ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT OF ECCD PROGRAMMES

Lesson 11: Curriculum Models and Approaches in ECCE

Emergent Curriculum

Jones & Nimmo (1994) describe emergent curriculum as responsiveness to particular people in a particular place, at a particular time. It requires adults to trust in the power of play and power of children’s choices and teachers to be professionals who shape and guide those choices into a curriculum that is meaningful and cognitively challenging for children.

It differs from traditional thematic approach, which is based on predetermined themes for a set time period. Emergent curriculum, on the other hand makes use of themes that are important and relevant to children.

Sources of emergent curriculum:

1. Children’s interests: Children’s interests should be acknowledged and supported, which automatically motivates them to learn.
2. Teacher’s interests: teachers are people with interests of their own, which are worth sharing with children.
3. Developmental tasks: At each developmental stage, there are tasks to be mastered. Appropriate curriculum provides many opportunities for children to choose activities providing skill practice.
4. Things in the physical environment: The man made things in their physical environment are typically standardized and predictable. The natural things are unstandardized and unpredictable. Children need experience with both.
5. People in the social environment: Children are interested in all kinds of people, who they are and what they do. They can learn about and relate to them.
6. Curriculum resource materials: Children’s libraries, school resource centers are full of curriculum ideas ready to use. They can be used as per children’s interests.
7. Serendipity: Unexpected events: When the unexpected happens in the classroom, community, country, teachers have choices. They can invent ways of incorporating it in their plans. They have to be skilled in ‘on the spot’ decision making.
8. Living together: Conflict resolution, care giving & routines: Cooperation, expression of feelings, conflict resolution and all the daily tasks of living together are potential curriculum for young children.