Current Context Early Learning and Care

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Current Context Early Learning and Care
Pam Whitty
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International Influences

• Organization of Economic Cooperation
  Development (OECD) oecd.org
• Office of Early Childhood Education Care
• Country Reviews including Canada
• John Bennett Starting Strong Papers

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ECEC Branch -OECD

• It (ECEC) is a small unit its potential
  strength has come from the way it structured its
  review process. It carried out its work in such a
  way as to draw in and develop a transnational
  network of early childhood specialists and
  advocates.
• Rianne Mahon

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International Influences

• Office of Early Childhood Education and Care
  (Bennett) What are they advocating?
• shift from cognitive goals to broad developmental
  goals (domain, subject based approach)
• social-pedagogical approach - the child, family
  and community in the social-cultural context
  (values, guidelines, frameworks, local)

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International Concern

• Schoolification Related to the emphasis on
  school readiness future life of the
  childdownward extension of schooled
  practices.(cognitive)
• Todayness Related to the quality of a childs
  everyday learning and caring experiences present
  life of the child upward extension of educare
  values and practices.(social-pedagogical)

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Influential Publications OECD

• Five Curriculum Outlines
• Belgium Experiential Education
• New Zealand Te Whariki
• Sweden Preschool system
• Italy Reggio Emilia
• USA High Scope
• Oecd.org

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Influential Publications OECD

• Early Childhood Education and Care Policy Canada
  Country Note (UK, Finland, Belgium, OECD)
• OECD Thematic Review Early Childhood Education
  and Care - Canadian Background Report (Doherty,
  Friendly, Beach)

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National Influences

• Canadian Child Care Federation
• Child Care Advocacy
• Child Care Human Resource Sector
• Campaign 2000
• Canadian Council of Social Development
• Dissemination of Knowledge
• Advocacy of Issues around Quality including
  Curriculum

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National Influences

• Multilateral Framework Early Learning
• and Care
• Federal commitment - QUADI Principles
• Quality
• Universality
• Accessibility
• Developmental Learning
• Inclusivity

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National Realities

• Increasing Participation of Women in Workplace
• Increasing recognition of the importance of
  quality care and learning for infants, toddlers,
  young children
• Increasing child care sector initiatives
• Increasing research, development, policy
  initiatives

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• It (ECEC) is a small unit its potential
  strength has come from the way it structured its
  review process. It carried out its work in such a
  way as to draw in and develop a transnational
  network of early childhood specialists and
  advocates.
• Rianne Mahon

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We are part of the network

• Child Care Practitioners
• Early Childhood Staff /Services for Children and
  Families
• Family Community, Health Wellness, Education,
  Culture Sport
• Early Childhood Associations Professional
  Development Consultants
• UNB Early Childhood Centre Research Grp

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• Ideally the curriculum would be suited for use
  in home and centre based day care, yet also serve
  as a source of information on children's learning
  and care for parent and staff in other programmes
  and services designed for children and young
  families.

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Whats new in curriculum?

• Taking a Childrens Rights Approach
• Building a Generative Curriculum
• Developing Cooperative Community
• Sowing Seeds for Farm Safety

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Whats new in curriculum?

• Five curriculum outlines
• OECD
• Experiential Education
• Te Whariki
• High Scope
• Reggio Emilia
• The Swedish Curriculum Starting Strong Paper
• March 2004

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Social Contextual Approach to Curriculum

• Most experts agree that the best curricula are
  organic. They evolve with changing values,
  reflect new philosophies, and adapt to current
  research about how we learn. There appears to be
  a global trend toward developing childrens
  curriculum based on societal goals, while
  embracing philosophies that focus on the
  individual child as subject.
• Interactions Winter 2005 p.27

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Eve Hujala Curriculum Components

• Conception of the child
• Complexity of interactions
• Environment as Teacher

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Eve Hujala Curriculum Components

• The conception of the child as an active
  participant in her-his own daily life, with
  opportunities to access meaningful child
  initiated and child directed experiences.

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The Child

• Belgium - degree of a childs emotional
  well-being and the level of involvement
• Sweden Opportunities for democratic actions and
  opportunities for the child to have influence

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Interactions

• Recognition of the complexity of interactions
  within the childs environments that is
  child-child interactions child-adult
  interactions and internal interactive thought.

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Interactions

• Belgium Action strategies for self-assessment on
  how the educator engages the child
• Sweden quality of the interactions
• Reggio active listening
• Emerging research on friendship

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The environment as teacher

• An understanding of the role of the early
  childhood educator as designer of an active
  learning environment

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Designing an Active Growth Environment

• Creating an environment that acts as a third
  teacher supports the perspective that knowledge
  is constructed not in isolation but within the
  social group
• Documentation of childrens learning speaks to
  childs interests shaping the physical
  environment. Displays
• Reggio Emilia

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Thank you!

• Pam Whitty