The word curriculum can carry a variety of meanings depending on what age group you work with, the school you teach at, and your own personal values as a teacher. I think it is very important to explain to the families in your classroom, what curriculum is used in the class. There are benefits and a negatives to standard curriculum and emergent curriculum. Standard curriculum generalizes the children instead of looking at each as an individual. This type of curriculum does not focus on the child's individual interest of knowledge. Yet, this curriculum is very responsive to the needs of learning objectives/goals in the large educational system. This type of curriculum allow the teacher to plan well in advance and can maybe even mimic another teachers lesson plans or activities since the lessons are based of a set planning and assessment.
On the other hand, the goal of emergent curriculum is to respond to the individual interest of every child. This learning is self-directed with no right or wrong answer. As I always say, "its not about the product but the process that counts". This curriculum focuses on the interactions between the child, teachers, and environment. Emergent curriculum takes time and effort to develop and it means that the teacher is focusing on observing the children's play, needs, and interest. Focusing on all of this in a full classroom (I have a class of 25) can prove time consuming and maybe even a little overwhelming. This type of curriculum is not based on outcomes, rather on how the child arrived at his/her discovery (learning) which is the best part!
In my classroom I make sure that I display emergent curriculum in my classroom. As much as my center does not follow rigid standards, we do base our learning and periodic assessments on the Hawaii Early Learning Development Standards (H.E.L.D.S). After reading this article I asked myself "Do I have a clear curriculum set up in my room?'. And another question that comes up is "how can I accommodate my families that are focused on academics to be open to an emergent curriculum?". The diversity of outcomes my families have for their child's preschool experience can vary. Some may say that they want their child to develop strong social and emotional skills, while others make it clear that academics (writing, reading, math) is their highest priority. But is there a way to mesh a standard and emergent curriculum together?
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