Curriculum and Program Planning I - University of Torontojhewitt/pepper/UploadedFiles/900... · Sensory Program Plan - Group 25% Nov. 24 ... respectful caregiving based curriculum

Curriculum and

Program Planning I

Session 1

Cindy Kwan

Mothercraft College

AGENDA • Course Outline

• Trends toward infant education:

– principles & goals in infant/

toddler program models

– what brain research tells us

– video: Let Babies be Babies

– the importance of development in

relation to curriculum: connection

to Child Development course

– intentional teaching for

intentional learning

® Registered trade-mark of the Canadian Mothercraft Society

CPP I: Evaluation Weighting Due Date

LO Popcorn Assignment -

Individual 10% Sept. 15

Infant Toy - Pair 25% Oct. 13

Environmental Checklist - Group 10% Nov. 3

Observation assignment - Group 10% Nov. 3

Sensory Program Plan - Group 25% Nov. 24

Course Engagement - Individual 20% ongoing

ASSIGNMENTS in CPPI


CPPI: expectations for success

• Students must successfully complete each requirement to receive a passing grade in CPP

• Course engagement for each grade is 20%: – Shares information from the text 0 - 5%

– Actively participates group role playing 0 - 5%

– Attendance 0 - 5%

– General attitude, approach to learning 0 - 5%

• Attendance Policy: A maximum of 3, strongly discouraged. More than 3 absences may result in a failure.

• Late assignments/punctuality: inform Instructor


Spontaneous Quizzes:

• Applied skills

• Each spontaneous quiz contributes to

your course engagement mark

regardless of quiz results.

• NO makeup quizzes permitted

CPPI: expectations for success

Image from: liespotting.com

http://liespotting.com/liespotting-basics/quiz/


• Child Development course

• Infants: 0 – 18 months

• Toddlers: 18 months – 30

months (2 ½ years)

• Infants and toddlers are NOT

‘little mini preschoolers’

Setting the Stage: What we know about Infant and Toddlers

Image from:www.law.columbia.edu


The 3 Rs of Infant/Toddler Care

RESPECTFUL

RESPONSIVE

RECIPROCAL

“in tune” with each

infant - needs,

thoughts, feelings

“attunement”


PRINCIPLES AND GOALS OF INFANT/TODDLER

CURRICULUM:

10 principles

based on respect for

quality interactions

Image from: www.tyked.com Image from: www.littlefoureyes.com

From: Infants, Toddlers, and Caregivers: Gonzalez-Mena and Eyer

http://www.tyked.com/

http://www.littlefoureyes.com/


10 Principles and Goals of infant/toddler curriculum

1. Involve infants and toddlers in things that concern them. Don’t

work around them or distract them to get the job done faster.

2. Invest in quality time = you are completely available to

individual infants and toddlers. Don’t just supervise groups

without focusing (more than just briefly) on individual children.

3. Learn infant’s unique ways of communicating and teach them

yours.

4. Invest time and energy to build a total person (ie. the ‘whole

child’).

5. Respect infants and toddlers as individuals (ie. as worthy

individuals). Don’t treat them as objects. (e.g. toddler falls)



10 Principles and Goals of infant/toddler curriculum

6. Be honest about your feelings around infants and toddlers. Don’t pretend to feel something that you don’t or not to feel something that you do.

7. Model the behaviour you want to teach.

8. Recognize problems are learning opportunities. Infants need to learn to solve their own problems. Don’t rescue them, constantly make life easy for them, or try to protect them from all problems.

9. Build security by teaching trust.

10. Be concerned about the quality of development in each stage. Don’t rush infants and toddlers to reach developmental milestones.



Rethinking the Brain

Old Thinking New Thinking

How a brain develops

depends on the genes you

are born with.

How a brain develops hinges

on a complex interplay

between the genes you’re

born with and the

experiences you have.

The experiences you have

before age three have a

limited impact on later

development and learning

Early experiences help to

shape the architecture of the

brain, which can affect both

development and learning.

What Brain Research Tells Us

From: Infants, Toddlers, and Caregivers: Gonzalez-Mena and Eyer. P. 94 From Rethinking the Brain: New

Insights into Early Development by Rima Shore (NY: Families and Work Institute, 1997)

http://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/inbrief-the-science-of-early-childhood-development/


Rethinking the Brain

Old Thinking New Thinking

A secure relationship with a

primary caregiver creates a

favourable context for early

development and learning.

Early interactions don’t just

create a context; they directly

affect the way the brain

develops.

Brain development is linear;

the brain’s capacity to learn

and change grows steadily as

an infant progresses toward

adulthood.

Brain development is

nonlinear; there are prime

times for acquiring different

kinds of knowledge and skills

throughout life.

What Brain Research Tells Us cont’d

From: Infants, Toddlers, and Caregivers: Gonzalez-Mena and Eyer. P. 94 From Rethinking the Brain: New

Insights into Early Development by Rima Shore (NY: Families and Work Institute, 1997)


Example: Monday

morning drop off

Image from: momandpopmoments.com

http://momandpopmoments.com/2015/04/04/dreamworks-dreamplay-at-city-of-dreams/


Watch the video.

Take notes.

Reflect.

Discuss.


So…what is curriculum

for

infants and toddlers?


