chc community services chcece024 training package release 1 promo.pdf · chc community services ......

CHC Community Services Training Package Release 1.1

CHCECE024 Design and implement

curriculum to foster children’s learning and development

Learner guide

Version 1

Training and Education Support

Industry Skills Unit

Meadowbank

Product Code: 5800

CHCECE024 Design and implement curriculum to foster children’s learning and development

© TAFE NSW (Training & Education Support, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2014


Acknowledgments

The TAFE NSW Training and Education Support Industry Skills Unit, Meadowbank

would like to acknowledge the support and assistance of the following people in

the production of this learner resource guide:

Writer:

Michelle Creamer

Teacher, Child and Family Services

TAFE NSW

Contributors: Maree Aldwinckle, Catherine Hamill, Sharyn Baker, Christine Irwin, Fran Hughes,

Michael McGirr, Lorraine Walker, Jill Cooper-Payten, Jenny Rue, Anne Sugden,

Jane Thorpe and Lisa Wallmeyer

Teachers, Child and Family Services, TAFE NSW

Reviewer:

Sue Cant

Teacher, Child and Family Services, TAFE NSW

Project Manager:

Gail Horwood

A/Education Programs Manager

TAFE NSW

Enquiries:

Enquiries about this and other publications can be made to:

Training and Education Support Industry Skills Unit, Meadowbank

Meadowbank TAFE

Level 3, Building J,

See Street,

MEADOWBANK NSW 2114

Tel: 02-9942 3200 Fax: 02-9942 3257

Further acknowledgments

A considerable amount of the material in this learner resource has been

developed from the following TAFENSW resource:

CHCPR510B Design, implement and evaluate programs and care routines for

children, version 2 (2012)




ISBN 978-1-74236-508-4

© The State of New South Wales, Department of Education and

Training, TAFE NSW, Training and Education Support Industry Skills

Unit, Meadowbank, 2014.

Copyright of this material is reserved to TAFE NSW Training and Education

Support Industry Skills Unit, Meadowbank. Reproduction or transmittal in

whole or in part, other than for the purposes of private study or research, and

subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act, is prohibited without the written

authority of, TAFE NSW. Training and Education Support Industry Skills Unit,

Meadowbank.




Table of contents

Introduction .................................................................................. 7

1. General introduction ........................................................................... 7

2. Using this learner guide ...................................................................... 7

3. Prior knowledge and experience ........................................................... 9

4. Unit of competency overview ............................................................. 10

5. Assessment ..................................................................................... 10

About this unit ....................................................................................... 11

Section 1Philosophies and curriculum approaches .................................................................................................... 13

The programming cycle ........................................................................... 16

Contemporary theory .............................................................................. 27

Approaches in early childhood .................................................................. 31

Organisational standards, guidelines and constraints .................................. 35

Section summary ................................................................................... 55

Section 2 Reflecting social and cultural contexts ......................... 57

Accommodating diverse expectations and building partnerships with families . 61

Cultural and social contexts ..................................................................... 66

Selecting provisions which reflect diversity ................................................ 70

Section summary ................................................................................... 83

Section 3 Design and implement programs to enhance

development of children .............................................................. 85

Observing and gathering information ........................................................ 85

Using the information gathered to guide the curriculum............................... 91

Section summary ................................................................................. 105




Section 4 Develop appropriate settings and environments ........ 107

Developing appropriate settings and environments ................................... 107

Environments that foster children’s development and learning ................... 111

Evaluating the environment in relation to children’s development and learning

.......................................................................................................... 114

Section summary ................................................................................. 126

Section 5 Assess and evaluate curriculum ................................. 127

Assessment and Evaluation .................................................................... 127

Using observations to assess children’s progress ...................................... 134

Evaluating the program ......................................................................... 135

Assessment of the group ....................................................................... 140

Section summary ................................................................................. 142

Answers to activities ................................................................. 143

Reference list ............................................................................ 145

Essential Resources .............................................................................. 147

Other resources ................................................................................... 148

Journals .............................................................................................. 152

Videos ................................................................................................. 153

CD ROMS ............................................................................................ 153

Organisations and websites ................................................................... 154

Resource Evaluation Form ......................................................... 157


© TAFE NSW (TES, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2014 Page 13 of 160

© TAFE NSW (Training & Education Support, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2012 Page 13 of 160

Section 1 Philosophies and curriculum

approaches

The big picture

During this section we will explore belief systems and philosophy. What we

believe about children affects everything that we do with our early childhood

programs. During this section you will reflect on your own beliefs as well as the

beliefs of other early childhood theorists. Developing an educational philosophy is

more than just writing some beliefs. You also have to have a professional

grounding in where those beliefs have originated. You need to show that you can

put your opinions about different theorists into a clear and workable format. The

more you understand you beliefs about children the better you will understand

why you program in particular ways and be able to respond to new insights. You

will also practice making your own decisions about theorist’s beliefs and realise

that you do not need to take all that is written at face value. As a professional

you have the skills and abilities to make your own decisions about the beliefs and

practices that you believe will best support your teaching. By the end of this

section you should be able to develop a professional educational philosophy and

clearly justify your statements with reference to theory and relevant legislation

and guidelines.




