Diverse Learning Environment
Emergent Curriculum
What is Emergent Curriculum?
An Emergent Curriculum is one which establishes a program of activities from the developmental stage and the interests of the child. Activities which are relevant to a child's development and interest will be the ones a child learns best from.
Our Program follows an Emergent Curriculum Model which means the Educator follows the lead of the children by observing, recording and finding the children's interests. Children learn best through doing what they are interested in. Through play and exploration, the children happily discover and learn. The educators enhance their environment and provide experiences which expand the children's skills. The social and emotional well being of each child is of the utmost importance thus a warm and caring approach supports groups and individual needs.
Five Key Components
Key Components:
Our Program is developmentally appropriate, intentional, child-initiated and process-based.
Our Educators make daily observations of the children's interests and learning, basing planning, activities and projects on them.
Our Program builds intrinsic motivation and instills a life-long love of learning for each child.
Learning is made visible through documentation in each and every one of our classrooms.
Through self-reflection and professional growth, our Educators are always improving the quality of the classroom experiences and the learning process.
Emergent Curriculum In The Classroom
We plan our curriculum according to the Emergent Curriculum. This means that we follow the children's lead when planning and setting up each classroom. This is done through daily observations of the children and interactions between the children and educator. Through these observations we make decisions on what will happen next and what will best motivate the children's learning. We will then follow the children's lead by introducing new and exciting activities to expand their interests and learning.
Parents and Educators
Parents are a vital component to Emergent Curriculum; they are viewed as partners, collaborators, and advocates for their children. Educators respect parents as each child's first teacher and involve parents in every aspect of the curriculum. Educators are encouraged to facilitate the child's learning by planning activities and lessons based on the child's interests. The educators document observations of developmental abilities, and interests on a regular basis. Parents are also invited to document observations that they see at home. "ELECT" Early Learning for Every Child Today was put together by an expert panel for Early Childhood Education in the Province of Ontario.
