brain development?) This active involvement makes it possible for later, more abstract, one-dimensional skills such as letter recognition and writing Read more about teaching techniques by following this link: http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/earlycld/ea 1lk1.htm http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/earlycld/ea 1lk1.htm Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

29. Summary…Your turn again… Now that you’ve thought about your: educational philosophy, early learning standards, and teaching techniques, curriculum components and you’ve researched one curriculum model… Write a short reflection about your own early childhood curriculum… Do your philosophy, standards, and teaching techniques weave together in research supported ways? Do you feel like you need to change anything? Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.