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How Did Early Childhood Curriculum Evolve? Prior to the seventeenth century, childhood was not generally considered a distinct phase of the life span. Children who survived the first years of life were quickly incorporated into the work routines that sustained the well-being of the family. However, beginning with the Enlightenment, thinkers like John Locke (16321734) […]

Teacher-Child Ratios Young children usually spend their entire day with the same teacher, child-care provider, or small team of teachers, and early childhood educators usually plan for and implement all components of the curriculum. Typically, however, the teacher-child ratio, or the number of children each individual adult is responsible for, increases by age, because we

General Distinctions In general, curriculum for infants and toddlers emphasizes language development, socialization, exploration of the immediate environment, and acquisition of self-help skills, often through daily routines like diapering and feeding. Preschool curricula focus on the development of social and interpersonal skills, play, acquiring a love of learning, and thinking skills. Kindergarten serves as the

How Do Curricula Vary within Early Childhood Education? All curricula, including those developed for young children, are designed to complement and support the students for whom they are intended. They include: Stockbyte / Thinkstock A curriculum for infants emphasizes one-on-one interactions between adults and children. A theoretical or philosophical orientation Stated or implied assumptions about

Degree of Teacher Control A teacher’s effectiveness in implementing any curriculum will be greatly influenced by her knowledge about child development, the skills and experience he brings to the classroom, and her personal belief system (Hill, Stremmel, & Fu, 2005). As a new teacher, you might appreciate a curriculum that provides lots of direction, support,

Comprehensive and Limited-Scope Curriculum A curriculum can also be comprehensive or limited in scope. A comprehensive curriculum addresses all areas of learning, while a limited-scope curriculum focuses on a single area, such as literacy, math, or the arts (National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center [NCCIC], 2011). The Creative Curriculum for Preschool (Heroman et

Curriculum Model A curriculum model, on the other hand, is more prescriptive. Formally, it’s defined as “an ideal representation of the theoretical premises, administrative policies, and pedagogical components of a program aimed at obtaining a particular educational outcome” (Spodek & Brown, 1993, p. 91). It describes everything about what and how the teacher will teach,

Curriculum Approach A curriculum approach is a broad framework designed from a specific perspective or orientation about how children learn (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2008). An approach includes key ideas and principles but allows or encourages “reflection, practice, and further careful reflection in a program that is continuously renewed and readjusted” (Gandini, 1993, p. 4). Thus,

What Is the Difference between a Curriculum Approach and a Curriculum Model? In the curriculum literature, the terms approach and model are sometimes used interchangeably (Frede & Ackerman, 2007), but they can also be interpreted differently. For purposes of clarity in this book, these two terms will differentiate the level of detail and specificity within

Stop and Reflect When you think about your own experiences in school, can you recall how you learned to interpret a particular teacher’s body languageperhaps the slight nod of approval or the “look” that let you know you needed to think twice about what you were about to do? What are some other examples of