Designing the Ideal Early Childhood Education Program

The curriculum consists of the plans for the learning experiences through which children acquire knowledge, skills, abilities, and understanding. I would like to share my ideas and thoughts about what an ideal Early Childhood Education Program could look like, considering my philosophy of education.

1) Type of Program: Private

• There are a maximum of 25 students per class.

• Curriculum can be altered and added to over time. Although the standards are the same, every year the way of teaching them is different, taking into consideration the students’ abilities and interests.

• Teachers are more likely to give individualized attention to parents and students since the number of students per class is limited.

2) Philosophy of learning/education

• Hands on activities/projects: it is essential for kids to explore the world and express their individuality. Children are able to engage in critical thinking and problem-solving activities, and build social-emotional skills like conflict resolution, leadership, collaboration, imagination and creativity.

• Student-centered: according to the constructivist theory, defended by Lev Vygotsky and Jean Piaget, teachers should consider what students know and allow them to put their knowledge in practice with teachers that are facilitators. In other words, learners are encouraged to build knowledge from their own experiences. Hands-on activities, projects and guided play are essential for that to happen. Teachers must take into consideration student's abilities and skills, interests, and cultural background in order to create the lesson.

• Learning assets: teachers should help students through their learning process to become:

  • Self managers: they are organized and ready for learning, are focused, resilient and adapt to chance, take risks and challenge themselves.

  • Communicators: they can show and record their learning in different new ways, can talk about how they are doing with their learning, and can listen and act on feedback.

  • Thinkers: they can think creatively to solve problems, plan ahead to stay organized, be flexible and prepared to change their thinking, and reflect on their learning.

  • Researchers: can use more than one kind of resource, can find best resources for their research, can use a visual organizer to record their information, and can record the information so that they understand it.

  • Collaborators: ask questions of others around them, share resources, respect and encourage other learners, and compromise and negotiate.

• Differentiated instruction and scaffolding: through differentiated instruction, teachers recognize and embrace each student’s individuality, altering content, product, process or learning environment to better meet students’ needs. Scaffolding instruction in Early Childhood Education helps students grow academically and build independence. It is important that teachers know each student well and nurture a good relationship with them so the teacher can identify in which stage of the learning process the kid is and what they need help with. Scaffolding instruction is a great way to encourage and motivate students by showing them that they are capable of overcoming challenges and get to the point where they can work independently.

• Multicultural education: there should be awareness towards bias in the school community. Bias can be described as either prejudice against or preference for a particular group of people. It can take many forms. Although an individual may not possess any explicit bias towards any particular group, such bias can exist subconsciously as 'implicit bias'. Teachers should receive training on how to identify, confront and overcome bias in the classroom. It is especially important for Early Childhood Education teachers to be aware of implicit bias and how it can affect their attitude towards the students. Low expectations based on an implicit bias about a student can have a self fulfilling prophecy effect. Therefore confronting and challenging bias is essential.

• Embrace diversity and culture: all cultures must be respected. In order to create and teach the most effective curriculum and promote a comfortable learning environment, educators need to know who they are teaching. Therefore, by infusing culture and embracing diversity in the classroom, kids will learn that we all have our similarities and differences and that there is nothing wrong in being different from each other. Teachers should ensure that every child feels that her/his individuality and uniqueness is valued. This creates a positive learning environment because the students are more likely to grow and learn since they feel part of the community and appreciated.

• Positive learning environment: a positive learning environment can increase students' attention and focus, promotes meaningful learning experiences, encourages higher levels of student performance, and motivates students to practice higher-level critical thinking skills. The positive learning environment doesn’t just happen. It needs to be intentionally created by teachers. Some examples of how to foster a positive learning environment are: building a good relationship with parents and students, clear communication and setting up expectations, positive reinforcements and immediate/logical consequences to inappropriate behaviors, stimulate strong engagement of the students, and brain breaks, among others.

• Growth mindset: Growth mindset must be cultivated in the classroom so it helps create a positive learning environment. Students should have the mindset that intelligence and talent are developed over time, through effort, learning and persistence. Students should be able to understand that failure, mistakes, and initial confusion are all part of the learning process and if used as an opportunity to grow, can be a very important tool to overcome challenges and help them develop new skills.

• Use of technology: when technology is used in a meaningful and purposeful way it can be a powerful tool in education. It can make the lessons more enjoyable, fun and favor different levels of learners, including gifted, high-level, low-level, special education and English language learners. Platforms such as Seesaw are great tools to assign activities and communicate with parents. There are many apps that can help develop reading, writing and math skills, such as Epic, IXL, Raz-Kids, Newsela, Zorbits, Prodigy, etc. that have assignments based on the student’s level. Students can also benefit from learning through educational videos on platforms such as YouTube and BrainPop.

3) Physical space

• Spacious, so it can accommodate teachers and students comfortably.

• There are bulletin boards in the classroom that represent what is being learned, containing essential questions and the student’s work.

• Learning centers, where children are working on rotation, exploring a variety of activities and collaborating with different classmates.

• Furniture is student friendly, with tables, chairs, cushions and anything the student might need to comfortably learn.

• Each classroom reflects its students’ culture and diversity.

• Playground with a garden, which is shared with other classrooms. Kids can play and explore nature.

• Backyard area, which each classroom has one. The teacher can use both inside and outside the classroom to work on guided play and projects with the kids. If a group of kids need more help to complete a task they can be taken outside where it will be a quiet place to focus.

• Library space with labeled books according to different themes and reading levels. The books should also represent the cultures within the classroom, showing people with different skin colors, with disabilities, from different countries, so the kids feel represented and they are exposed to diversity as well.

Different types of furniture

Bulletin Board displaying student's learning.

