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Creating Environments for Learning Third Edition Julie Bullard

Book Cover will be inserted here.

Chapter 4

Planning a Play-Based Curriculum

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

Curriculum is an educational plan that guides the teacher in knowing:

what knowledge and skills to emphasize

the learning experiences that will be used in helping children achieve these objectives

how these learning experiences will be organized

the assessment methods that will be used to determine if children have gained the intended knowledge and skills

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

A written curriculum or curriculum framework allows a program to be more intentional about teaching

This often results in a curriculum that:

is thoughtfully designed and coherent

contains all curricular content areas

is aligned with learning outcomes or standards

meets the needs and interests of individual children

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

Process of developing a written curriculum

The process of developing a written curriculum allows others, including families, to be involved in the creation of the curriculum.

A written curriculum is a tool that can be shared with others, allowing all stakeholders to know about, examine, and critique the curriculum.

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

Steps in developing curriculum

Develop long-term curriculum outcomes based on:

program philosophy and goals

family and community beliefs and values

state and national standards

development of a well-rounded curriculum

Assess children in relationship to the outcomes often using a formal, in-depth assessment

Develop long-term goals targeted for the group and for individual children

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

Steps in developing curriculum:

Determine curriculum approach

Develop a context for learning

Develop and implement plans for learning

Administer post-assessment

Review, reflect, and adjust long-term outcomes

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

Steps in developing plans for learning

Develop a topic of study based upon the children’s interests, their development, and your long-term outcomes

Pre-assess children in relationship to the topic

Determine SMART outcomes

Develop your own background knowledge

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

Steps in developing plans for learning

Determine specific learning experiences and strategies

Meet individual needs as you implement the plan

Conduct a post assessment

Document and share children’s learning

Review and reflect upon the learning experience

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

1. Carefully choose a topic of study that:

takes into account children’s development, individual needs, and cultural and social backgrounds

meets the interests of many of the children and that is relevant to their lives

allows abundant opportunities for first hand involvement

allows children to develop and to actively investigate their questions

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

1. Carefully choose a topic of study that:

allows for depth rather than breadth

is valuable and worthy of children’s time

is rich with possibilities

allows children to achieve developmental outcomes and meet content standards

ensures adequate resources to implement the topic

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

2. Assessing and documenting learning

is essential to gain the knowledge necessary to design engaging, developmentally appropriate learning materials, activities, and environments

It is important that teachers are intentional about the information they wish to collect and have a plan for how they will collect it.

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

2. There are many different ways to assess children’s learning and learning environments

anecdotal records

running records

time sampling

checklists

frequency counts

analyzed work samples such as webs, KWHLs, and Venn diagrams

Each type of assessment has strengths and weaknesses.

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

3. Develop SMART outcomes

Specific

Meaningful

Appropriate

Relevant

Timely

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

4. Develop your own background knowledge

Research the topic to ensure that you have:

accurate content

current content

in-depth information

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

4. Develop your own background knowledge so you are prepared to:

notice children’s misconceptions
provide accurate answers to questions
add to the children’s knowledge base during both planned and informal interactions

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

5. Determine specific learning experiences and strategies

The teacher might:

develop an environment to support a child-initiated experience

plan a teacher initiated or led experience

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

5. The learning format might be:

individual

small group

large group

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

5. Learning might occur during:

a learning center time

a routine time

a planned group time

an impromptu teachable moment

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

Child-initiated play-based experiences include:

reading books

listening to stories

writing stories

role playing

building

dancing

creating art and music

listening to music

engaging in scientific inquiry

practicing math skills

completing puzzles

investigating materials

playing games

using technology

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

Teacher-directed activities and experiences include:

asking thought provoking questions

providing information

engaging in reciprocal interactions

giving a mini lecture

posing a problem to solve or offering a challenge

assisting children to reflect on their own or other’s work and making thinking visible through such things as KWHL charts

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

Teacher-directed activities and experiences include:

showing a video clip

leading a brainstorming session

facilitating discussions

providing demonstrations

modeling

leading a field trip

providing a puppet show

reading a story

overseeing a guided practice, inquiry, experiment, or simulation

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

6. Meet individual needs as you implement the plan

In meeting individual needs it is important to know the children in your classroom and to base any modifications on this knowledge

There are many potential modifications that can be made such as:

increasing the challenge

providing scaffolding

modifying the environment, schedule, or group size

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

7. Conduct a post assessment

informal checks (ongoing questioning and probing)

written product (written story, poem, letter)

visual product (drawing, web, collage, painting, map, model, computer graphic, diagram, diorama)

oral product (audio tape of child telling a story, engaged in dramatic play, singing, discussing)

self assessment

performance task

observation (checklist, anecdotal record)

interview

having children apply their knowledge to a new situation or setting

giving a quiz (for older children)

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

8. Document and share children’s learning

What and how you share will be dependent upon the type of experience and the depth of the plan
For long-term plans you might document children’s learning through:

documentation panels or books

videos

powerpoints

displays of artifacts

children’s presentations

You might share this information in children’s portfolios, at family-teacher conferences or home visits, or at special events.

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

How might you share shorter-term plans for learning?

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

9. Review and reflect upon the learning experience

Reflection is a valuable way

to critique our teaching and to discover ways that we can improve

help us to become more mindful of our teaching and the impact of our teaching on children

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

Reflecting on what children have learned

Ask yourself the following questions:

What specifically did the children learn?

Did all the children meet the outcomes?

How did I modify the learning experience so that all children were successful?

What are the children still struggling to understand or do in relationship to this experience?

Do children have unresolved misconceptions?

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

Reflecting on what children have learned

Was the learning that occurred relevant and meaningful to the children?

How did I connect this learning to what children previously learned?

What are the next steps in the children’s learning?

What were the unintended or unanticipated outcomes?

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

Reflecting on your own skills and learning

Ask yourself the following questions:

What did I learn?

Did I feel adequately prepared?

Were my goals SMART?

Did I sufficiently probe the children’s background knowledge and skills?

Did I allow sufficient time, have the needed resources, and provide enough different opportunities for the children to learn?

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

Reflecting on your own skills and learning

Were the learning experiences and strategies developmentally appropriate and effective?

Did I meet the learning styles, developmental needs, and interests of the children?

Did I build on the children’s background knowledge and strengths?

How would I change this experience if I could begin again?

Did the children enjoy the experience? Did I enjoy the experience?

Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight, 3e Bullard

The knowledge, skills, and dispositions acquired in the early years form the foundation for all later learning. Well-planned learning experiences are the first step in providing this solid foundation.

It is rewarding to be part of this process - to see children engaged, excited, challenged, and meeting or exceeding comprehensive learning outcomes.