Vision Statement
We develop educational leaders who create tomorrow's opportunities in a globally engaged society.
Mission Statement
The Yuma Branch Campus of Northern Arizona University provides opportunities in higher
education for the diverse and growing communities of the Lower Colorado River Region and
other populations we serve. It is the mission of the Education Department to prepare competent
and committed professionals who will make positive differences for children. We support the
mission of NAU-Yuma by preparing citizens who understand and value diversity, environmental
sustainability, and global engagement
EDU 312 Curriculum and Assessment in Early Childhood Education
Fall 2015
(3 credit hours)
Instructor: Susan Stutler, Ph.D.
Office: AC 229
Office Hours: T, W, Th 1:00 – 3:45 p.m.
.
I. Course prerequisites: Acceptance into BSED Elementary Education - Yuma, BAS Early
Childhood, or B Interdisciplinary Studies – Early Childhood
II. Course description:
Students will examine comprehensive systems of curriculum, instruction and assessment guided by
theories of development in early childhood; consider how curriculum and assessment must be
thoughtfully planned to challenge, engage, and support the diverse learning characteristics of
young children, as well as culturally and linguistically responsive in order to promote positive
outcomes that include opportunities to explore their world, make meaningful connections, and
build critical and creative thinking skills and self esteem. Students will link curriculum and
instruction to a set of core developmental principles that support children as individuals with
unique learning strengths and needs, and as members of families, cultures, and communities.
Students will analyze assessments for reliability, validity, and appropriateness in order to make
assessment a central part of early learning, and become familiar with different types of assessment
to make decisions about the effectiveness of instruction and the usefulness of curricular materials.
The course is aligned to AZ Early Learning and Elementary Standards, to NAEYC standards, and
to InTASC.
III. Student Learning Expectations/Outcomes:
A. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the history of early childhood education to
compare and evaluate major approaches to curriculum development, design and delivery.
7:2 --- 2 d, g
B. Demonstrate knowledge and use of theories of child development and learning in order to
build understandings of the ways in which children explore their world, construct
knowledge, and express themselves. 1b, e, f, h, i; 2 a, d, g; 4 c; 7 i
C. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of growth and development in the cognitive,
emotional, communicative, physical, and adaptive domains of learning in order to construct
developmentally appropriate learning experiences for children grades Pre-K through 3 that
engage, support, challenge and respect. 3:1, 8:4 --- 2 h, i, j; 3 p; 4 b; 7 a, b, c, j, n; 8 j, k
D. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of multiple teaching strategies to support
children’s construction of concepts and skills in the areas of language and literacy, science,
math, social studies, and the arts through explorations that are integrated and authentic and
that foster inquiry & exploration, questioning & meaning-making. 3a, b, c, e, h; 5 a, b, j, g;
7 g, h; 8 a, d, e, h
E. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the pedagogies of early learning, i.e.; how
patterns of growth and child development, teaching methods and strategies, and deep
subject matter knowledge, combine to inform instructional planning to implement
experiences that promote connection building, complex thinking, problem-solving, flexible
thinking, and persistence. 3:1 --- 4 j, k, o, r; 5 a, b,; 8 d, l
F. Demonstrate knowledge, understanding of multiple strategies for assessing student learning
including careful observation and documentation to make assessment a central part of
learning experiences by using data-based decisions to differentiate the curriculum in ways
that match learning characteristics and to involve the learner in the assessment of his or her
own learning. 3 i, j; 6 a, d, e, f, g, j; 7 d, f; 8 b
G. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of indoor and outdoor learning environments in
order to design and utilize space to support and nurture curiosity, exploration, autonomy
and critical thinking via student-centered learning progressions. 1:8, 2:6, 2:9, 3:1, 8:7 – 3a,
k, l, m, n, o
H. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding that children grow and learn as unique
individuals in families, cultures & communities in order to provide curricular experiences
that are responsive, respectful and inclusive, and in order to communicate and collaborate
with families to optimally support the development of each child. 3 q; 9 a, b, c, d; 10 b, d, e
IV. Course structure/approach:
The instructor will utilize a variety of strategies to involve students in meaningful
investigations of pedagogies relevant to early childhood educators. Class will consist of
lecture and discussion, cooperative and collaborative inquiries, and authentic learning
experiences. Students will examine curricular practices and use understanding of early
education methods to build developmentally appropriate learning experiences for children
grades Pre-K through three. Students will be introduced to the idea of teacher as researcher
through the investigation of issues in early education, a review of research on the topic, and
the development of classroom interventions.
