Education being one of the most crucial aspects of human life requires to be addressed with great concern, especially during the early stage of learning. In the 21st century education has received views attributing it with great importance. Therefore, for this to be achieved it means that emphasis will have to be put in place from the beginning of the curriculum for the young learners. As explained by California preschool framework (California Department of Education.2010), is that young learners enter preschool with a lot of anxiety, wondering in on what they will find there and they also have the love of learning new things. The manner in with these young ones are handled and received in their first moments in school will go a long way in working out their success in the rest of their involvements in the curriculum programs. This is to say that the first moment goes a long way in determining the rest of their years in the school. Young learners are not supposed to be scared away but they should be treated with care and much love, so as to ensure they enjoy their time in school.
The first environment in school should not vary from the one that exists at home. This motivates the learner to like the school since there is nothing that they are deprived from by going to their schools. Therefore, this paper seeks to establish critically how the childhood education can be pursued and at the same time how it is supposed to be organized. In the same note, it will try to evaluate the success that goes in line with selecting the most appropriate curriculum design.The curriculum planning and designing is not a simple task having in mind that it is expected to take care of all the learners who will attend that particular institution. It requires an organized time and proposals that are neutral.
The most challenging time in designing a curriculum that suits people from across the regions is that there are great differences between people from their backgrounds. For instance, a study carried out in California found out that there was a challenge between the economic levels of different people. The findings were that the percentage of families with low income is almost 20 %, (3) and therefore there would be a lot of children that would be affected as a result of low income. Much consideration will, therefore, be required in this region so as to avoid generalization of all learners. A good curriculum should in fact be able to offer individual difference to the learner. Every person is gifted differently with a unique level of intelligence.
Other issues requiring address are the ones to do with children who have disabilities. There is a slogan that says that disability is not inability, therefore each learner should be given an equal chance to prove what they are capable of doing. Therefore, every individual ought to be treated in a unique way. Motivation of learners is also important as it encourages them to keep on forging ahead for their success. The achievement of California is that they do offer individualized education programs that address the preschool foundation of learning. Under the individuals with disabilities education act (2004), California has thus already offered a general curriculum and has their progress measured and evaluated accordingly.
In line with the discussion above is that a lot is expected so as to decide on an appropriate curriculum for peoples of pre-K, as education involves imparting of knowledge skills and attitudes to the learners. Various components are subject to address before any viable decision is attained and achieved. Different stakeholders require being involved in these decisions so as to ensure that harmonized curriculum is formed.
For teachers entrusted with the responsibility of teaching, not only are they supposed to help their students learning, but are also required to have visions for their learners. This means that they are not supposed to teach alone, but are supposed to ensure that the learners have good objectives to meet that will help them have a good future. The goals of education should be identified and stated clearly as they direct the expectations of the learners by their teacher. According to Brophy, to envision is to imagine while viewing something to being possible in the future (Brophy 2004). Some statements explain the reason why something happened. Teachers are therefore expected to have stated theories in which guides them in assisting learners achieving their goals. As Freire asserts, that a teacher may have such a theory as that of banking while teaching their learners. In this, the teacher deposits the knowledge in the mind of the learners and may decide to ‘withdraw’ some during the exams (Freire 2008)
In preschools therefore, the young learner will be taught of a thing, and the teacher will be able to access their understanding by giving out tests. This helps in identifying weak learners and so the teacher can give them special attention to improving them. The teacher also identifies the weak areas of a learner and majors on it as they identify the most appropriate approach to take in teaching. Young people will understand easily when they are taught using objects. These teaching aids facilitate in their understanding and at the same time, they can recall things easily by associating them.
A teacher being the leader of the class is also expected to be a role model. Learners tend to emulate what they see being done by those that are close to them. Hence, if a teacher portrays a bad image the same will be seen with their learners, ethics are important in learning.
The environment in which learning is taking place is important as it determines how the learning processes are conducted. Favorable conditions for learning should be identified. This enables the learner to have it in mind that there is a difference between a school and other places. Through this they will have respect for their school since they will be aware of what is expected of them. Good learning environment creates favorable conditions for teaching and learning style. A teacher may find it very easy to teach young learners, for example, showing them how they are supposed to hold their pencil, how they should open a book, how to blow their nose and also it would be easy telling a story in school than in any other place. This is because learners have in their mind that a school is a place where learning should take place. It therefore adds the ability of the learners observing orderliness in places that are required of them.
Philosophies from great scholars may also guide teachers in setting their vision for their learners. As they relate to what the philosophy has stated they get an understanding. Some of these philosophies may be. Plato was a great philosopher and he had a philosophy that he referred to as idealism. It held that the main activity of an individuals were to be associated with the society. He explained that education was supposed to bring out individual talent, skills, discipline and facts. Teachers should then apply this philosophy while teaching in ensuring that what the learners acquire suits them best in their societies.
