Enhancing Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum for Early Childhood Education

1. ECE II Objective 3.01 Understand developmentally appropriate practice and factors to consider for developmentally appropriate curricula.

2. Developmentally appropriate practice is based on: • John Dewey’s vision of schools preparing students to think and reason for a democratic society • The idea that children learn from play, as supported by many child development theories

3. Developmentally appropriate practice emphasizes knowing children well: • Their ages, abilities, and interests • Strengths and weaknesses • Cultural and social background

4. Early childhood curriculum includes: • Activities, experiences, and interactions with others • The planned and the unplanned • Materials, equipment, and arrangement of rooms, facilities, and spaces

5. Guidelines • Twenty guidelines endorsed by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) • and • The National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education to… • help ensuredevelopmentally appropriate practice. • Guidelines are in question form and may be used as a checklist for curriculum and program developers.

6. Three basic characteristics of developmentally appropriate curriculum (NAEYC) are: • Age-appropriateness---program curricula based on normal development within an age span • Individual appropriateness • Individual rates of growth • Unique learning styles • Respect for individual children • Social and cultural appropriateness • Meaningful, relevant, and respectful of children’s backgrounds • Inclusive curriculum • Infusion of multicultural content

7. Basic components of early childhood curriculum are content, process, context, and teacher.

8. Content • The subject matter that is taught • what children should learn • Reflects the interests, needs, and experiences of children

9. Process • Activities used so that learning takes places • Time schedule and/or calendar showing when learning takes place

10. Context • Why learning activities are chosen • To fit program philosophy and goals, cultural backgrounds of children, family and community influences

11. Teacher • Observes and evaluates children’s developmental levels • Creates the curriculum, plans activities, and provides materials

12. Where does curriculum come from? • Developed by directors, teachers, aides, parents, and curriculum specialists • Provided in the form of preplanned curriculum units • Advantages: • Helpful to staff, saves time and money • Disadvantages: • May not match children’s needs, may limit teachers and lead to frustration

13. How are assessments used to plan curriculum? Assessments are used to: • Provide data about what children already know and can do • Identify students’ needs and interests • Assess children’s progress over time

14. What approaches are used when planning curriculum? • Content- and process-centered approach • Addresses all six domains of child development (PLACES) • Based on children’s developmental needs and interests • Basic learning materials and physical environment are key

15. Con’t… • Includes both direct and indirect learning • Uses teachable moments • Projects approach • Children do in-depth investigations of specific topics

16. con’t…. • Projects allow children to explore in developmentally appropriate ways • Example: Reggio Emilia Approach • Thematic approach • Curriculum activities based on a central topic or theme

17. Con’t…. • Themes chosen by teacher, not necessarily based on children’s interests • Emergent curriculum approach • A child-centered approach; an alternative to theme-based curricula • Curriculum emerges from children’s interests and experiences

18. What questions should be considered when planning curriculum? • Balance of learning activities • Intended outcomes and objectives • What to teach • Characteristics of learners

20. Intended outcomes and objectives • What are the desired outcomes? • What objectives and learning activities will help children reach these outcomes? • Do these objectives support program goals? • Do these objectives allow children to use a variety of levels of thinking • remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create?

22. Characteristics of learners

23. Match the following letter/definition to correct term. • like to work with others, assist, and follow models • depend on sense of sight for learning • like to work on their own, try new things, be first • learn best through hearing

24. Who is this man? • Howard Gardner • What did he do? • He developed the 8 multiple intelligences!

28. Let’s take a quiZ! • http://bit.ly/cX8yMe

29. What are the multiple intelligences of these children? • Bodily-kinesthetic • Ability to use the body or body parts • Interpersonal • Ability to understand and relate with other people • Naturalist • Ability to see differences among living things • Musical • Ability to think in music, recognize and remember patterns • Intrapersonal • Ability to understand oneself, one’s strengths and limitations • Linguistic • Ability to use language to express and understand messages • Logical-mathematical • Ability to understand systems and manipulate numbers • Spatial • Ability to comprehend the world of space

30. An early childhood program selects a curriculum appropriate for both visual and auditory learners. Which characteristic of developmentally appropriate curriculum is this? • Pays attention to individual rates of growth • Reflects age-appropriateness • Reflects unique learning styles of children in the program • Shows infusion of multicultural content Answer C

31. One of the NAEYC guidelines for developmental appropriateness of curriculum is: Is it sensitive to and respectful of the cultural and linguistic diversity? Which means the same as this question? • Does it include words and situations that relate to a variety of ethnic and family backgrounds? • Does it make children feel positive about learning? • Does it provide children with opportunities to learn to flex and adapt? • Does it seem interesting to children and their teachers? Answer A

32. Which of these children is most likely a field-sensitive learner? When asked to do an assignment on his own: • Calvin asks if he can help the teacher with another task. • Lee gets to work quickly and seems to enjoy working. • Mann really concentrates on his work and tries to finish first. • Noland tries to find new ways of doing things. Answer A

33. The End!!! • Sorry so long!!! • Thank you!!! • 