Betül S. @ MAKALESKOP
Describe your favorite curriculum approach. How universally accessible and culturally relevant is the curriculum and instruction?
While choosing my curriculum approach the most important thing that I take into consideration is how that approach responsive to developmentally appropriate practices and whether that approach is based on principles which are specified in DAP. According to DAP, there are 3 sources of knowledge which are needed to focus while implementing developmentally appropriate practice which are developmental appropriateness, individual appropriateness and social and cultural appropriates. That is to say, while planning a program you need to aware of developmental milestones of child development, and prepare age-appropriate practices. Then you need to know each child’s needs, interest areas, characteristics, strengths, and areas that are needed to be developed. And last but not the least you need to take into consideration social and cultural context that the children live in and are affected from. You need to know the family background and family characteristics of children in your school to prepare the best learning environment for that group. Based on all these factors, I would built my education approach mainly on High-Scope. I would integrate integrated curriculum and emergent curriculum & project approach into practice.
High-Scope Approach; it is one of my favorite curriculum approach because of various perspectives. One of the main reason for that is high-scope approach is a product of research base educational study. It is developed with the help of professionals from different disciplines and teachers in the field. Piaget’s theory which focuses on human development and its stages and Vygotsky’s Socio-cultural theory of development which highlights the individual development with the help of scaffolding and cultural and contextual factors that affect the development keep important place in the formation process of High-Scope approach. Based on the developments and advancements in the field of education and other disciplines related to human development, psychology and learning this curriculum approach always upgrades. And because of its clear and flexible structure, it can easily be adapted to any context and culture. Therefore, after it was first successfully implemented in Perry Preschool in Mississippi, it spreaded all around the world and many schools from different countries implemented and continue to implement High -Scope curriculum by adopting it into their context. I believe that its success in universality is because of its scientific base which is reflection of common characteristics of human development by regarding cultural context, and its cultural relevance comes from its flexible structure which do not put strict framework for implementation. One of the factors that show adaptability of High-scope is it is not based on specific handbook for teacher that list the activities and there is course book, no papers and specific materials and special toys in High- Scope in contrary some other curriculum approaches. You can use any material for learning, it can be waste, can, paper, leaf, rock or anything. Because success of this curriculum is not based on materials and textbooks but its approach. It is an curriculum approach first implemented with children who were from disadvantaged background and likely to have school difficulties and with that group it proved its success. What can be interpreted from here is it welcomes anyone, it gives space teacher, children, and families by including all. It is an approach which give importance to children’s choice, decision, implementation and expression.
In addition to High scope I would also take advantage of emergent curriculum and project approach since in those approaches children’s interest, active participation and also context constitute an important role. Emergent curriculum and project approach can be used as important tools that give shape to cultural responsiveness of a curriculum approach. Since intentionally or unintentionally children’s interest, learning areas are affected from the context they are a part of, they can work on projects that reflect their background and work areas & businesses in that context , live conditions and so on.
Makaleskop 