Early Education Curriculum - Report Example

Comparison Report 2 Part 1: Introduction With the goal of building a firm educational foundation for our children, we tend to enroll them in an early educational system that matches with their needs and abilities. The children are hereby enrolled into schools and daycare centers that specialize with the children to provide them with the opportunity for learning. Establishing an appropriate curriculum is essential as it dictates what the students are supposed to learn at each stage of the learning process. A curriculum refers to an established conceptual framework and organizational structure that is adopted by an institution to help in making a crucial decision regarding the education priorities. Early Childhood education curriculum refers to both formal and non-formal educations, planned or spontaneous education delivered to children during the early stages ranging from birth to third grade. Apart from shaping the skills of learners from an early age to equip them for executive function, the curriculum for early childhood education incorporates other essential needs for the development of the child (Jackman et al. 2015). Such include promoting cognitive, social and emotional development. Physical wellness is boosted by helping the children build their muscles, strengths, and knowledge on living a healthy life. There are different types of curriculum that teaching institutions tend to follow. Such types include Montessori, Waldorf Steiner, High scope and Reggio Based (Getwicki, 2017). The choice of the mode of curriculum to be adopted depends on the approach followed by each curriculum and the needs and interests of the children that are aimed to be fulfilled. The paper compares the Reggio Emilia and High Scope curriculum. The choice to use the two methods of the curriculum is due to their unique aspects although sharing some similarities and differences. The National Association for the Young Children (NAEYC) has set some principles and standards, known as the Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP), that are used in classifying a curriculum approach (Getwicki, 2017). Both models observe and promote the domains that enhance the development of a child by adopting key developmental indicators such as cognitive development, social and emotional development and physical development. For cognitive development, high scope curriculum encourages activities that enhance the children abilities to recognize and distinguish items by engaging them in activities where they can explore objects using the five human senses (Getwicki, 2017). Children are also encouraged to distinguish objects by identifying the similarities and differences, the effects and causal factors. Social and emotional development is distinguished in the same curriculum by promoting the interaction between teachers and students and also within the children. The latter is achieved by engaging the children in groups and plays. Children are encouraged to engage in healthy behavior and engaged in fitness abilities to foster the physical development of the children. A unique feature of High Scope is the intensity of their research in preschool education and also their preschool curriculum approach. On the other hand, a unique feature of the Reggio Emilia curriculum is that does not adopt a formal model with defined features but rather values the evolving experience of the educators to help build on the ideas of the child (Jackman et al. 2015). Part 2: Background and Theoretical Perspectives Reggio Emilia curriculum was founded in Reggio Emilia, a town located in the north of Italy after the World War II as a strategy to ensure that education provided to children is cooperative and progressive. After developing the approach in the 1940s, Loris Malaguzzi, the founder only introduced it at preschools but later incorporated into other stages of learning so it covers the toddlers and the infants’ institutions (Getwicki, 2017). He was a teacher in one of the schools and he felt that the students were not being involved in their own education by the existing curriculum. The approach also aimed at enabling the learners to become better citizens by providing a platform where they can explore and gain new knowledge. The system places the teacher or the educator as an instructor who is there to offer direction for the children as they explore things in life. The lesson the students learn is based on the various interests the students have on various aspects adopting a project-based approach (Jackman et al. 2015). It uses the constructivist theoretical approach where learning and understanding enhanced is by experimenting. Currently, only a few institutions are still using the Reggio Emilia curriculum with such schools being in Europe. On the other hand, High Scope curriculum was founded in the year 1970 by Dave Weikart and Connie Kamii in Michigan (Getwicki, 2017). The approach was established as a part of a preschool project set in 1962 where the main aim was to reduce the rate of failure in high school institutions by students coming from a poor background. The students selected to participate in the project were from a disadvantaged background, identical to the group targeted, to help in testing whether the changes proposed by the founders were a valid solution (Selmi et al. 2015). Under the curriculum, provisions were made to allow the teachers or generally the educators to work with students for a limited period in a day and even visiting the homes of the students on a weekly basis. The results of the project proved to be a success by revealing that students were more successful during their high school education if they were subjected to the program during their early childhood development. The approach is based on the constructivist theory of learning that holds the perspective that learning is best achieved by physically and mentally engaging with other individuals and also in a suitable environment (Selmi et al. 2015). The model hereby encourages pretend play, making committing errors by individuals a crucial part of the learning process. The high scope curriculum is popular in community-based programs that include local churches encouraging children to learn through hands-on practices. Part 3: NAEYC Standards, Principles, and DAP. Since there exist various teaching approaches that can be adopted to help improve the quality of delivering early childhood education, it is essential for stakeholders to carefully evaluate what matches as an appropriate curriculum. