types of early childhood curricula by arianny calcagno, m.ed

ARIANNY SAVINON-PEREZ

TYPES OF EARLY CHILDHOOD CURRICULA

Curriculum Models for Early childhood

• Developmental Curriculum

• Cognitive Curriculum

• Constructivist Curriculum

• Ecological/Functional Curriculum

• Behavioral Curriculum

• Psychosocial curriculum

• Developmentally Appropriate Practice(DAP) Curriculum

Based on learning theories, current research, practical experience.DAP: Developmentally Appropriate practice NAEYC: National Association for the Education of Young children

Curriculum Models for Early childhood1.Developmental Curriculum

Theory:

• Based on typical developmental sequence.

• Abilities are developed naturally in a rich environment.

• Early maturation studies-Gessell & Amatruda(1947)

• Sequences in different areas of development

• Same instructional strategies

Intervention:

• Provide a rich environment with opportunities for motor, adaptive, cognitive, social/emotional, and communication learning.

Instructional Content:


• Theory:• Jean Piaget (1971)—Cognitive

Psychology• Teaching of thinking/• Thinking stages• Constructive learning• Active engagement for learning• Engage problem solving

• Thinking skills are developed through direct experience and activities.

• Intervention: • Learning environment should provide

opportunities to develop thinking skills.

• Activities should allow children to develop their own thinking

• Activities should be appropriate for the child’s stage of development

• A child’s concept and learning development through direct day-to-day experiences

• Encouragement and reinforcement foster cognitive learning

2.Cognitive CurriculumCognitive Curriculum- Major ideas:


Theory:• Constructivist theory

• Preprimary schools- Italy

• Goal of education: support the rights of children, parents and teachers

• Children need to construct their own learning

• Focus on children’s strengths rather than their needs.

• Critical thinking is encouraged within a supportive and nurturing environment

• Focus on long-term relationships of children and teachers

• Responsive environment to support the child’s active learning

• Emphasizes the importance of long –term projects that depict the children’s ideas: arts, crafts, dance, theater and puppetry

• Encourages the creation of strong ties with families and communities

3. The Constructivist Curriculum: The Reggio Emilia Approach

Intervention


Theory

• Children must live and learn in many different environments: home, school, neighborhood, and so on.

• Each child’s environments(home, school, social) affects the child

• Promotes family priorities: diversity, family cultures, languages, values and ethnic background

• Intervention activities should be functional and provide a good match between school environment and the child

• Meaningful: in current and future settings

• Children should learn the benefits of today’s culturally and linguistically diverse society

4.Ecological/Functional Curriculum Intervention


Theory• Behavioral theory• A child’s behavior can be

enhance by changing and managing the events in the child’s environment

• To foster effective learning the environment should be:

• Structured• Manipulated• managed• Objective: Teaching the child

functional, age-appropriate, and useful skills

• Teacher implement structured direct instruction and behavior management techniques:

• Shaping• Prompting• Reinforcing

• Assessment the child’s skills: frequent assessments and collection of data Modifications & skills levels

• Behavioral approach to instruction:1.Identify a behavioral goal or skills deficiency

2.Conduct a task analysis of the skill to be taught

3.Teach directly each step until skill/behavior is mastered

4.Evaluate if the skill/behavior has been acquired by the child

5. Behavioral Curriculum Intervention


Theory• Instead of teaching a skills in

isolation, the skill is taught when needed in a naturally occurring activity

• Learning to generalize new learned skills:

The General Case Method:Teach children to generalize newly learned skills to different situations and activities

-Difficulty to transfer skills learned in isolated situations to other situations

• 1. Objective for the child are generalized rather than specific.

• 2. Skills are taught in many naturally occurring events.

• The skill focus on functional behavior across settings, materials and people.

6. Naturalistic Approach to behavioral Curriculum

General Case Strategies:


Theory

• Modification of Erikson’s theories: Innate drive theories-(Erikson, 1963)

• Children’s basic needs are relationship focused

• Emphasizes the child’s emotional and social development and growth

• Focus on relationship issues and how they are manifested in later interactions.

• A supportive environment provides opportunities for:

• 1.Development of relationships• 2.Working through emotional

issues

• Teachers incorporate awareness of and attention to preschooler’s sense of autonomy and self-assertion into daily activities.

• Incorporated by agencies, schools and centers to help children with emotional and social disabilities

7. Psychosocial curriculum Intervention

The IEP and IFSP and the Curriculum

Individualized Education Program for children ages 3 through 5• It’s child centered• Developed by a team• Guides curriculum planning and service

delivery for children with disabilities• The team identifies annual goals and short

term objectives:• Goals and objectives: Parents, teachers and

other team members• The goal should state the needed skills based

on the assessment of the child• Goals are broad in scope and identify the skill

area for instruction• Contrary to the IFSP, the IEP does not require transition services for preschoolers

Short-term objectives are gradual steps to achieve the annual goal. • Objectives are more descriptive and detailed.

They need to be functional and realistic

• 1. child’s present level of educational performance

• 2.Annual goals and short term objectives or benchmarks in areas of needs

3.Statement of specific educational services needed• 4.Extent of regular class participation

and justification in the least restrictive environment

• 5. Criteria, evaluation procedures, and schedules for determining whether the instructional objectives are being achieved

The IEPComponents:

The IEP and IFSP and the Curriculum

.ParentCounselorSchool psychologistSE Early Childhood TeacherDistrict RepresentativeSpeech/language TherapistOccupational Therapist(OT)

The IEP and IFSP and the Curriculum • Individualized Family Service Plan• Used for infants and toddlers/preschoolers with disabilities

• It’s family centered. They are the primary decision maker• Focus on intervention for the family and the child

• Components:• 1. Statement of the child present level of functioning in

physical development, cognitive, social, emotional, communication and adaptive development.

• 2.Statement of family’s strengths, needs and priorities relating to enhancing’s development-(voluntary)

• 3.Statement of the major outcomes( positive changes) expected for the child and the family. This should be written with the family words not the interventionist’s.

• 4.Statement of specific early intervention services necessary for the child

• 5.Projected dates for the initiation of services and duration

• 6. Name of service coordinator responsible for the implementation of the IFSP

• 7.Statement of the natural environment where services will be provided

• 8.Stepts that will be taken to ensure successful transition into the next program or service when the child riches her/his 3rd birthday

The IFSP

• .