Curriculum in Early Childhood Education

E25.2037 Fall 2011 Course Information and Policies

Curriculum in Early Childhood Education: Theories and Methods in the Integrated Curriculum

E25.2037 Fall 2011

Instructors:

Erin O'Connor, Ed.D. Pless, Room 772 Phone: 212-992-9473 e-mail: eoc2@nyu.edu (please e-mail inquiries rather than leaving a v-mail) Office hours: Wed 12-2

Ashleigh Collins, MEd, doctoral candidate e-mail: ajc466@nyu.edu

Description

This course is designed to help students develop an educational or teaching philosophy relative to curriculum selection, development, and effective practice in the 21st century that corresponds with an informed understanding of how young children think and learn.

Degree candidates will explore

Course Goals

? Major developmental and learning theories which have had an impact on early childhood education

? Theoretical grounding for various types of curriculum currently used in early childhood education

? How play-based and story-based curriculum are developed and implemented ? Curricular support for language and literacy with a focus on diverse learners

Course Objectives

Degree candidates will understand how to

? Contextualize early childhood developmental research and instruction within historical, social, and pedagogical frameworks

? Evaluate conceptual foundations of curriculum and practice ? Ask "On the basis of what?" do we select and create curriculum for specific

learning tasks and pedagogical purposes

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E25.2037 Fall 2011 Course Information and Policies

Required Texts Cooper, P. M. (2009). The Classrooms All Young Children Need: Lessons in Teaching

From Vivian Paley. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Crain, W. (2005). Theories of Development: Concepts and Applications. 5th edition.

Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Mooney, C. G. (2000). An Introduction to Dewey, Montessori, Erikson, Piaget, & Vygotsky. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.

Course Requirements and Grading 1. 40% 1-3 page responses to 3 sets of class readings Due on last day of Parts I-III 2. 20% 4-5 page essay on topic of choice Due 10/13 3. 30% 7-10 page essay on topic of choice Due 12/15 4. 10% participation- this includes participation in the large group and in small

groups (0=none, 1=moderate, 2=regular)

**Grading rubrics are attached for all written assignments**

Class Policies and Etiquette

? Students with special needs will be accommodated per NYU's policy. ? Students are responsible for ALL information conveyed through NYU email- you

should check it at least once every 24 hours. ? Students are responsible for adhering to NYU's policy on plagiarism. ? Students are expected to come to each class except in cases of illness and family

emergencies. ? Students are expected to remain in class for the full hour and 40 minutes except in

cases of medical or personal emergency. ? ALL cell phone use is prohibited. Use of computers is STRICTLY limited to note

taking. Violations will result in a drop in grade. ? Students can feel free to eat during class as long as it doesn't interfere with

participation.

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E25.2037 Fall 2011 Course Information and Policies

Course Outline Part I: 9/8 Developmental Theorists: Bowlby and Ainsworth 9/15 Curriculum Application: Responsive Classroom 9/22 Learning Theory: Montessori and Rousseau 9/29 No Class Part II: 10/6 Learning Theory: Dewey and Pavlov 10/13 Curriculum Application: Progressive education 10/20 Learning Theory: Piaget vs. Vygotsky 10/27 Curriculum Application: Tools of the Mind Part III: 11/3 Learning Theory: Paley 11/10 Learning Theory and Curriculum: Reggio Emilia 11/17 On Building an Educational Philosophy and Bandura Part IV: 11/24 No Class 12/1 Curriculum Planning 12/8 Work-shop Papers 12/15 Final Paper Due

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E25.2037 Fall 2011 Course Information and Policies

Required Readings:

Date 9/8 9/15 9/22

9/29 10/6

10/13

10/20

10/27

11/3 11/10

11/17 11/24

12/1 12/8 12/15

Readings Crain, chapter 3



McTigue & Rimm-Kaufman (bb) Crain, chapter 4 & 1 (pp.12-22) Mooney, chapter 2 No Class Crain, chapter 8 Mooney, chapter 1 Nehring (bb) Midterm paper due Crain, chapters 6 & 10 Mooney, chapters 4 & 5 Leong & Bodrova, chapters 2, 5, 7, 10 & 11 (bb) Gay, chapter 2 (bb) Cooper, Part I or Part II Thornton & Brunton, chapters 1 & 3 (bb) Wurm, chapter 4 (bb) Wein, chapter 7 (bb) Crain, chapter 9 Dodge & Colker (bb) Holt (bb) See BB

Final papers due ? no class

bb- indicates available under course documents in black board under date of class for which the readings are assigned.

