a. Does Michigan have identified learning standards for early childhood education?
Gronlund has identified seven standards for early childhood education. These standards cover subjects such as communication and literacy, mathematics, science, and social studies. Other subjects include emotions, physical development, and creative arts. Michigan has identified learning standards in areas such as English language arts, health and physical education, social studies, technology, and nutrition. The Michigan Early Childhood Standards presents more than 120 center-based activities that teachers can use to develop their curriculum plan. These standards are consistent with pre-kindergarten expectations thereby creating a coherent, unified approach to children’s education (Gronlund 20).
b. What are the benefits of identified Early Learning Standards?
Early Learning Standards have significant benefits to a child’s learning and development. Early learning standards aid teachers and families in providing appropriate opportunities for children. Eventually, these opportunities build a child’s school readiness and enhance the likelihood of future positive outcomes (Gronlund 140). The other benefit of early childhood standards is that they can support transition from child learning to adult learning. This is possible because most of these standards extend from early childhood education to later schooling.
c. Are there barriers presented by early learning standards in an early childhood education program?
Early Learning Standards are very important in improving the quality of early childhood education. However, these standards limit the quality of early childhood education programs because they set minimum standards below the recommendations of experts. According to national accreditation systems such as NAEYC, most of the early learning standards place more emphasis on content and performance than programs. Consequently, most of the early childhood education programs lack clear expectations.
d. How do you see yourself using early learning standards in curriculum planning?
In my future endeavor, I will use state early learning guidelines to make lesson planning decisions. I believe that early learning standards are effective in ensuring that teachers establish valid, effective, and ethical lesson planning decisions. This is because Early Learning Standards usually incorporate all the key areas that promote positive development and learning among children (Gronlund 10). Therefore, I will develop a curriculum plan using Early Learning Standards. This will ensure that I develop effective classroom practices and teaching strategies that complement the interests and abilities of young children.
Works Cited
Gronlund, Gaye. Making early learning standards come alive: Connecting your practice and curriculum to state guidelines. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press, 2007.
