Peggy Riehl. My Favorite Curriculum Quotes
"If children are excited, curious, resourceful, and
confident about their ability to figure things out and
eager to exchange opinions with other adults and children, they are bound to go on learning, particularly when they are out of the classroom and throughout the rest of their lives."
Constance Kamii in The Primary Program: Growing and Learning in the Heartland
"Within the perspective of 'development as long as development is possible' as our long- range goal, I conceptualize the following three objectives for early education:
- In relation to adults, we would like children to develop their autonomy through secure relationships in which adult power is reduced as much as possible.
- In relation to peers, we would like children to develop their ability to decenter and coordinate different points of view.
- In relation to learning, we would like children to be alert, curious, critical, and confident in their ability to figure things out and say what they honestly think.
We would also like them to have initiative; come up with interesting ideas, problems, and questions; and put things into relationships."
Constance Kamii in Group Games in Early Education: Implications of Piaget's Theory
"It is not the manipulation of objects in itself that is
important for children's learning. What is important is the mental
action that is encouraged when children act on objects themselves.
Children's mental action can be enhanced or hindered
by the social context of the classroom. When the teacher holds all the power of decision making [by correcting children's work on worksheets or preparing the art materials to cut and paste], children become mentally passive because they are prevented from taking a stand, exchanging points of view, and living with the consequences of their own decisions.
Young children cannot think very well when they sit silently. However, movement, manipulation, and noise in themselves are not necessarily educational. The teacher who stops using worksheets is taking a step in the right direction, but this is only the first step. We must replace the worksheets with an environment that offers ample opportunities for children to think as they manipulate objects."
Connie Williams and Constance Kamii in "How do young children learn by handling objects?" Young Children, Volume 42, Number 1, 1986.
"Teaching young children is a creative process. ...
Early childhood teachers do not need to follow a
prescribed course of study as might someone teaching
adults a class in biology or history. Nor can teachers simply react to what happens each day, without any goals or plans in mind. Rather, early childhood teachers depend on a curriculum framework that sets forth the program's philosophy, goals, and objectives for children as well as guidelines for teaching that address all aspects of a child's development: socio-emotional, cognitive, and physical. An early childhood curriculum provides the framework for what actually happens in a planned environment where children interact with materials, their peers, and adults. The primary teaching goal is to help young children use the environment productively and see themselves as capable learners — as individuals who are developing the skills and understandings that will enable them to make sense of the world and to succeed in it."
Diane Trister Dodge & Laura J. Colker in Creative Curriculum
"Through active learning — having direct and immediate experiences
and deriving meaning from those experiences through reflection — young
children construct knowledge that helps them make sense of their world.
The High/Scope preschool approach has encouraged
children to develop initiative. Through the daily
plan-do-review process, children express their
intentions, carry them out, and then reflect on what
they have done. As active learners, children develop
their own interests, generate ways to answer their questions, and share their discoveries with others. Supported by adults who are genuinely interested in what they say and do, children are able to construct their own understanding of the world around them and gain a sense of control and personal satisfaction. The High/Scope Curriculum works because it empowers children to follow through on their interests purposefully and creatively. In the process, children develop initiative, interest, curiosity, resourcefulness, independence, and responsibility — habits of mind that will serve them well throughout their lives."
Mary Hohmann and David P. Weikart in Educating Young Children
"Curriculum means a written plan that includes:
The goals for children's development and learning;
The experiences through which they will achieve these goals;
What staff and parents do to help children achieve these goals; and
The materials needed to support the implementation of the curriculum."
Head Start Program Performance Standards
Compiled by Peggy Riehl
e-mail: peggyriehl@sprintmail.com
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