What does it really mean to develop and have a curriculum in early childhood education? Where does self-regulation and executive functioning come into play? Come and take a look!

1. Planning & Building
The Early Childhood Teacher as Curriculum Constructor
Lutheran Educator’s Conference
PSW District LCMS – November 2014
Drew D. Gerdes

2. So…You Are A Teacher…
What does this mean? 
What does this involve?
Who do you teach?

3. How Often Have You Heard…
“What is your
curriculum?”
Do they really know
what this means
when they ask?

4. What’s Your Answer?

5. Curriculum
Spend a few
moments with
neighbors sharing
what you feel
“curriculum means”.
Be prepared to share
with the whole group!

6. Familiar?

7. Why?
If you utilize one of the previous
curriculum programs…WHY?
What do you like or dislike?
Is it the best choice? What would you do
if it didn’t exist?

8. Look Into A Mirror…
YOU are the biggest
factor in whether a
“curriculum” is
effective or useful.
You make a big
difference in what
happens in the
classroom!!

9. We Are Smart!
Sometimes EC folks
and ELE folks “bonk
heads” when it comes
to curriculum.
Curricular Areas

10. A System
“Curriculum” is really a system – a set of
critical elements:
Curriculum
Child Assessment
Program Evaluation

11. What Is It?
Curriculum…
A complex idea
containing multiple
components, such as
content, pedagogy,
goals, and
instructional
practices.
Influenced by…
Society values,
content standards,
accountability
systems, research
findings, culture and
language, individual
children’s
characteristics.

12. Comprehensive…
Social and emotional
competence
Positive approaches
to learning
Includes cultural and
linguistic continuity
Curriculum that is
goal-oriented and
incorporates concepts
based on current
research fosters
children’s learning
and development.
How is this done?

13. So…What Should I Do?
Basically, we should
ask…
“What should children
learn through the
curricular experiences
I share in my
classroom?”
Well…it depends…

14. Standards - Goals
Age-level learning
goals or standards
Take a look at what
they are…
What do you already
do in your classroom
that achieves this
goal?

15. You And I Are Different
We all have unique gifts and talents.

16. What Does Webster Say?
Curriculum is a
noun…it’s a thing!!
The subjects
comprising a course
of study.
Something you do!!!

17. Do you have?
Files filled with themes you use in the
classroom
Books, books, and more books – that you
read
Books that you use to find ideas and
activities
Things, things, and more things

18. Do You…
Open up your file
each year and do the
same thing?
Use your file as a
guide and determine
what to use based on
the needs of your
students?

19. So Much!
There really is so
much to consider
when thinking about
“curriculum” and how
it connects to what is
happening in the
classroom.
Teacher vs. Student

20. Curriculum Guide
Specifically shares what you intend to teach.
Allows for accountability.
Include state standards – and how you will
follow through with them.
Don’t forget to include teaching the faith!

21. Curriculum Guide Areas

22. High-Stakes Teaching
For many children,
the academic part of
school is fairly easy
and will be learned
over time.
What is difficult is
everything else a
child needs to be
successful in life.
Self-Regulation
Inhibitory Control
Executive Functioning
Emotional Intelligence
Resiliency
Social Skills

23. Freedom Within Boundaries
How the curriculum is
implemented – the
exact activities that
are done in the
classroom – are really
up to the teacher!
Remember the
mirror?

24. Effectiveness
Are children active
and engaged?
How are the children
involved that will help
them develop positive
attitudes toward
learning?

25. Effectiveness
Are goals clear and
shared by all?
Do all stakeholders
share and understand
the same goals?
Are strategies and
activities coherent?

26. Effectiveness
Is the curriculum
organized around
principles of child
development and
learning?
Developmentally
Appropriate
Practices

27. Effectiveness
Is content learned
through
investigation, play,
and focused,
intentional
teaching?
Prove it!
What can you provide
as evidence?

28. Effectiveness
Does teaching build
on prior learning
and experiences?
Home
Community
Culture
Language

29. Effectiveness
Is the curriculum
comprehensive?
Well-being
Motor development
Social-emotional
Subject matter
FAITH!!! 
(more areas later)

30. Effectiveness
Are professional
standards used to
validate subject
matter?
How has it been
determined that
students should learn
this?

31. Effectiveness
When implemented,
will this really
benefit children?
Will there be a wide
range of benefits?
How can you
determine these
benefits?

