compare and contrast paper

In the field of early childhood education there is many different types of curriculum used in classrooms across the country. Creative Curriculum was adapted in classrooms in the early 2000’s. The curriculum was made to challenge the teacher’s to be more creative in how they taught the children. Multiage Grouping dates back to the early 1900’s, but was slowly phased out of classrooms shortly after. The concept was then started back up in the early 1960’s to integrate children in one classroom.
The philosophy behind Creative Curriculum is that children learn best by doing. This means that children are encouraged to be active and creative learners within the curriculum. Teachers evaluate the children’s interest and plans specific lesson plans around there needs. For example a few years back I had a child who was born premature. His lungs were under developed and he was placed on oxygen for the rest of his life. Although, he was just like every other child in the classroom his learning was slightly delayed. I had to make sure I planned lessons that were appropriate for him. To make sure that the teacher’s are meeting the needs of the child, each teacher is required to evaluate the children’s progress three times a year and send’s the test results into the state. They evaluate the children in four areas; social, emotional, cognitive, and physical. This insures that each child is succeeding within the Creative Curriculum. The goal of Creative Curriculum is to make sure the children become more independent and self-confident with their ideas and interests. At the end of the school year, the teacher’s hope is the children have progressed in all four areas and are ready to move to the next classroom/teacher.
Multiage grouping is based on the idea that children learn best through integrated classrooms. Children of different ages and grade levels are all placed in the same classroom to learn together. Although, children develop at different rates, times, and ways they all should benefit from one another. The younger children look up to the older children in many ways. For example the younger children feel compelled to meet the standards of the older children’s level of capability. The younger children are at an age where influences play a big role in their everyday lives. Looking back on my own childhood, I remember how much my sister and brother looked up to me. They wanted to play the same sports I did, eat the same things I did, and hangout with my friends. But no matter the age, all children ever want is for someone to tell them they are special and they can achieve whatever they set their mind to. The older children also benefit from this type of curriculum as well. By being positive role models to the younger children, they spread their knowledge and experiences to guide the younger children. Another, benefit of Multiage grouping is that the children get the chance to grow and flourish with the same teacher for more than one year. This technique is called looping. Having the teachers remain with the children for more than one year creates a level of trust between the teacher and the child. Therefore, creating a curriculum for the class becomes much easier. The teacher’s job is to come up with a curriculum that stimulates every child’s needs. Each lesson comes with a specific set of directions but the children can experiment within those instructions. The children are allowed to work together and share ideas. For example if they are doing a lesson on rockets the younger children might have to draw a rocket but the older children might be asked to draw and build one. However, if the children want to further their interests with rockets then the teacher encourages them to do so with each other. In the end Multiage grouping allows the children to continue their education from one year to the next. Instead of passing the children to the next grade level their education just continues. Although, both curriculums have different philosophies of learning, they are quite similar in many ways. The two curriculums believe that the teachers, parents, and children should work together to create one common goal for the children. Both curriculums want to create the best possible environment for their child to succeed later on in life. For example teaching the children to share, take turns, or listen to other classmate’s ideas. I had a child come up to me just the other day and said thank you for helping me with math. It just melted my heart knowing I made that kind of impact on a child’s life.
Both curriculums believe that every child’s learning progresses at their own rate. As teacher they need to allow the children to explore their limits and not push them too far. Some children just learn their ABC’s faster, while others are better at art. The children can progress in a variety of way; through individual work, partner work, or group work. The bottom line is that the teachers just need to continue to encourage the children and eventually they will progress.
. It is often said that both curriculum styles create less behavioral issues in the classroom because of the trust and the level of security the child feels within the classroom. By creating a positive environment for the children, it allows the teacher to focus more on the curriculum. If for some reason the teacher should run into a behavioral issue they have a better understanding of the child’s needs and are better equip to handle the situation.
I believe when choosing a curriculum for your child you need to evaluate which one fit’s your child the best, whether it is Creative Curriculum or Multiage Grouping. Each one has different philosophies, but the common goal will always remind the children. Remember to have the children’s best interest at heart when planning a curriculum.