Curriculum in Early Childhood Education: A Cross-cultural View

CARE researchers were invited to present the symposium “Curriculum in Early Childhood Education: A Cross-cultural View” at the 3rd Biennial EARLI SIG 5 Conference, August 25-27, 2014, in Jyväskylä, Finland.

Info about event

Time

Monday 25 August 2014, at 00:00 - Wednesday 27 August 2014, at 00:00

Location

Jyväskylä, Finland

Organizers

Kathy Sylva, University of Oxford, UK & Marja-Kristiina Lerkkanen, University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Chair

Maritta Hännikäinen, University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Discussant

Paul Leseman, University of Utrecht, the Netherlands

Individual presentations:

  • Regularities and variabilities. Curriculum dilemmas by Susanna Mantovani, University of Milan-Bicocca, Italy
  • Two examples of ECEC curriculum – UK and Norway by Katharina Ereky-Stevens, University of Oxford, UK; Ana-Maria Aricescu, University of Oxford, UK; and Thomas Moser, Vestfold University College, Norway
  • Overview of European ECEC curricula – a template for comparison and future directions by Kathy Sylva, University of Oxford, UK

ABSTRACT

CARE stands for ‘Curriculum Quality Analysis and Impact Review of European ECEC’ which is a collaborative research project under the EU Framework 7. One of its remits is to consider ECEC Curriculum across Europe and develop an analytic framework for comparison and contrast. This paper describes a structural template which allows comparisons and analyses of key characteristics of curriculum and pedagogical approaches in ECEC across Europe. The template will illustrate each country’s approach to ECEC in a number of content areas, including: (a) the history of the curriculum, (b) differences in terms of the age range it addresses or the implementing institution or region, (c) philosophical or pedagogical traditions underpinning the curriculum, (d) pedagogies referred to developmental and educational goals, and the content of the curriculum, of experience or development that are specified, (e) links to notions of quality, and teacher education and training regarding the curriculum, (f) the ways the curriculum refers/relates to: the rights of the child, minority/immigrant groups, special needs/children at risk, and educational partnerships with parents and other stakeholders, (g) key features of implementation, (h) the ways in which it links to the primary curriculum, (i) evidence for effectiveness.  Conclusions will focus on commonalities and differences across countries, describe directions in which European curricular frameworks are currently moving and challenges most countries are facing.

There will be three symposia presenting work of CARE partners on quality of ECEC and on self-regulation development in ECEC. Come check us out!