An Editorial for the Autumn 22 Early Education Journal – Di Chilvers
It is timely to take stock of where we are in the world of early childhood education with regards to the much talked about issue of ‘curriculum’ and what this means for young children’s development, learning and progress. The Autumn journal brings together some important national (England, Wales and Scotland) and international perspectives (Reggio Emilia) and reflections which prompt some equally important questions.
Keeping these questions in mind as you read the journal, it becomes clear that early childhood education has a rich foundational heritage based on sound principles, theoretical and research informed pedagogies, and well-established child centered practice’s which view children as competent, capable and active participants in their own development and learning.
We are not starting with a blank sheet, quite the opposite as Helen Moylett explains as she traces the history and origins of ‘curriculum’, the connections to play, development and learning and how, through a shared and collaborative dialogue we have reached a model of curriculum that is framed around the unique child who is constantly learning.
We see from all the perspectives the complexity of the curriculum; a simple definition will not suffice as both the Scottish (Catriona Gill) and Welsh (Dr Helen Lewis, Dr Gisselle Tur Porres and Natalie MacDonald) national practice guidance documents state that children’s rights and entitlements should be central along with a ‘coherent, flexible and enriched curriculum that is adaptable and responsive to the diverse needs of individual learners and which reflects the uniqueness of their communities’. Catriona, Helen, Gisselle and Natalie explain how these curriculums were developed, the vision and values on which they are based and the aspirations each country has for their children. Indeed, the Scottish national practice guidance is called ‘Realising the ambition: Being Me’.
Debi Keyte-Hartland in her article on ‘Designing curriculum through the lens of the Reggio Emilia approach’ reinforces this perspective of the complex curriculum as opposed to a ‘prescriptive way of thinking’ which reduces learning to ‘boxing knowledge into isolated units and measures’. She goes on to explain how the curriculum or progettazione is a shared, collaborative and co-constructed experience between the children and adults.
Verity Campell-Barr, Katherine Evans, Jan Georgeson and Sasha Tregenz from the University of Plymouth share their research, ‘Insights into Quality Early Years Curriculum’ which focusses on the ‘child, use of resources, the environment and (how) skilled knowledgeable educators come together to create a high-quality curriculum’; they explain the term process quality.
What all the perspectives have in common is that they see children’s development and learning as woven, connected and holistic because that is how young children learn and grow in their first 60-72 months of life and as such, they need a
Curriculum (which) recognises that every child in our setting is unique and that their development is rapid between birth and five years of age. It supports holistic development by keeping the developmental needs of our children at the forefront of our pedagogical practice (Welsh Government. 2022.p.5).
Look out for other key connected themes across all of the curriculum perspectives, including the ‘image of the developing child’, PLAY, child-led pedagogy, following interests, becoming learners for life and the relationship between observation, interpretation of learning and responsive and intentional planning which Catriona Gill discusses through the model of child-centered pedagogy in practice (Fig 2). This is a particularly inspiring and informed way to situate the curriculum starting from the unique child and what they bring, including their own funds of knowledge and identity (Hedges.H 2022; Chesworth.L 2016). There are strong connections here with the curriculum model in the Birth to Five Matters practice guidance as explained by Helen Moylett in ‘The Early Years Curriculum in England’.
The articles all give plenty of food for thought for children’s curriculum entitlements and what research, theory and practice tell us about their needs and rights as learners. As we celebrate the 100th year of Early Education this is an opportunity to continue the dialogue across the sectors. An interesting place to start is Curriculum Making in the Early Years a project led by Dr Liz Chesworth and Dr Elizabeth Woods at Sheffield University which explores how children’s interests can be used to inform curriculum planning - understanding children as knowledgeable experts in their own lives.
Di Chilvers
Advisory consultant in early childhood education, author, researcher and Early Education Associate
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