Curriculum Notebook For Young Children

CURRICULUM NOTEBOOK FOR YOUNG CHILDREN Your Name Course No. Professor UNIVERSITY 22nd May 2018 Early Childhood Philosophy Statement The first theory that will underpin my teaching style is the social constructivist theory. This theory stipulates that learning involves an intricate process of interaction between diverse interrelated social and individual processes that co-construct knowledge (Hedges & Cullen, 2012). The learner constructs knowledge from different experiences, both internal and external in which the already existing knowledge schemas are adapted to accommodate the acquisition of new knowledge. It is different from behaviorism and cognitive constructivism since it incorporates the social setting within which the learner constructs the newly acquire knowledge schemas (Hedges & Cullen, 2012). This theory is relevant to early childhood education as it underscores the importance of social interaction between learners and between learners and their teachers. The social constructivist theory is participative in approach and aids children in knowledge acquisition, retention and evaluation of new knowledge based on pre-existing knowledge (Schemas) (Campbell, 2012). The second theory that will be used is the Multiple Intelligence (MI) theory that was developed by Howard Gardner. According to this theory, learning is perceived as comprising of diverse interdependent operation of multiple intelligences that constitute all facets of cognition. The theory further suggests that individuals are born with intrinsic intelligences that are essentially more than seven (Hedges & Cullen, 2012). As people acquire, and construct new knowledge, these intelligences function cooperatively. Thus the Multiple Intelligence theory views the learner as active participant in own learning process. This means that every child will utilize these diverse intelligences to evaluate, construct and synthesize new knowledge (Campbell, 2012). Thus it contrasts with the other traditional theories that only underscore two forms of intelligence namely linguistic and logical-mathematical. The social constructivism theory emphasizes the important role played by the teacher in aiding the child to construct knowledge (Hedges, 2014). The teacher guides and assists the learner to deduce their own meaning and hence understanding. The teacher’s role in an early childhood classroom is supporting children to discover new knowledge based on what is referred to as Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) (Campbell, 2012). This concept stipulates that a child must be allowed to learn through multiple activities that slightly exceed their cognitive scope with the teacher acting as a guide towards helping them to individually discover new knowledge. The Multiple intelligences theory postulates that a pre-school teacher should use learning activities that provokes learners to make use of their multiple intelligences (Hedges & Cullen, 2012). Thus learners are provided with ample time to construct new knowledge using an intelligence that is best suited for the learning situation. While social constructivism emphasizes the significance of the learning environment in aiding learners construct knowledge, MI theory largely emphasizes the concentric cognitive model th...