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Additional Considerations for Curriculum Design
Although knowledge of development and DAP is a major element in curriculum, there are many other factors which also support the process. For children with special needs, some of these factors will be more significant due to the additional support or guidance needed to create a meaningful learning environment. As mentioned with DAP, understanding the child’s culture is a key element which means the family should be part of the curriculum design process.
The Family
The family is not the developer of the actual lesson or activity, but instead offers ideas and insight into the child that supports the process. Although teachers understand the learner in the class setting, this is only one aspect of the individual. Communicating with the family provides information on the child that extends outside of the classroom. Families understand the child on an entirely different level and can provide insight into the child that may not be observed in the classroom. This includes their unique likes, dislikes, personality traits, effective motivation strategies, or relevant medical information. All of this information will support the educator’s journey to understanding the child, which in turn can promote better curriculum. To begin this process, the educator must work to establish a partnership with the family. The following video address how to establish a respectful relationship with families. As you view the Developing Respectful Partnerships video, consider how these strategies would be useful in your own practice.
Developing Respectful Partnerships
The Role of Assessment
Assessments provide the educator with insight into the individual learner’s ability. In ECE, assessments come in a wide variety. Some assessments use observations which are conducted informally while engaging in typical classroom activities. Other times assessments may be formal, structured questionnaires or observations that use a specific tool or instrument to gain insight into the developmental level of a learner.
In curriculum design, assessments are used to support teachers in identifying areas that need to be guided through the learning environment. Assessments provide the starting point for supporting children to reach specific goals by providing insight into the current level of development. This concept will be explored in more detail later, but for now consider what type of information would be useful from assessments in your own classroom to guide your curriculum plans.
Supporting a Range of Learners
In most settings, children with exceptionalities are part of an inclusive environment that mixes typically developing children with those with special needs. In these settings, curriculum must be designed to support a wide range of goals and abilities. When designing curriculum for an inclusive classroom, you will need to identify key goals and objectives then adjust to meet the diverse needs of learners in the classroom. Although it may seem like a major undertaking, modifications to curriculum can often be very small and can support a wide range of learning needs with simple adjustments. As you begin the curriculum design process, consider what type of modifications would need to be made to allow everyone to engage in the activity. The following video addresses an inclusive setting. While viewing the Including All Children video, consider what elements support a range of learners and can be included in your own practice.
