Curriculum Framework
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s support for academic freedom guides our belief that as a demonstration program, our teaching staff have both the privilege and responsibility to explore and experiment with curriculum that is developmentally appropriate and reflective of current research literature on early childhood education.
The Early Childhood Center (ECC) supports our teachers’ roles as participant/observers, action researchers and curriculum decision-makers. Teachers are expected to know, understand and collectively participate in on-going dialogue about how the program philosophy translates into curriculum decision-making and daily activities that demonstrate best practice and support children’s individual needs and interests. Therefore, ECC works within a curriculum framework, rather than adopting a particular commercial or published curriculum.
Projects
As a demonstration program, we model respect for our teachers as professional decision makers. Each teacher interprets and acts out our philosophy in unique ways that are soundly grounded in developmental research. Our teachers are also interested in and influenced by the Reggio Emilia approach, using emergent project work as the primary means for conducting topical investigations.
We explore the use of digital media to document and visually represent the learning process at ECC and to provide up-to-date information about our curriculum activities by sharing our project documentations.
The curriculum should include group projects that are investigations of worthwhile topics. These projects should strengthen children's dispositions to observe, experiment, inquire and examine more closely the worthwhile aspects of their environment. -Lilian Katz
