RELATIONSHIP WITH CURRICULUM
Children's relationship with curriculum shapes their behaviour as children tend to engage in activities and learning experiences more if they are actually interested in what they are learning. This is where an emergent curriculum becomes vital to encouraging learning and positive behaviours. Emergent curriculum is developed from exploring what is relevant, interesting and meaningful to children and using these interests to encourage children to learn and create activities and learning opportunities that extend their learning. (Queensland study authority, 2013).
Situations may arise where children behave in a way that could be distracting from the pre-planned curriculum, for example a child may want to discuss something that happened to them on the weekend during an unrelated discussion, when this situation occurs an educator can choose to get frustrated or turn the situation into a teachable moment. Allowing children to express thoughts and feelings that are meaningful to them and then creating a discussion or activity that encourages all children to learn from the child's thoughts ensures that no teaching time is lost and children feel safe to share their thoughts and ideas and children know they are valued within the classroom. As children flourish and excel when they feel they are supported within the classroom (Scott, 2003).
Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development explains how children learn more efficiently when they are active participants in their own learning, which coincides with the emergent theory. Piaget also described the four stages of development children go through as they learn, these stages include the sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational stages. As children become older they move through these stages which means it is important for the curriculum to suit the stage of development a child might be at for each year level as this ensures that the curriculum goals are achievable and therefore ensures children's relationship with the curriculum is positive and that their behaviour is supported and leads to positive outcomes for the children (McLeod, 2012).
The curriculum within a classroom will also be influenced by a teacher's philosophy and the theories that this philosophy represent, this means that children's behaviour can be influenced by the implementation of an educators philosophy and the theories that underpin it. It also important to ensure the curriculum aligns with the Australian Curriculum standards, but there is certainly room for an emergent curriculum that encourages learning and supports children's behaviour.
Below are resources that are helpful to helping educators develop positive relationships between curriculum and children and therefore support children's behaviour.
The intentional teacher
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/shop/details.cfm?prodid=554
Understanding emergent curriculum
http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/downloads/p_10/qklg_pd_mod3_exa1_emerg_curric.pdf
Piaget's stages of development: activities that suit each stage
http://piaget.weebly.com/educational-implications--activities.html
Piaget's stages of development explained:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czwrqu5czFU
Situations may arise where children behave in a way that could be distracting from the pre-planned curriculum, for example a child may want to discuss something that happened to them on the weekend during an unrelated discussion, when this situation occurs an educator can choose to get frustrated or turn the situation into a teachable moment. Allowing children to express thoughts and feelings that are meaningful to them and then creating a discussion or activity that encourages all children to learn from the child's thoughts ensures that no teaching time is lost and children feel safe to share their thoughts and ideas and children know they are valued within the classroom. As children flourish and excel when they feel they are supported within the classroom (Scott, 2003).
Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development explains how children learn more efficiently when they are active participants in their own learning, which coincides with the emergent theory. Piaget also described the four stages of development children go through as they learn, these stages include the sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational stages. As children become older they move through these stages which means it is important for the curriculum to suit the stage of development a child might be at for each year level as this ensures that the curriculum goals are achievable and therefore ensures children's relationship with the curriculum is positive and that their behaviour is supported and leads to positive outcomes for the children (McLeod, 2012).
The curriculum within a classroom will also be influenced by a teacher's philosophy and the theories that this philosophy represent, this means that children's behaviour can be influenced by the implementation of an educators philosophy and the theories that underpin it. It also important to ensure the curriculum aligns with the Australian Curriculum standards, but there is certainly room for an emergent curriculum that encourages learning and supports children's behaviour.
Below are resources that are helpful to helping educators develop positive relationships between curriculum and children and therefore support children's behaviour.
The intentional teacher
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/shop/details.cfm?prodid=554
Understanding emergent curriculum
http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/downloads/p_10/qklg_pd_mod3_exa1_emerg_curric.pdf
Piaget's stages of development: activities that suit each stage
http://piaget.weebly.com/educational-implications--activities.html
Piaget's stages of development explained:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czwrqu5czFU