Early Childhood Curriculum Analysis

The notion of curriculum is a challenging topic to address as there are varied understandings of what constitutes and defines the term. The definition of curriculum contrasts in terms of context and setting, perspectives on learning and development, usually covering the educator’s philosophy, the methodology utilised and learning goals, as well as the assessment of events (Mac Naughton, 2003 p 133-114). Scott (as cited in McLachlan, Fleer, & Edwards, 2015) defines the word curriculum as “a system, as in a national curriculum, an institution, as on a school curriculum, or even to an individual school, as in the school geography curriculum”, which exemplifies the multiple structural implications that curriculum can hold in different settings …show more content…
This emphasizes on the Early Childhood curriculum being all the “activities and happenings that occur planned or spontaneous during the day” (Arthur, Beecher, Death, Docket, & Farmer, 2015, p. 208) in a school setting that can be implicit or explicit in children’s learning (Arthur, Beecher, Death, Docket, & Farmer, 2015, p. 208). Educators in early childhood utilise many aspects of children’s learning throughout the day such as their prior knowledge and experiences, setting and context, the children’s interest and learning outcomes based on the Early Years Learning Framework(EYLF) (McLachlan, Fleer, & Edwards, 2015, p. …show more content…
Through the process we identify the philosophy and pedagogies which help to mould the curriculum (Mac Naughton, 2003, p114). These pedagogies and the early childhood curriculum are influenced by theoretical perspectives that help us to understand children’s learning and the relevant approach to the setting (Arthur, Beecher, Death, Docket, & Farmer, 2015, p. 210). The main theoretical perspectives that guide the educator in the understanding of children’s learning are the “modern developmental, modern behaviourist, sociocultural, post-structural, postmodern and critical theory perspectives” (Arthur, Beecher, Death, Docket, & Farmer, 2015, p. 210). Through the research and understandings of the different theoretical perspectives, the differences in values and beliefs in regards to education and learning in the early years, the educator is able to gain a greater understanding in their decision making and planning of the curriculum and is made apparent in their practices (McLachlan, Fleer, & Edwards, 2015, p. 49, Mac Naughton, G. 2003, p.