V. Textbook and required materials:
Krogh, S. & Morehouse, P. (2010). The early childhood curriculum: Inquiry learning
through integration. NY: McGraw Hill.
Naughton, G. & Hugues, P. (2011). Doing action research in early childhood studies: A step
by step guide. NY: McGraw Hill.
Students are to download and print a copy of the AZ Early Learning Standards:
http://www.ade.state.az.us/earlychildhood/downloads/EarlyLearningStandards.pdf
VI. Course Outline:
Week 1: Introduction. The history of education in early childhood. Students will begin
construction of an educational timeline to illustrate historical events, and movement in the
field of education. Controversies in early childhood education. Action Research in Early
Education.
Week 2: Theories and theorists that impact early education and curriculum development: Piaget,
Vygotsky, Montessori, Ericson, Dewey & Bruner. Patterns of development and learning.
Action research in early education. Emotional development.
Week 3: The domains of learning: Cognitive development, language and literacy development,
and physical development. Constructivist views of learning and constructivism in early
childhood education. If children learn by constructing knowledge and understandings of
their world, then why do we see so much direct instruction and teaching skills out of
context? Interventions as Action Research.
Week 4: The Waldorf schools and Reggio Emilia. Child-centered curriculum and
developmentally appropriate practice (DAP). Standards in early education: AZ Early
Learning Standards, NAEYC, & Common Core in early grades. Essential elements of
instruction, lesson design, curriculum mapping.
Week 5: Meet in Teacher Resource Center to examine and evaluate different curricula: High
Scope, The Creative Curriculum, and others. Compare the goals and objectives. Analyze the
“rationales”. Which theories are the curricula based upon? Are they supported? If so, how?
Week 6: Teaching strategies to support emergent learning. Authentic, integrated learning, project
and problem-based, student-initiated learning. Big ideas and concept development including
art, music, movement. Dewey and experiential curriculum.
Week 7: Diversity, learning styles and multiple intelligences. Characteristics and needs of young
learners. Opportunities to foster autonomy, initiative, and industry in the curriculum. Math,
Social Studies and Science in ECE.
Week 8: Curriculum mapping, unpacking the standards. Philosophy of Curriculum, Instruction,
& Assessment draft turned in for critical feedback.
Week 9: AZAEYC Conference and visits to Reggio Inspired Pre-K – 3 classes in Tucson.
Week 10: Assessment and evaluation in early education. Purposes, types, and methods of
assessment. Observation, listening, documentation, authentic assessments. Normed
referenced and criterion referenced testing.
Week 11: Indoor and outdoor learning environments to support growth and development in ece.
Week 12: The Children’s Garden – Frobel and kindergarten. Bronfenbrenner and the Ecological
Systems Theory. Guest panel: local kindergarten teachers.
Week 13: Creativity, higher-level thinking, problem solving in early childhood education.
Emergent curriculum. Routines vs. flexible scheduling. Philosophy 2nd draft turned in for
critical feedback. Action Research Proposal due.
Week 14: Class meeting at AWC Early Child Development Lab. Submit Significant Unit of
Instruction on-line.
Week 15: Action Research sharing in groups for review and feedback. Turn in Philosophy final
copy.
Week 16: Significant Unit of Instruction & Action Research Proposal Presentations.
VII. Assessment of Learning Outcomes
Students will:
A. Participate in all class discussions, activities, field experiences
30 pts.
B. Develop and maintain a professional reflective journal. Journal will be turned in
four times over the semester.
30 pts.
C. Develop and write philosophy of early childhood curriculum & assessment.
60 pts.
D. Based upon a curricular issue, develop a proposal to do Action Research in early
childhood education. Proposal will include a Review of the Literature and the
construction of a curricular intervention for implementation in a classroom grades
Pre-K through three. Plan will include description of data sources. Intervention may
be included in unit of instruction (see below)
100 pts.
E. Design an integrated project-based unit of instruction. This is the signature
assignment for this class. The unit will include a rationale, learning outcomes,
assessments, learning experiences, and a description of the teacher and
students’ roles. The unit will include lesson plans aligned to early learning
standards that are developmentally appropriate, integrated, differentiated, and childcentered through the use of play, constructivist practices and/or authentic
learning experiences.
100 pts.
F. Presentation of Significant Unit of Instruction and Action Research Proposal
80 pts
Total Points
VIII. Grading System:
Points
360 - 400
320 - 359
280 - 319
240 - 279
Percentage
90 -100%
80-89%
70-79%
60-69%
Grade
A
B
C
D
Northern Arizona University Policy Statements
http://nau.edu/OCLDAA/_Forms/UCC/SyllabusPolicyStmts2-2014/
400