Planning Learning Experiences for Infants & Toddlers

1. Planning Learning Experiences for Infants & Toddlers

2. Curriculum for Infants & Toddlers • Everything an infant or toddler does during the day is curriculum. • Curriculum is the content of what we teach. • Practices are the methods we use to teach the content.

3. Curriculum for Infants & Toddlers • The process of educaring with infants & toddlers looks like this:

4. Curriculum for Infants & Toddlers • Typically, parent-teacher communication influences all aspects of planning, implementation, and assessment in significant ways.

5. Curriculum for Infants & Toddlers • Effective curriculum implementation is… • Responsive and individualized • Adults continuously adjust to meet learning needs of small groups and individuals. • minutes, • hours, • days, • and weeks.

6. Curriculum for Infants & Toddlers • Environmentally-based • The environment is rich with opportunities to explore & enjoy.

7. Curriculum for Infants & Toddlers • Flexible and open-ended • Planning quickly changes as needs change. • Materials allow for choices & unique learning experiences.

8. Curriculum for Infants & Toddlers • Relationship-based • The learning is only as good as the relationship between adult and child. • Utilizes primary care, small groups, and continuity of care to maintain relationships.

9. Planning Simple Learning Activities Based on Characteristics • Identify a characteristic or emerging interest of the child. • The newborn is adjusting to life outside of the womb. • Think about the general needs of the child related to this characteristic. • warmth (unable to adequately regulate own body temperature) • love and nurturing (trust vs. mistrust)

10. Planning Simple Learning Activities Based on Characteristics • Brainstorm some general activities that you can do with the child. • Wrap Baby warmly • Hold closely • Handle slowly • Snuggle with Baby

11. Planning Simple Learning Activities Based on Characteristics • Brainstorm some general activities. Decide on a specific activity. Plan it. • Swaddle the Baby • In a group setting you would develop an activity plan. • Reflect on how the activity went. • Were Baby's needs met by my activity? • What might I do differently next time?

12. Assessment of Learning in Infant & Toddler Programs • The plan-do-review cycle quickly breaks downwhen adults ignore the importance of assessment. • Activities become less relevant and more and more inappropriate to the individual children.  • Sometimes, if an adult uses quality resources the activities are age-appropriate but not individually-appropriate.

13. Assessment of Learning in Infant & Toddler Programs • There are three types of assessment. • Assessment of individual activities & learning • Assessment of children and their development • Assessment of curriculum or program effectiveness

14. Assessment of Individual Activities & Learning • Adults determine if their goals for learning were accomplished at the end of an activity.  • Adults adjust future activities. • Adults can also determine the emerging interests of the children. • A typical tool is anecdotal observations. 

15. Assessment of Children & their Development • Monitoring development… • helps determine whether intervention is needed • helps the adult in planning appropriate activities and experiences • Typical tools include: • developmental checklists • informal & formal discussions with others who know child • observations.

16. Assessment of Curriculum or Program Effectiveness • Does the curriculum do what it is intended to do? • Programs should be formally evaluated annually • Outside professionals • Formal assessment tools