Activity 1.1

Your personal beliefs

Before commencing any studies in this unit guide you should take some time to reflect

on and answer the four questions below. These four questions will form an integral part

of your focus and study throughout this unit. Your answers to these questions will help

provide you with a benchmark which you can use to evaluate your own learning and

progress as you move through the unit.

1. What is your ‘image of the child’? What words and phrases come to mind when you

think about children?




Activity 1.1 (continued)

2. What do you believe about how children learn and the process of development?

Which theorists do you align yourself with?

3. What is your role as an educator?

4. What do you believe is important in an education and care environment?




The programming cycle

What is programming?

When talking with early childhood professionals programming is defined in a

variety of ways. The terms ‘curriculum’ and ‘program’ are often used

interchangeably. The Early Years Learning Framework defines curriculum as “all

interactions, experiences, activities, routines and events, planned and unplanned

that occur in an environment designed to foster children’s learning and

development” (DEEWR, p 45).

Faragher and MacNaughton, (1998) define programming as:-

“All of the planned learning opportunities offered to children by an early childhood

service. It is also all the experiences planned or unintended, that children

encounter when the program is implemented” (p.viii).

Programming requires working through a carefully structured planning cycle. This

cycle begins with and educational philosophy and proceeds through to evaluation.

As well as a cyclic flow all levels of the planning cycle influence each other.

See the diagram below:

In this unit we will explore the subject following the sequence of the

programming cycle. We will begin with an educational philosophy and

understanding your personal beliefs and how those beliefs guide your program.




Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett, and Farmer, (2008) stated:

What we believe about learning will influence:

What we teach

How we teach

What we expect children to learn

The learning environment we provide

How we assess that learning

How we judge and value that learning (p.91).

A personal educational philosophy or ‘image of the child’ is central to all that we

do in early childhood education. It affects how we document, interact with

children, design the environment, and structure the curriculum (Dahlberg, Moss &

Pence, 1999). Our images of children are originally shaped from personal

experiences during our own childhood and then by those children we meet and

observe throughout life (Fraser, 2000). The strongest influence on our image is

our cultural context, which shapes how we think childhood should be (Fraser,

2000).

A professional philosophy is shaped by education received in tertiary institutions,

work placement, and interactions with colleagues, children and teachers both

within and out of the classroom. Much of the educational knowledge promoted in

tertiary studies stems from educational theorists such as Skinner, Bruner, Freud,

Erikson, Piaget, Vygotsky, Bronfenbrenner, and Gardner. These theorists

proposed certain beliefs about how children learn and develop. Some practitioners

have taken up these and other beliefs and developed specific programming

approaches or models for early childhood care and education in Australia.

The philosophy and the beliefs about the way that children learn influences the

way that a service arranges its program. Whilst the program that is offered to

children must meet particular Education and Care National Regulations, a code of

ethics and National Quality Standard, there is still a great deal of flexibility in how

it is delivered. In activity 1:1 you explored your personal philosophy or ‘image of

the child’. We will now look at a range of theorists. Most of these theorists you

will be familiar with from your previous studies. It is important that you

understand the fundamental beliefs behind each theory and how these beliefs

impact on curriculum. You then need to make decisions about which aspects of

these theories you agree with and those that you think are lacking or you

disagree with.




Activity 1.2

Read the following information describing some theories which have been

influential in early childhood. Write a short summary of each describing what that

theorist believes about children and how they learn and develop. Also consider

what the implications’ of the theory would be on the program and the role of the

teacher in the class room. Next in the table below write which aspects of the

theories you believe are still valuable today and which aspects you feel are no

longer relevant, or what you believe may be lacking in the theory. An examination

of the three major developmental controversies will help you to decide what you

agree with in each theory and the problems with it. Read about the three major

controversies below and then see how each relates to your summaries of each

theorist. These notes will assist you later when writing your philosophy

assignment.

