The Convergence Of Emergent Curriculum

As early childhood educators we all have our own philosophies and approaches to education. There are several types of early childhood programs. Each program has its own philosophies, methods, and program goals. Every early childhood educator is unique making each early childhood program experience special. Consistently, early childhood programs offer educational foundations that prepare young students for their educational futures. In this paper I will focus on comparing and contrasting two programs that stood out to me, Ridgeline Montessori and the Whitaker Head Start.

This essay will discuss Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky and their theories as well as critical points from their theories and explain how they relate back to each theory. It will discuss how both of these theories can be applied to work in relation to a role in the Early Childhood sector. It will include Dr. Rangimarie Pere’s studies in education and how they compare to those of Piaget and Vygotsky. This essay will also link the chosen theories back to Te Whāriki and the New Zealand early childhood curriculum.

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.

Education has come a extensive way from the times of Plato and Aristotle, but from each new era came a person with a concept that effected the world of education eternally. Sisters, Margaret and Rachel McMillian influenced education through their development of the Open-Air Nursery School in more way then one. Not only had they introduced the idea of starting education at a younger age then the fledgling kindergarten program, but their school was devised for kids from low- income areas that needed the extra care as well. A unique concept of the time that grasped my interest and made me want to discover more about their program and it’s effect on Early Childhood Education.

Think about your early childhood education (or your child’s early education), was it flexible to suit individual learning experiences or were children required to conform to the teacher’s methods of teaching? If you answered the latter, do you think the former would improve the quality of education? The initial years of education are crucial to learning, development and growth, during these first years children’s experiences shape their learning methods and they are able to learn rapidly, for this, early childhood educators must use teaching methods that are suitable for each child. Teachers must consider the attitude they bring to the classroom; how it affects children’s learning and the value, of the information and knowledge that

I notice, recognise and respond to children and see the emergent curriculum as being key to children’s learning. I follow the child’s lead extending their interests learning and development.

During my observations in the different classrooms at “The childcare Center”, I learned about the proper environment, the fundamentals of the teachers lesson plans, their health and safety regulations, their approach to guidance and discipline, and overall quality childcare. The center has eight different levels of age groups; each of them has their own curriculum based on their age and developmental needs. This curriculum changes and has a new theme each month that helps the lead teachers to be able to start their lesson plans each week. From infants all the way to pre-K the lesson plans include fine motor, gross motor, art and sensory, math and manipulatives, music and movement, language including both signing and Spanish.

1. Understand the impact of early years curriculum models on the application of theoretical perspectives of children’s care, learning and development.

There are many philosophies have given by both western and eastern educators, which deal with the Early Childhood Education. These philosophical ideas have been emerged from the time of Plato and even before from his teacher, which has been being carried till now with some difference and with the new ideas. If we talk about the Plato, he was more influenced by his teacher Socrates. According to him for the welfare of child, it is the responsibility of the entire community and nothing can be learned through the compulsion, learning through the playful activity is the best way to educate young children. Plato suggested that the observation at the core of all childhood program, which told in what children were interested and we should plan curriculum according to that. According to him, there should be different strata for the education like Infancy, when child should get good nurture from birth to 3years of age by their family and the community, then Nursery which starts from 3 to 6 years, when education should be started because it

Emergent curriculum is a way of planning curriculum that is based on the children’s interest and passion at a certain point in time. Children thrive and learn best when their interests are captured. Learning occurs naturally. Planning emergent curriculum requires observation, documentation, creative brainstorming, flexibility and patience on the part of the Early Childhood Educator. Rather than starting with the lesson plan which is repeated every year regardless of the age, developmental level or interests of the children, emergent curriculum starts with the children’s interest. In short, it is a child-directed and teacher facilitated approach to planning the curriculum. Emergent curriculum summons a lot of creativity

This course is intended for six-year-old children to start compulsory education from the following year. It is optional and they attend a daycare center or pre-school that has been installed in the fundamental school. The purpose is to encourage the growth of children by creating surroundings of learning and play in order to provide activities that they can be enthusiastic with others. This is different from the early childhood education, which places emphasis on the preparation of school. About 75% of children of the target have taken part in it every year. Annual costs of students who take classes in the daycare center are determine depending on the income of the parents . Free of charge pre-school education that intended for all of the

Emergent curriculum is a philosophy of teaching; it revolves around the current interests and passions of each individual child. The best way for children to learn is when it happens naturally and not forced on them – by creating a setting where the children’s interests are the core focus; a path is paved that allows each individual child to thrive on their own basis. An emergent curriculum creates a meaningful experience for children, major theoretical influences that helped promote this approach to learning was inspired by multiple approaches to learning over time. Theorist including, Vygotzky and Malaguzzi believed that social learning guides ones’ cognitive development – by looking deeper into the key beliefs influenced through Louis Malaguzzi

“Because of the specific needs of infants and toddlers the term curriculum is during the early stages of development is complex. To summarize all of the ideas of curriculum, as defined by leaders in the field (Gonzalez-Mena, Eyer, Dodge, Greenman, Stonehouse, Schwikert, Swim, and Watson), you must think about curriculum as an organized framework. To make curriculum DAP for infant and toddlers, it must be based on sound and relevant knowledge such as infant/ toddler development and research; so that it guides early care professional practices in providing purposeful and responsive learning opportunities for each child through daily routines and experiences (Blackboard, 2013).”

The meaning of the term’ curriculum’ is difficult to define. For school, Pratt (in Brady and Kennedy, 2014, p. 3) argues that curriculum can be ‘an organized set of formal educational and training intentions’. For students, Marsh and Wills (in Brady and Kennedy, 2014, p. 3) maintain that curriculum is ‘an interrelated set of plans and experiences that a student undertakes under the guidance of the school’, while for teachers, the challenge is to develop curricula that will cater for the needs of all students (Ah Sam & Ackland, 2005). There are various meanings attached to the term’ curriculum’. My personal definition for school curriculum is that schools develop programs of different study areas basing on the content of the national curriculum document; teachers plan their teaching basing on the programs; eventually, students experience the curriculum by engaging in diverse teaching activities. In this essay, I will be discussing The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) in relation to the strategic plan and teaching philosophy of Hampton Park East Kindergarten.

Programme planning is a vital part in an early childhood education service to provide quality education and care for the children. Throughout my essay I will be describing the purpose of programme planning in an early childhood education setting which will include the examples of how programme planning can be used and the components of programme planning and how they are related to Te Whaariki which is the “national curriculum for early childhood sector”. (Ministry of Education, 1996. p. 7)