38-3630 Emergent Curriculum

In this seminar, students develop the skills and understandings to plan and implement integrated child-centered curriculum that fosters children’s learning and addresses key content, learning standards, and developmentally appropriate practice. Through careful observation of children, their activities, and documentation, students develop plans, environments, and materials to engage and challenge children in their classrooms. These plans reflect and build on children’s interests and capabilities and develop conceptual understanding and skills appropriate for a diverse population of preschool children. Focus will be placed on how to use documentation to assess and build on children’s learning and teacher understanding and to engage parents in the learning process. Students are expected to assimilate and document understandings taken from course readings and assignments into their daily Head Start practice. They are supported in the field component of the course by regular site visits from program faculty. In conjunction with Reflective Teaching, this seminar meets the requirements of a preprimary student practicum experience. The cohort class meeting continues to support students in efforts to relate theory and practice, as well as in developing effective methods for working with young children and their families.

6 Credits
Requisites PREREQUISITES:38-3690 Symbolic Representation and the Languages of Children and 38-3605 Environments that Support Children’s Development