Curriculum
The Transportation Children’s Center has implemented the Teaching Strategies program which is in line with our philosophy and goals. Teaching Strategies is based on research on how children learn and child development theories of Piaget, Maslow, Erikson, and Smilansky. There are 21 toddler goals and objectives and 50 preschool goals and objectives divided into four areas of development, which include social/emotional, physical, cognitive, and language. Each goal and objective is broken down into developmental steps.
The foundation of the creative curriculum program includes:
· Importance of play (making learning fun)
· Children learn from each other (better social skills, better achievement in
school)
· Importance of responsive and nurturing relationships between adults and
children (the teacher’s role is vital in connecting content to learning)
· Partnerships with families are essential
· Assessment and curriculum are interdependent on each other and must be linked
In implementing the Teaching Strategies program, TCC further developed interest areas in the classrooms which incorporate a hands-on approach to learning and discovering. The classrooms offer a variety of activities and materials that encourage manipulating, experimenting, and problem solving. The children are encouraged to use materials responsibly. Their social interactions are guided so they learn to respect people both in and out of the classroom setting. The teacher’s role is to motivate and stimulate thinking and recognize the individual learning styles and social and emotional needs of each child.
We continue to include teacher-directed activities in the classrooms and maintain a structured program which offers children a predictable routine. However, in setting up the Teaching Strategies environment, the children have more choices in each interest area and teachers have more time to work with the children in small groups. This also offers a better opportunity for the teachers to make observations, which assist them in completing assessments and planning the curriculum based on the children’s overall development.
Once again, emphasis is placed on home and school working together to support the child’s learning. Parents can reinforce what their children are learning at school by playing with them, talking with them, and reading with them. Ongoing communication exchanged between the teacher and parent fosters optimal development in the child.
