Planning Learning Experiences for Infants

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Planning Learning Experiences for Infants
Toddlers
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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.

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Curriculum for Infants Toddlers

• The process of educaring with infants toddlers
  looks like this

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Curriculum for Infants Toddlers

• Typically, parent-teacher communication
  influences all aspects of planning,
  implementation, and assessment in significant
  ways.

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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.

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Curriculum for Infants Toddlers

• Environmentally-based
• The environment is rich with opportunities to
  explore enjoy.

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Curriculum for Infants Toddlers

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

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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.

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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)

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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

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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?

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Assessment of Learning in Infant Toddler
Programs

• The plan-do-review cycle quickly breaks down when
  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.

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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

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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. 

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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.

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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