Realism was another philosophy developed by Aristotle around 384bc. He explained that education helps in bringing out the human reason and habits. He said that repetition of the situation was important for developing good habits. He also gave some advice saying that in education there should be a mutual balance between the sciences and technical subjects. The teacher should therefore adopt this philosophy in their teaching as they will seek to ensure that learners are morally upright and have the right skill for their encounter in future.
The empiricist theory developed by Avicenna argued that human beings are born as tubular rasa. That human are born with empty minds, and they only acquire their knowledge of the environment. This explains that if people are fed with negative things while young they will become bad people in the society and if fed with the appropriate knowledge they will turn to become respectable people in the society. Teachers should strive and ensure the young learner is not exposed to bad influence and immoral things in the environment as these would make them bad people with bad characters.
Therefore, human behaviors are expressed through what they come across while in their developing stage. It is these that determine how they carry themselves after maturing. School should be a place that ensures that learners are shielded from the bad things. The teacher should closely monitor what their learners are doing and direct them. However, learners should not be mistreated or given corporal punishments if they are found in the wrong. This is because the teacher‘s motive is not to instill fear in learners, but to be a guardian. Fear in school in some way may inhibit the activities of learning.
Explaining to the learners about their mistakes gently will make them to refrain from such behaviors and avoid repetition of actions of that kind. Creating a friendly environment is the most important thing.
For a teacher to effectively be able to deliver their content, they are required to have concepts based on the subject area that they are in, therefore, in reference to the problem in the discussion. It is necessary to identify concepts that are required in the following subject areas (math’s, reading, science, and fine arts).
In teaching maths especially in the lower division, a teacher may use the concept of fractions to enhance the learners understand their teaching effectively. For example, the teacher may decide to use real objects to demonstrate how the division is taking place. They may come with an orange that has been portioned into several parts and then remove part of them. Learners would then be requested to identify the remaining part of the orange. Therefore the teacher will have an easy task in explaining to the learners since they will have already seen what has happened.
So as to enhance the reading teacher may allow each and every learner to have an equal chance to read a section of writing. This reinforces the ability of the learners to read while at the same time they acquire skill relevant in understanding their own language. Even viewing of drawing information will be essential in enhancing learner’s skills of relating.
Science is a complex subject and therefore some ideas cannot be understood clearly in theoretical perspective. Hence learners will be required to have field trips that will be aimed at making them understand. A teacher may also improvise the real objects in the event that they cannot be accessed easily by using prototypes. They act as representatives of the real things and thus offers easy understanding. For example, a world globe facilitates the learner perception of the shape of the universe. Ideas are therefore simplified to the simplest form.
On the other hand, fine arts involve everything that is performed by humans practically. The teacher may enhance concept by explaining to the learners. This means that teachers offer direction on how particular things are expected to be. For example a teacher teaching music, he/she will be required to show practically the learners how tones are varied and at what instances.
Nevertheless, a demonstration of the concept of the subjects to the learners is important, although, this is supposed to follow the standard states of the demonstration, an acceptable way of demonstrating these concepts. In our subjects discussed above demonstration may be carried out in various ways .In mathematics the concept of demonstration will for example be witnessed in the counting of numbers when the learners will be taught how to count using stacks. Also, teachers may encourage learners to draw counting lines in their calculation books. This enables them to be able to perform counting tasks with ease at all times.
Since reading involves the learner going through a passage and understanding the information, diagrams can be used so as to aid the young learners in their reading. The attention of children is not too much, and therefore, they can be distracted very easily by little things surrounding them. To have the learners full attention, their environment should be quiet. The diagrams also help them to maintain their attention at various levels. The teacher may also use recorded programs that motivate the learners to read. This ensures that they are well equipped with the understanding and they have enough knowledge of their language.
In science subjects a lot of knowledge is required; therefore teachers are encouraged to organize a field trip for their learners so that they can understand clearly what is being taught. Before going for the trip the teacher may give guidelines to the learners and explain to them the importance of the trip. There should be questions after the trip. Also, a teacher can use videos to explain some aspects to the learners. These films help the learners to understand more.
Fine arts being performed practically learners should be allowed to practice on them. In drawing the teacher should encourage the parent to purchase the drawing, tracing books for their learners. A teacher may also ask the learners to view diagrams on the board and make similar ones on their books
In concluding this paper, it would be important to acknowledge that the objective of evaluating the curriculum design for young learners has been archived. If sound procedures are made while planning this curriculum like discussed, the preschoolers will enjoy their learning and the teachers will find it easy to teach as well.
References
Brophy, J. (2004). Motivating Students to Learn. Routledge.
California Department of Education. (2010). California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 1. Retrieved from California Preschool Curriculum Frameworks: http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/re/documents/psframeworkkvol1.pdf
Freire, P. (2008). The banking concept of education. Educational foundations: An anthology of critical readings, 99-111.
Guthrie, J. W. (2003). Encyclopedia of Education. MacMillan.