32. Assessment
A high-quality curriculum also includes
assessment.
It’s not just formal testing!
Observation, documentation of children’s
work, checklists, rating scales, portfolios,
etc.

33. Screenings
Early identification
and intervention for
children with or at risk
for disabilities can
significantly affect
outcomes.
Vision
School readiness

34. What Else?
Do you ever feel curriculum takes over your
time, your teaching, and your classroom?
It is important!
But…is there anything else that should be
included in the day-to-day interactions you
have with children?

35. What Do You Think?
Many people think:
IQ
FQ/SQ
EQ
But, really, it should
be:
FQ/SQ
EQ
IQ
(At least in my world
)

36. Social/Emotional Intelligence
Unfortunately, a
curriculum will not
always necessarily
focus on really what is
needed in the
Social/Emotional
Intelligence area.
It’s all UP TO YOU!!!

37. Self-Regulation
Children’s ability to focus their attention,
manage their thoughts and emotions, and inhibit
some behaviors in favor of others.
Kindergarten students who exhibit better self-regulation
do better in academic subject areas.
Higher levels of self-regulation are related to
less deviant behavior.

38. Self-Regulation
Higher levels of SR
forecast higher peer
relationship quality in
middle and high school.
SR is critical for children
to become engaged in
academics, social
interactions, and
contexts that support
future development.

39. Self-Regulation
Relationships
between kids and
parents…
A child’s self-regulatory
ability
influences the
frequency and
manner of parent
interactions with
children.

40. What Can A Teacher Do?
Organize classroom
environments as a
means of managing
behavior.
Incorporate
instructional
strategies that are
interesting and
engaging.
Cultivate extremely
strong relationships
between teacher-child
and child-peers.
EFFECTIVE
INTERACTIONS ARE
MORE
INFLUENTIAL!

41. Teacher Role & Student
Success
When children are
offered age-appropriate
situations
to be self-reliant and
are taught routines in
the classroom early,
they show less
dependency on the
teacher.

42. Teacher Role & Student
Success
Self-regulation is
more likely to be
learned and exhibited
in a positive
classroom
environment where
there is little conflict, a
high degree of
closeness and
support, and little
dependency.

43. Teacher Roles For
Student Success
High-quality instruction involves
microadaptations of TEACHER BEHAVIOR
to meet the needs of individuals students.

44. It’s Up To You!
Progress requires
enhancing the quality
of adult interactions
so that they are better
able to meet the
social, emotional, and
instructional needs of
young children.

45. Got A Headache Yet?
“How will I ever be
able to do all this?”
LESS IS MORE!!!
Remember…
FQ/SQ
EQ
IQ
Are you “in balance”?

46. Vygotsky
The role of the teacher is much more than
teaching facts and skills – teachers shape a
child’s development by helping them acquire
the mental tools needed for their culture and
environment.
Child Development + Education =
AMPLIFICATION

47. The “NEW” Curriculum
You likely have a good
sense of “what” should
be done in a classroom
regarding education.
You likely know about
child development.
This all needs to be
molded together!!!!
Research is just now
really telling us what
the best early learning
environments look
like!
We won’t ever have
the final answer –
but’s an adventure-filled
journey!

48. Executive Functioning
Processes of holding
information in mind
Inhibiting automatic
responses to
stimulation
Flexibility
Shifting attention
between tasks

49. P…L…A…Y…!!!!!!!!
Play is one of the most critical and crucial
components of early childhood education,
yet it is being taken away and replaced with
components of education that are too
advanced for young children.

50. Play
Play should the leading
activity of early
childhood students.
Primary grades –
intentional learning is
the leading activity.
Too much “push down”!

51. Discrepancy
There is a big
discrepancy between
what we say we
should teach and
what we actually do in
the classroom.
Mature play
HOW CAN YOU DO
YOUR BEST?
Less is more…

52. Action Plan
What Can You Do?
1. Look at your
Curriculum Guide
– or find one!
2. Are you
accomplishing
what it says?
3. How so?
What else are you
doing to make sure
your students have
the opportunity to be
successful in
school/life?

53. Contact Me!
Questions? Insights? Want to share?
Drew D. Gerdes
Messiah Lutheran School
Weldon Spring, Missouri
dgerdes@messiahnetwork.org
Twitter: @ddgerdes
Facebook: EducationEase