Classroom library/Reading space

4) Curriculum: Inquiry/play-based curriculum with an Interdisciplinary approach

Play based learning is part of Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP). DAP is defined by NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) as “methods that promote each child’s optimal development and learning through a strengths-based, play based approach to joyful, engaged learning”. Play-based learning, especially in kindergarten, is essential for kids to explore the world and express their individuality. Children are able to engage in critical thinking and problem-solving activities, build social-emotional skills like conflict resolution, leadership and collaboration, and use imagination and creativity.

In this way, guided play should be intentional and focused on complex cognitive processes. Teachers plan the activities they will propose to the class based on the students’ interests and abilities and kids take the lead by engaging in the activities that will strengthen the gap between what students know and can do and real-world challenges. Therefore, through guided play the learning process becomes more enjoyable and meaningful for the students.

The same happens when we apply inquiry based learning, which is suitable from kindergarten students to grade 12. Students are encouraged to be active participants in the classroom, where they feel comfortable asking questions and exploring topics that interest them, urging them to question anything, even if it isn’t on topic.

In this sense, the role of the teacher is to be a facilitator and guide, encouraging inquiry without dominating the classroom. In presenting a class with open-ended questions, teachers set an informal and non-challenging tone in which even the most shy of students can have a voice. In other words, teachers don't merely deliver information to his or her class and expect children to react to it. Instead they help students explore the subject in relation to the real world. They are highly trained to enable children to guide their education and to be practical learners. The teachers themselves are also always learning and enjoy hearing ideas from different perspectives.

Combining the inquiry and play-based curriculum with the interdisciplinary approach, we will have students that are rapidly developing critical thinking skills and collaboration skills as well. The subjects will all be connected and seen as a whole. It will create more meaningful learning for the students since they can make connections not only within subjects in school but also with real life situations.

Furthermore, the curriculum should be planned around social experiences. Children learn many lessons in a social environment. From how to share to how to communicate with others, children are constantly learning and evolving by interacting with their peers. Understanding the importance and benefit of social experiences allows teachers to plan the lessons to better meet the needs of each student. And the impact on students' learning is significant. For example, social experiences help students understand that they are part of a community and being part of it, there are some rules that the whole classroom has to follow in order to create a class environment propitious for learning. Students tend to show positive behaviors in this situation. Also, students learn to collaborate with one another and express their opinions in a respectful way, as well as how to share materials, which creates a positive learning environment, since everybody has the chance to participate, which could happen during guided play.

5) Staffing

One teacher, one teacher assistant and LSA if it is the case, in each Early Childhood class. Also, specialist teachers for Special Education kids and ELL kids. They would come into different classrooms and give extra support to these students during different lessons.

Examples of primary responsibilities - Teacher:

• Plan and prepare for effective instruction within the classroom.

• Provide a classroom environment that is conducive to learning.

• Effective curriculum delivery.

• Effective management of student groups, while providing for a variety of learning styles, ability levels, and educational backgrounds.

• Monitor student learning and make appropriate modifications of goals and strategies to meet students’ needs.

• Maintain accurate up-to-date records of student progress and attendance.

• Engage parents and students in the learning process through frequent and meaningful communications about student progress.

• Interact cooperatively with colleagues in the development of cohesive curriculum materials and the establishment of instructional goals.

Examples of teacher assistant responsibilities:

• Preparing the classroom for lessons and tidying it up afterwards.

• Assisting with lesson plans.

• Supporting children across the curriculum.

• Providing extra assistance to children with special needs.

• Recording and reporting a student’s progress to the teacher.

• Marking work.

• Motivating and encouraging students.

• Supervising students during school trips or activities.

LSA(Learning Support Assistants)/Shadow Teachers:

The learning support assistant usually works with only one or two children, many of whom may have a range of complex special education needs. Examples of LSA responsibilities:

• Establish constructive relationships with students and interact with them according to individual needs.

• Set challenging and demanding expectations and promote self esteem and independence.

• Assist with the development and implementation of Individual Education/Behavior Support Plans, and/or Communication, Sensory and other programs.

• Encourage students to interact with others and engage in activities led by the teacher.

6) Family / Community partnerships / interactions

Building strong relationships with the parents has a positive impact on students’ life since it can lead to better attendance, better classroom behavior, stronger academic performance, healthier social relationships, among others. It can help foster a positive attitude in students because they feel supported by both the parents and the teacher, increasing their self-confidence and cultivating the feeling of belonging and feeling loved. It can be done in both environments. Teachers should invite parents to school events, parent-teacher conferences and open house events. Teachers should make themselves available for parents after school hours, in person or online (Zoom meetings and phone calls). In order to engage parents it is also important to share with them the positive attitudes and achievement of their child as well as their areas of growth, using the perspective that teachers are there to help and not to judge.

References:

Husk, Sandy. Taking Back Kindergarten: Rethinking Rigor for Young Learners. Whiteboard Advisors, Apr. 2019, https://teachingstrategies.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Taking_Back_Kindergarten_Teaching_Strategies_2019.pdf.

Smith, Jennifer. “Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset: How What You Think Affects What You Achieve.” Mindset Health, https://www.mindsethealth.com/matter/growth-vs-fixed-mindset.

“What Is Inquiry-Based Learning?” One World International School Singapore, https://www.owis.org/blog/what-is-inquiry-based-learning.

“Teaching Assistant Job Description: Top Qualities and Responsibilities.” CTC Training, 27 July 2021, https://ctccourses.org/help-advice/teaching-assistant-job-description-top-qualities-and-responsibilities/.

“LSA (Learning Support Assistant).” Twinkl.ae, https://www.twinkl.ae/teaching-wiki/lsa-learning-support-assistant.