Early Childhood Curriculum
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This paper is a discussion of the diverse curriculum appropriate for teaching children during the early childhood years, using Hilda L. Jackman's text, Early Education Curriculum: A Child's Connection to the World, as a guide. Jackman's book is grounded in three basic philosophies: that curriculum be centered around and directed to the child at his or her level of development, that the focus of the classroom should be on process, and that the environment should encourage creativity. She explores a wide range of curricular areas, suggesting specific concepts and activities that are useful in each, for different developmental levels. This paper examines the kinds of approaches she advocates and looks at a variety of related issues that her suggestions raise. During the earliest years of life, the brain itself is still being formed. Especially during the first three years, the child is not merely finding out how to use this critical organ to think and process the surrounding world, the organ itself is still coalescing, literally taking shape within the child's head. Researchers are discovering just how dynamic this period really is. Gail Lindsey writes, "During these first few years, brain development is more rapid and extensive than previously realized." Events occurring in the surrounding environment influence not only the number of brain cells that are produced during this time and the connections between those cells but also how those connections are "wired." T
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ng, "the reliable examination of the quality of programs designed to enhance early childhood development and learning requires a broader set of perspectives than are currently employed." She argues that, especially with younger children, evaluation should include a variety of perspectives, including those of parents and children, even if the children's perceptions must be inferred. She contends, "It would be neither ethical nor practical to interview children directly . . . It would be ethically unacceptable to put children in situations that might encourage them to criticize their caretakers and teachers."
Jackman presents in-depth examinations of ten curricular areas useful in teaching all early education groups: language and literacy, literature, puppets, dramatic play and creative dramatics, art, sensory centers, music and movement, math, science, and social studies. Curiously, her division of these areas includes both subject-matter topics and chapters that focus more on techniques; puppets, for instance, are an extremely useful tool for early childhood education but are not a distinct subject in the way that literacy skills and science stand as discrete areas of study.
In one way, however, this strange classifica
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Paula Rogovin, Carol Marxen, Departments Education, Laura Robb, Hilda Jackman, Karen Meador, Lilian Katz, Erikson Piaget, Connection World, Glascott Burris, childhood education, reggio emilia, children learn, individual child, reggio emilia approach, jackman writes, wide range, goals objectives, children special, lesson plan, gifted children, 714 summer 1995, creative dramatics art, curriculum child's connection, play creative dramatics,
Approximate Word count = 3749
Approximate Pages = 15 (250 words per page)
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