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has set up a tool that can be used by these stakeholders to analyze whether the teaching practices advocated in a given curriculum are appropriate in the application in the early childhood education (Getwicki, 2017). The tool is known as Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP). Standards The standard number one that should guide in making decisions regarding the early childhood education according to the NAEYC is the role of the curriculum in establishing a strong relationship among all children and adults (Selmi et al. 2015). A curriculum should give every child a sense of worth and belong to the community and shape their skills so they can contribute positively. By providing a safe and secure environment, enabled by fostering warm and strong relationship, children are able to develop physically and also in understanding. Reggio Emilia supports strong relationship with adults, other children, and the environment by adopting the pedagogy of listening, where the interests and opinion of children are taken into consideration. In High Scope curriculum, strong relationships are boosted by promoting interactions between the teacher and the children, who learn by interacting with fellow students. The other standard is curriculum, where the program adopted, must be consistent with the goals and the needs of the children. A curriculum should promote learning and development in various fields that include social, cognitive, emotional and physical. By adopting the constructivist’s theory, high Scope curriculum advocates for active participatory learning, therefore, help in developing the cognitive, emotional, social and physical dimensions of the learners. On the other hand, Reggia Emilia adopts both the constructivists and the co-constructivists theory thus enabling the social, cognitive, physical and emotional development of the children during the learning process (Getwicki, 2017). The other standard set by the NAEYC is that the approach adopted in the curriculum should use a cultural, linguistic and developmental approach that promotes the learning and development of the learners (Getwicki, 2017). The standards require for the teachers to provide learners-specific learning services and for them to allocate sufficient time for indoor and outdoor activities. They are also required to supervise the works of the children and modify the strategies to fit the needs and interest of every child. For the High Scope curriculum, the classrooms are designed in a manner that permits for learning and play. Principles The National Association for Young Children (NAEYC) has also set twelve principles to guide the stakeholders on the choice of a curriculum (Grotewell & Burton, 2008). The first principle is that all areas of development and learning are important. These areas include physical, cognitive, emotional and social that needs to be shaped at an early age. Reggio Emilia curriculum advocates for the development by enhancing cooperation and collaboration between children and adults and also among the learners. By adopting the con-constructivist theory, the model recognizes the role that developing all areas of learning plays in laying a firm foundation for the children (Grotewell & Burton, 2008). High Scope model appreciates the principle by aiming at developing key experiences for the children that include literacy, language, creative representation, social relation, and music. Principle number nine states that all children learn in a variety of ways. It, therefore, advocates for flexibility in the delivery of knowledge as an appreciation for the diversity. By adopting the co-constructivists theory in Reggio Emilia, the teachers use the children interest to determine the appropriate method of learning and development (Jackman et al. 2015). Children are allowed to gain new knowledge in High Scope through the use of all the human senses. The other principle number ten is that play is a crucial tool for the self-regulation and promoting of all areas of development and learning that include languages, creative, cognition and social domains (Jackman et al. 2015). Play is encouraged in High Scope curriculum where depending on the task, the learners may divide into small groups or large groups or even take them independently. Institutions adopting the Reggio Emilia curriculum have an atelier, space from which each child can work or play recognizing the essence of play. DAP The developmentally appropriate practice set by the National Association for Young Children (NAEYC) details approaches that can be adopted by the community to facilitate the learning and development of children (Getwicki, 2017). One such approach involves the integration of learning across subjects, arts and other fields. Reggio Emilia and High Scope integrate various learning aspects to foster the understanding of the young learners. Another approach is through interactive learning and active exploration with peers and teachers within the indoor and outdoor setting. The teacher needs to incorporate both indoor and outdoor activities in while designing the lesson program (Getwicki, 2017). For High Scope curriculum, the approaches help in facilitating the development of social and emotional dimensions of the learner. It also enhances the development of brain Another developmentally appropriate approach involves the engaging the children in safe activities and providing age appropriate materials and toys. The choice of the materials and tools facilitate the delivery of knowledge in a natural way. Part 4: A comparison of NAEYC Standards, Principles and DAP Strengths Reggio Emilia High Scope Area 1: NAEYC Standards #2, # 3, and 9 1. Curriculum (mandatory) 2. Teaching 3. Relationship 1. The curriculum helps in shaping the child’s perception of the world and gives them an identity (Jackman et al. 2015). 