Basis of Infant/Toddler Care and Learning

Planning specific lessons to be taught

Relationship planning

Emphasize child-initiated/directed learning over adult-directed learning

Using observations and teachable moments to help infants learn the lessons/skills that they arrive in the world already eager to learn! (ECE supports learning based on observations of emerging skills)


Imagine…

Baby Anika is 6 months old and is transitioning into your infant room

with her mommy. Over the next 2 weeks, Anika will stay for increasingly longer periods of time as she and her family become familiar with

the centre.


Curriculum for Infant and Toddlers (cont’d)

Q: What makes infant and toddler curriculum different from older age groups?

PT: different age groups = different types of learning opportunities (developmentally appropriate)

PT: Infant and toddler curriculum: is a series of natural interactions between infant/toddler and caregivers (like a dance) and an ability to read the natural cues of the child [attunement]

PT: Infant and toddler curriculum: is a responsive, reciprocal, respectful caregiving based curriculum


Caregiving as Curriculum

Image from: www.fcs.uga.edu Image from: http://picsicio.us

http://www.fcs.uga.edu/

http://picsicio.us/


Q: What are Caregiving Routines? Caregiving routines are times when the caregiver

pays close attention to each child and includes such

essential activities of daily living as:

1) Feeding

2) Diapering

3) Toilet Learning (i.e. Toilet Training)

4) Washing, Bathing and Grooming

5) Dressing

6) Napping

Image from: http://picsicio.us

http://picsicio.us/


Image from: http://picsicio.us

Caregiving as Curriculum

• Within an infant/toddler program, most of the

day is spent on caregiving routines: we

know attachment is formed during these

interactions

• To support caregiving as a curriculum, 3

elements are needed:

1. A primary-caregiver system

2. Consistency

3. Continuity of care

http://picsicio.us/


1. Primary-caregiver system (recap)

• ‘primary caregiver’ system: each

caregiver is assigned to a small number

of infants or young toddlers

• This promotes stronger attachment and

provides for quality one on one

interactions

• At the same time, it is important to

establish a team of familiar adults for the

child (if primary caregiver is away)

Image from: www.fcs.uga.edu

http://www.fcs.uga.edu/


2. Consistency

• Change is minimized throughout the day =

predictability for infants and toddlers (“I know what’s

happening next!”)

• Promotes a sense of control for infants and toddlers

• Although infants have individual schedules, routines

can be consistent and carried out the same way

each day. With toddlers, a consistent group

schedule is followed

• Refers to consistent interactions (e.g. how you

act/react to situations or ‘new’ situations), as well as

consistent routines


3. Continuity of Care

• provides the deep connections infants

and toddlers need for quality child care

• consists of keeping primary infant/toddler teachers and children together throughout the infancy/toddlerhood period

or

for the time during that period of the child’s enrollment in care.


Play as Curriculum • Curriculum in infant and toddler programs is also based on

play. Play happens when the environment is set-up in a

way that is safe and encourages free play and discovery.

• Free play in an infant and toddler room is important

because it allows for open ended exploration. They are not

confined by rules, procedures, or outcomes. Children in

free play have self-direction, have power, and are in control

of the play situation.

• Through free play, they make discoveries that might

otherwise never happen, work on problems, make choices,

and they discover out what interests them.

Note: PLAY ≠ FREE PLAY Infants, Toddlers, and Caregivers: Gonzalez-Mena and Eyer


Our role in supporting Infant/Toddler play as curriculum

• Set up environments (indoor and outdoor) for

play: safety - key to free exploration and discovery;

developmentally appropriate; emphasizes learning

through the 5 senses; respectful of children with

additional support needs

• Encourage interactions and then stepping back:

selective intervention

• Support problem solving: scaffold ≠ rescue; like a

dance, timing is everything

• Observe: be available but not directing the play; to

understand each child and in each situation to

promote learning Infants, Toddlers, and Caregivers: Gonzalez-Mena and Eyer


• Infant education is planning for learning in

a way that is age-appropriate for infants

which also involves infants discovering

things for themselves.

• It does not mean stimulating their senses

in a contrived manner without meaningful

interaction with others. It does not mean

babysitting solely to keep the child

occupied. Slide developed by Minodora Grigorescu


Infant – Toddler Education:

• Caregiving as curriculum

• Relationships/Connections

• Play

• Exploration

• Considers the individual needs of

infants and toddlers


What does all this mean?



Infants and Toddlers +

Responsive, Respectful, Reciprocal interactions/relationships

=

emotional security, foundation for becoming socially competent and resilient (mental health)

Image from: f3y.com

http://f3y.com/7-secrets-to-raising-happy-confident-kids/


Mothercraft foundational theories

Child Development

Anti-Bias approach

Children with additional support needs

Objective Observers

Plan based on objective observations

PT: Intentional teaching for intentional learning



For Session 2:

• Go to Pepper, CPP1 folder

• Print off LO Popcorn Assignment

• Bring the assignment to Session 2

• During Session 2, the Assignment will

be completed in class, due at 4pm

Image from: www.clipartkid.com

http://www.clipartkid.com/to-do-list-cliparts/

Documents

Curriculum and Program Planning I - University of Torontojhewitt/pepper/UploadedFiles/900... · Sensory Program Plan - Group 25% Nov. 24 ... respectful caregiving based curriculum