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E25.2037 Fall 2011 Course Information and Policies Reading Response Guidelines At the end of each course Part (see page 3), a reading response paper is due in response to the assigned readings for that part of the course. The reading response paper due dates are as follows: Part I reading response due: 10/3, Part II reading response due: 10/27, and Part III reading response due: 11/17. Reading Responses Should....

? Be between one and three pages ? Respond to a specific part of the reading ? Engage thoughtfully with the reading ? Refer directly to the text (NOT Mooney) ? Turned in BEFORE class starts Reading Responses Should NOT.... ? Be less than one page or over three ? Contain personal opinions (there will be lots of other opportunities to share these) ? Contain too much about your placements- if you have a brief example of

something that you saw in your placement that illuminates a reading, you can share it, but your whole response should not be about your placement ? Contain excessive spelling and/or grammatical errors ? Be turned in after class Suggestions for Getting Started....

A good way to begin is to pick a quote (not from the Mooney book) that intrigued or confused you and use the space to write through your thought process in understanding how this quote relates to the larger theory. Alternatively, you may think about how the curricular activities laid out might or might not be in line with their underlying theoretical assumptions.

Grading Rubric for Reading Responses

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E25.2037 Fall 2011 Course Information and Policies

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- Response engages thoughtfully and specifically with text - Response is between one and three pages - Response is clearly written and free of errors

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- Response engages somewhat thoughtfully with the text, but may have some general, generic language - Response is between one and three pages - Response contains some personal opinions or other extraneous information - Response is clearly written and has no errors

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- Response is less than one page or more than three - Response contains mostly personal opinions, examples from placement, or other extraneous information - Response contains little or no direct and thoughtful reference to readings - Response has considerable spelling and grammar errors

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E25.2037 Fall 2011 Course Information and Policies

Midterm Essay Assignment and Guidelines By the middle of October, you will have read about several developmental theorists and learning theorists. You should have a firm grasp on the concepts of developmental and learning theory. Given the theories read, your midterm essay should explain your early childhood education philosophy (i.e., what beliefs or assumptions guide your approach to curriculum and instruction?). Reference the developmental and learning theories read that apply to your early childhood education philosophy. This essay should....

? Have a clear and thoughtful thesis. (It's perfectly fine to write "This paper will explore the idea that..." or "This paper will argue that.....").

? Have supporting evidence directly from the text ? Be clearly written and free of spelling and grammar errors ? Be 4-5 pages This essay can.... ? Have examples from your placement as long as they illustrate a particular point ? Use "I think" language as long as it's backed up by evidence ? Draw on ideas you brought up in your reading responses ? Use additional sources- just make sure to cite them APA style and use a reference

list at the end that includes all sources used, including class books. This is a helpful website for APA formatting: This essay should not.... ? Be a summary

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E25.2037 Fall 2011 Course Information and Policies

Final Paper Assignment and Guidelines By the close of the course, you will have read about additional developmental and learning theorists. You will have had the opportunity to refine your education philosophy explained in your midterm assignment. For your final paper, you will explain your education philosophy, including any updates to your learning and/or developmental theory from the readings in the second half of the course. You will also explain what your education philosophy looks like in practice (i.e., what curriculum and instructional practices will you use, and why have you selected those given your education philosophy?). Be sure to reference the developmental and learning theories read and to provide specific examples of curriculum, instructional, and/or classroom management approaches you plan to use in your classroom.

This essay should....

? Have a clear and thoughtful thesis. (It's perfectly fine to write "This paper will explore the idea that..." or "This paper will argue that.....").

? Have supporting evidence directly from the text ? Be clearly written and free of spelling and grammar errors ? Be 7-10 pages

This essay can....

? Have examples from your placement as long as they illustrate a particular point ? Use "I think" language as long as it's backed up by evidence ? Draw on ideas you brought up in your reading responses ? Use additional sources- just make sure to cite them APA style and use a reference

list at the end that includes all sources used, including class books. This is a helpful website for APA formatting:

This essay should not.... Be a summary

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