Course Description and Essential Objectives

Lynn,
I contacted Sarah Corrow in Newport and asked for this information for our class.

Course Description:

In this course, learners develop an understanding of the philosophical principles, societal expectations, and practical demands of building curriculum for early childhood education. Emphasis is on developing a child-centered, integrated, and developmentally appropriate curriculum for the early years from infancy to age 8. A variety of curricular approaches will be modeled and assessed.

Essential Objectives:

1. Discuss the historical influences and evolution of early childhood education as it connects to curriculum development, theories, and practices.
2. Describe key concepts (goals, objectives, articulation, etc.), data sources (society, subject matter, state and national guidelines, etc.) and specific models of curricular development, along with their rationales and limitations.
3. Design a curriculum based on theories and research in child development that is inclusive and based on children's interests, strengths, and needs (e.g., learning style modalities, multiple intelligences, exceptionalities, learning domains, etc.) that incorporates the Vermont Early Childhood Learning Standards.
4. Articulate the definition of play, its importance in curriculum for children, and how children construct their knowledge through play.
5. Design and experiment with a variety of open-ended learning rersources and materials for children including the use of technology.
6. Assess the effectiveness of a curriculum and make apprpriate changes to increase learning (e.g., using an ongoing cycle of observation, reflection, and response).
7. Reflect on the many roles of the teacher, including teacher as researcher and develop a personal-professional philosophy of education and curriculum.

I received the three text books (mentioned in my last post) this morning. I see why you like the Jackman book - it is very logically organized. I also like the small booklet that came with it, which is a very good overview of developmental milestones.
I will be perusing the other two books over the next few days and will post my reactions. Maybe we could choose a text by sometime next week?

Take care,
Suzanne
802.922.0058