2. The teacher is placed as a researcher enabling them to understand the needs and interests of students. 3. Strong relationships between the children, teachers and community deepen the inquiry for the children (Getwicki, 2017). 1. Teacher acts as the supervisor by providing the necessary materials for learning. 2. Modification of the environment shows the appreciation of the needs of the children (Getwicki, 2017). 3. Strong relationship between the learners and teachers facilitating learning. Area 2: NAEYC Principles #1, #9, and # 10 1. All of the 3 areas of development and learning are important 2.Children learn in a variety of ways Area 3: Play is an important vehicle… ( mandatory) 1. Encourages child-centered learning 2. Children are able to learn in the manner that they understand best. 3. Play help enhance the cognitive, emotional, social, physical and creative dimensions (Getwicki, 2017). 1. The diversity in methods helps in building the literacy, language, creative representation, and social relation (Getwicki, 2017). 2. Active participation promotes the understanding of the learners. 3. Play is used as a tool to sharpen the ability of children. Area 3: DAP 1. Integrated learning across subjects, arts and content areas. 2.Interactive learning and active exploration with peers and teachers; both indoors and outdoors 3.Safe, engaging activities and age appropriate materials/toys 1. Provides a wide range on assessing the performance of students. 2. By engaging in indoor and outdoor activities, the approach enhances development of brain (Jackman et al. 2015). 3. Learning is achieved in a natural way. 1. The approach advocates for childhood practices and interests (Jackman et al. 2015). 2. Exploration helps in developing the social and emotional dimensions of learners. 3. Safety of the child is enhanced whereas facilitating learning and development. Weaknesses Reggio Emilia High Scope Area 1: NAEYC Standards #2, # 3, and 9 1. Curriculum (mandatory) 2. Teaching 3.Relationship 1. Increases the scope of work. 2. Limited delivery of knowledge. 3. Lack of support from key stakeholders. 1. Need to change curriculum depending on the needs of the student and interests (Selmi et al. 2015). 2. Limited content delivery. 3. Critics feel the mode does not match with needs of the market. Area 2: NAEYC Principles #1, #9, and # 10 1. All of the 3 areas of development and learning are important 2.Children learn in a variety of ways 3. Play is an important vehicle… ( mandatory) 1. Complex in nature. 2. Involve lot of paperwork. 3. Some institutions do not implement safety procedures (Selmi et al. 2015). 1. Adoption of the curriculum proves to be costly. 2. Highly skilled educators required for its implementation (Grotewell & Burton, 2008). 3. Increase in risk of injuries considering the large number of students. Area 3: DAP 1. Integrated learning across subjects, arts and content areas. 2.Interactive learning and active exploration with peers and teachers; both indoors and outdoors 3.Safe, engaging activities and age appropriate materials/toys 1. Relies heavily on goodwill of the stakeholders involved. 2. Content to be learnt is only determined by the issues the child encounters (Grotewell & Burton, 2008). 3. Ensuring safety may prove costly. 1. Difficult to identify teachers with all the skills. 2. Success dependent on group work. 3. It is challenging to guarantee safety considering the freedom given to the students (Selmi et al. 2015). Part 5: Conclusion Among the various types of curriculum, the Reggio Emilia approach is suitable for use in early childhood education due to its several benefits. The principles, standards and developmentally appropriate practices set by the National Association for Young Children (NAEYC are essential as they provide the minimum expectations for each curriculum thus ensuring that the education provided to the children maintains a given level of quality and care. The Reggio Emilia and High Score curriculum differ in a number of ways although sharing several similarities. They also provide several benefits that include promoting the social, emotional, creative, cognitive and physical dimensions of the young learners. Despite laying a strong educational foundation, both Reggio Emilia and High Score are faced by several challenges that need to be taken into consideration and addressed to ensure their success. References Gestwicki, C. (2017). Developmentally appropriate practice: Curriculum and development in early education. Grotewell, P. G., & Burton, Y. R. (2008). Early childhood education: Issues and developments. New York: Nova Science Publishers. Top of Form Jackman, H. L., Beaver, N. H., & Wyatt, S. (2015). Early education curriculum: A child's connection to the world. Bottom of Form Selmi, A. M., Gallagher, R. J., & Mora-Flores, E. (2015). Early childhood curriculum for all learners: Integrating play and literacy activities. Read More