Rationale Of Curriculum Integration And Differentiation

Critical issues facing educators today include; educational inequity, socio-economic status of students, cultural diversity, stereotyping, dominate cultural paradigms, and social disadvantage. Because of these issues, educators will be best prepared for classroom life if they find ways to adapt and modify the learning environment in order, to provide for inclusive regardless of the learners needs. All children in Australia are presented with the opportunity to attend schools which are designed to be inclusive for any and all abilities. Due to the diverse nature of the school age population in Australia classrooms are made up of an assortment of needs in relation to social, cognitive, and physical areas of learning.

This assignment is based upon my understanding of child development and children’s learning, considering the curriculum for the Early Years and the curriculum for the Early Years Foundation Stage/Key Stage One. I propose to outline a rationale for effectively continuing children’s learning, from the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage into Year One and include strategies to support transitions, effective curriculum delivery and links between the EYFS and the National Curriculum. Throughout the assignment I will refer not only in general but also to how my research has help me as a practitioner help my setting to effectively continue children’s learning.

As previously mentioned, children from the age of 5 to 16 who are educated in a maintained school must be taught the National Curriculum. This sets out the key stages and core subjects they will follow throughout their time at school. Within this framework, schools can plan and organise the way they teach to best meet the needs of their

Differentiated instruction in a type of teaching approach in which the teacher makes changes to lesson plans or unit curriculum so that students of all levels achieve the same level of learning. The whole lesson might not have to be changed, usually they just will make changes to the content, process or product of a given lesson.

Early childhood education curriculums are becoming a national curriculum in most countries. With more governments and society thinking about education of under-fives we are seeing shifts in thinking and education to meet the changing world. We are developing children skills for the future to create a society where children feel they belong and can contribute to society. Curriculums are being influenced my social, political, cultural, historical and theoretical issues that are impacting different curriculums in the world. I am going to explore and develop my understanding about three different curriculums to recognise the different influences affecting curriculums. I am going to explore the curriculums of Te Whāriki: New Zealand, Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia and Curriculum for Excellence: Scotland. This will allow me to develop an understanding of other curriculums which I have not heard about to discover other way to education that I have not been taught in teacher’s college.

In a contemporary Australian school setting, inclusion is the ongoing collaboration of all members of the school community to effectively meet the diverse needs of all students, including those with additional needs (Blackmore, 2009; Lyons, 2014). All students regardless of their cultural background or ability level should experience an enriching education where they feel included and supported. Creating inclusive cultures, producing inclusive policies and evolving inclusive practices are the best ways to promote learning and participation in schools for all students (Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education, 2012; Dempsey, 2014).

It is agreed that educator’s philosophy, pedagogical practices and believe about topics such as gender and sexuality, socio-cultural factors and cultural diversity will influence how the Australian Curriculum and Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) is reflected in the classroom. For example, cultural competence which is one of the eight main practices that EYLF focuses on to support children’s learning.

In 2008 the new curriculum for the foundation stage in wales began its roll out. Its aim was to bring consistency and continuity to children’s education, thus transforming early year’s education in Wales. The principles on which the curriculum is based are that children should be provided with a good basis for future learning and the ability to apply their learning to everyday situations. Leighton Andrews, the former education minister, said in an article on the Welsh Government website that the curriculum was designed “to allow all children to flourish whatever their stage of development or learning ability” (Andrews, 2010). The Framework for Children’s Learning for 3 to 7 Year olds in Wales (here forth known as ‘The Framework’) outlines 7 key areas of learning. These are ‘Personal and social development, well-being and cultural diversity’, ‘Language, literacy and communication skills’, ‘Mathematical development’, ‘Welsh language development’, ‘Knowledge and understanding of the world’, ‘Physical development’ and ‘Creative development’. The curriculum focuses on holistic learning, meaning that whilst there are 7 separate areas of learning, they are to be taught in a way which entwines them together allowing for children to develop skills such as everyday problem solving by understanding that mathematics is not merely a school subject but a skill which is used in everyday life.

The Curriculum for Excellence describes eight curricular areas, three of which assign a responsibility to all teachers regardless of sector; namely Literacy, Numeracy, and Health and Wellbeing (HWB). Whereas some form of instruction in reading, writing and arithmetic has always been a feature of formal education, Health and Wellbeing is a relatively new addition to the school curriculum, both in Scotland and globally .

It is essential that educators create safe, welcoming environments that promote learning for all students in a classroom and to do this they must acknowledge issues of diversity and difference and know how to approach these issues. There are two key documents that guide educators in their planning and implementation of curriculum; The Australian Curriculum and The Early Years Learning Framework. Using these two documents to create learning programs, educators must enact an inclusive curriculum that empowers all students, regardless of differences. For educators to understand and address issues of diversity and differences such as socio-economic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, language barriers and stereotypes around gender and sexuality, they must look at their own philosophy, values and beliefs around these issues.

The Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations for the Council of Australian Governments [DEEWR} (2009) developed the Belonging, Being & Becoming – The Early Years Learning Framework [EYLF] for Australia. This framework was created to guide educators in developing a quality education program in early childhood education and care settings (DEEWR, 2009. p.5).

As parents, you may remember Geography; History; Business and Economics; and Civics and Citizenship as being about absorbing facts that schools thought important for you to learn. Or you might remember doing projects that seemed like time-fillers in the scheme of what was important at school (What is Inquiry Based Learning, 2004). You will also be aware of how fast the world is changing and the impact of technology on the growth of information that surrounds us. You may have experienced redundancy, elections or a global recession and understand that knowing facts is not very useful for navigating difficult times. Facts alone do not educate students in what is needed to think critically and creatively about a situation, to find opportunities in hardship or to learn and relearn in the new knowledge economy (Warlick, 2013). Inquiry learning is a way of addressing the teaching of skills and dispositions that will be essential for your children to thrive as active and informed citizens of the future (Reynolds, 2014; ACARA, 2016).

The Educators Guide to the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia has identified key concepts and principles which require educators to use particular understandings and practices effectively to achieve the desire outcome ‘ The Journey for Educators: Growing competence in working with Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures (Commonwealth of Australia, 2010, Page 24) focuses on guiding educators

The Early Years Learning framework for Australia Document is important to have in our Schools; as it talks about how Children are confident and involved learners, we need our student’s to be confident and involved in all aspects of learning in the classroom. Having this in place means children get more hands on experience in the classroom and more room for activities, exploring and learning new things and not being afraid to step out of their comfort zone to learn. This means more creativity from students and their individuality to reveal and explore more. Having this in place means that children can connect with nature and the world and be able to communicate and have upright people skills from a young age. The early years learning

This case study will analyse how these Australian Government policies, initiatives and legislative requirements influence curriculum, promote quality care and support the achievement of high quality outcomes for young children in Early Learning contexts.