Developmental Controversies

1. Continuity versus discontinuity

The controversy of continuity versus discontinuity involves debate about whether

development progresses gradually with a building of the amount a child knows

and can achieve, or does it progress in distinct steps in which we see changes in

the way a person behaves. Again many theories which are popular today

emphasise a combination of both processes.





2. Nature or nurture

A constant debate in child development has been to what extent that development

is influenced by nature or biological inheritance and by nurture or environmental

factors. Modern developmental psychologists recognise that both nature and

nurture contribute to behavioural characteristics this is labelled as an interactionist

approach





3. Paths of development: universal or culturally influenced?

There is a large variation in the range of cultural differences that influence the

environments in which development takes place. Despite this many theorists have

argued that some underlying processes of development are universal. This view is

advocated by stage theorists who claim that developmental processes are

maturationally determined and independent of the environment. Theorists who

emphasise the role of culture in human development are challenging this

perception. They suggest that development cannot be separated from the child’s

cultural context. Modern theories differ in their emphasis on development as

universal versus culturally specific. While some are extreme in their view

(either/or), others strike a balance between the two.

Freud

Berk (1997) stated “Freud (1938/1973) believed that over the course of

childhood, sexual impulses shift their focus from the oral to the anal to the genital

regions of the body. In each stage, parents walk a fine line between permitting

too much or too little gratification of their child’s basic needs. Freud’s

psychosexual theory highlighted the importance of family relationships for

children’s development. Freud’s theory was the first to stress the importance of

the impact of early childhood experiences on later development” (p. 15). Freud’s

theory was criticised for an overemphasis on the influence of sexual feelings, and

that he did not observe children nor was his theory applicable cross culturally

(Berk 1997). Freud’s theory is predominantly nature based, discontinuous and

suggests development is universal.





Skinner

Berk (1997) stated “According to Skinner, a child’s behaviour can be increased by

following it with a variety of reinforcers...It can also be decreased through

punishment” (p.18). This is a behaviourist theory where the environment or nurture

is the most important aspect. His theory is continuous and culturally specific.

Bandura

Berk (1997) stated “Bandura (1967,1977) demonstrated that modelling, otherwise

known as imitation or observational learning, is the basis for a wide variety of

children’s behaviours. He recognised that children acquire many favourable and

unfavourable responses simply by watching and listening to others around them”

(p.18). Bandura’s theory is completely focused on nurture; it is a continuous theory

and culture specific.





Erickson

Erickson expanded on Freud’s theory developing his own stage based explanations

of child development called a psychosocial theory. He believed that children

progress through a series of crisis points and their environment can influence

wether the outcome is positive or negative. Erickson’s theory shows interaction

between nature and nurture, it is a discontinuous theory and assumes that

development is universal.

John Dewey

Dewey believed that change brings new opportunities and that we need to embrace

these and think of new ways to help our children become socially responsible people

rather than cling to the past and parent/educate using older methods. There is a

need to move with the times – changes within our world are vast and rapid and we

need to adapt our ways to meet them. His theory saw education as child-centred,

active and interactive and that it should involve the child’s social world and the

community. He believed that children need to interact with other people, work both

alone and cooperatively with their peers and adults. Education should also reflect

the child’s interests and backgrounds and that their social and cultural worlds are

important. Dewey saw learning as lifelong and that educators need to not only teach

skills and knowledge but also help children to live and exist in our society. Educators

need to observe children to determine the experiences children are interested in

and are ready for. Educators need to be able to guide children’s learning, engage

their minds, and work collaboratively with children and not just instruct. Curriculum

needs to be purposeful and assist children to make sense of the world. It’s hard to

believe that his theory and beliefs were written during the early to mid 1900’s, as

they are so reflective of what’s happening in early childhood education today.





Piaget

Piaget proposed a linear stage theory which he believed that all children would

progress through. That is he believed that progression through these developmental

stages was not affected by cultural context. He believed that development was

maturationally determined and that children could not be pushed to achieve cetin

skill before they were maturationally ready. He described children as being actively

involved in their own construction of knowledge and showing qualitative differences

in their thinking processes when compared with adults. For Piaget the role of the

individual in learning was the primary concern and his theory prompted practices in

early childhood such as free, exploratory play and individualised observation and

planning. (Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett & Farmer 2008 pp. 92-94).

Vygotsky

Vygotsky believed that development was not universal and was influenced by the

child’s cultural context. He believed that all higher cognitive functions had social

origins and that significant adults and peers play a vital role in a child’s

development. He described the zone of proximal development. The zone of proximal

development is the difference between what a child can achieve on their own, and

what they can achieve with the help of an adult or more experienced peer. He

believed that others can play a significant role in a child’s development by

scaffolding the child’s learning within this zone of proximal development.

(Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett & Farmer 2008 pp. 94-96).





Bronfenbrenner

Bronfenbrenner developed a bio-ecological model to explain the process of child

development. This approach acknowledged both biological and environmental

influences on a child’s development. His model consisted of co-concentric circles

showing different layers of systems which interact to influence development. The

layers include the micro, meso, exo, and macro systems. Micro includes family,

education and care, school and community groups. Meso is the interaction between

the systems. Exo includes health services, community services, welfare,

government agencies, extended family and workplace. The macro includes social

and cultural attitudes and beliefs. Bronfenbrenner studied how a child’s

development was influenced by the interactions between these systems and the

child’s interactions with the different systems. His theory acknowledges that no two

children share the same contexts and that children exist in many different contexts

with different rules and expectations. He suggests that to understand a child’s

development requires understanding characteristics of the individual as well as the

child’s cultural contexts. He also suggested the best time to observe a child was

during a time of emerging development of a new skill and then looking at the

effects of the interaction of the different systems. His theory did not consider the

child’s effect on their cultural context or their ability to influence the people and

situations around them only the effect of these on the child’s development.

(Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett & Farmer 2008 pp 76-78)





Gardner

Howard Gardner suggested a theory of multiple intelligences. This theory suggests

that intelligence manifests itself in different ways in different individuals and

cultures. At current Gardner has suggested a total of nine intelligences and believes

we all have a proportion of each of these intelligences but individuals have different

amounts of particular intelligences. Different intelligences are also valued differently

in different cultures. In schooling in Western cultures logico-mathematical and

linguistic intelligences are more highly valued and the classroom environment

privileges children with these intelligences. Gardner’s theory seeks to promote

classroom environments where more attention is payed to children’s particular

skills, talents and intelligences and learning tasks are modified and expanded to

promote the full spectrum of intelligences. He believes by focusing on children’s

strengths in their intelligences in certain areas we can increase children’s learning in

all areas. (Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett & Farmer 2008 pp. 236-237).





Theorist Advantages of theory Disadvantages of theory

Freud

Skinner

Bandura

Dewey

Erickson

Piaget

Vygotsky

Bronfenbrenner

Gardner




Contemporary theory

Prior to 1987, research in early childhood, was predominantly from scientific

approaches studying in the area of developmental psychology. This approach was

popular due to a desire to raise public opinion of early childhood education as a

profession (Jipson & Bailey, 2000; Bloch, 1992). Developmental psychology

research formed the foundations and justifications for a publication which was to

have a huge impact on early childhood education in Australia. This document was

titled Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early childhood Programs Serving

Children from birth through age 8 (Bredekamp, 1987). Historically developmental

psychology research in early childhood lacked cross cultural studies and varied

demographic samples and therefore did not consider children’s cultural context

and its influence on development (Bloch, 1992). Bredekamp and Copple (1997)

set out to address some of these issues. Developmentally appropriate practice

(Bredekamp, 1987) defined two dimensions of developmental appropriateness:

age appropriateness and individual appropriateness. The revised edition discussed

three dimensions, adding knowledge of socio-cultural context.

One difference between developmentally appropriate practice and contemporary

theories is that developmentally appropriate practice sees children’s interests and

cultural contexts as a tool to use to help children achieve developmental

outcomes. Contemporary theory and the Early Years Learning Framework

promote following children’s interests and making learning relevant to children’s

lives in order to engage them and develop positive dispositions for learning. For

example, developing persistence in the face of difficulties is a positive learning

disposition. Consideration of contemporary perspectives does not mean we can

simply dispose of traditional approaches to child development and education

(Dahlberg & Moss, 2005; Walsh, 2005). It is important to acknowledge the

contribution of developmentally appropriate practice, but early childhood

educators need to make sure their practices are relevant to our contemporary

culture.

Current approaches to examining child development will include developmental

psychology and will also include contemporary approaches such as socio-cultural

theory, post modernism, and post-structuralism. These theories have been

particularly influential in early childhood in Australia. (The NSW Department of

Community services, 2001a) strongly links to the fundamental philosophies in

these theories and other approaches. You will have covered these theories in your

previous studies. Now it is time to start making some philosophical decisions

about what aspects of the theories you agree with and what you think the

theories influences would be on your role as an educator implementing the

program. Complete the activity below.

chc community services chcece024 training package release 1 promo.pdf · chc community services ......

Documents