Early years learning and development framework -- the emergent curriculum
The National and the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework have five learning outcomes:
- Identity
- Community
- Wellbeing
- Learning
- Communication
At Fawkner Park Children’s Centre we evaluate our programs against these five learning outcomes in the National and the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework and modify it to cater for the children’s current level of skills and interests.
An emergent curriculum is one which develops from exploring what is “socially relevant, intellectually engaging and personally meaningful to children” – that is, the curriculum emerges from responses to children’s immediate interests.
Goals of the emergent curriculum are to:
- Inspire delight, curiosity, celebration and inquiry
- Build intrinsic motivation and a long-term love of learning in children
- Help children craft an internal compass to guide them as a learner, rather than relying on instruction and direction from others
- Inspire children to be authors, inventors, illustrators, designers, dancers, singers, actors etc and to celebrate their unique talents and abilities
- Encourage consistent self-reflection and professional growth among teachers so they may always improve the quality of experiences
- Allow the natural pace of individual and group learning to emerge and not be guided exclusively by the clock
- Recognise that critical learning takes place during conflict, negotiation, brainstorming and resolution
- Support the varied learning styles (visual, auditory, sensory, verbal etc) in ways that are also aware of gender differences
- Practice supportive social learning rather than punishment.