Term Definition

Developmentally appropriate practice

developmentally appropriate The use of curriculum that is appropriate for the ages of
practice children and their individual rates of growth and learning styles;
and relevant to their social and cultural backgrounds

age-appropriateness Based on the normal development of children within the age

span

individual appropriateness Responsive to each child’s rate of growth and learning styles;
with respect for each individual child

social and cultural Taking into consideration the meaningfulness and relevance of
appropriateness learning activities to all children from multicultural backgrounds

Early childhood curriculum and components

curriculum The total set of experiences and activities, both planned and
unplanned, that support and guide children’s learning

content The subject matter that is taught; what children should learn

process How and when learning takes place, the choice of activities
and how they integrate with each other

context Why activities are chosen, based on philosophies, goals,

backgrounds, families and communities.

teacher A person who creates curriculum, plans, and provides for

activities and materials.

Approaches to curriculum planning

preplanned curriculum A curriculum that is already developed and made available to
teachers for implementation

content- and process-centered A popular approach to curriculum planning; learning is seen as

approach a constant process of exploring and questioning the
environment

Factors to consider when planning curriculum

measurable Able to be assessed and reported in specific terms

outcome A desired result for children to achieve after learning

experiences

objective A statement of intended outcomes for students in learning

activities

levels of thinking Rankings of cognitive processes according to nature of

thinking and degree of complexity; originated with Bloom’s
Taxonomy; recently updated in Anderson’s Revised Bloom’s
Taxonomy

Term Definition

Factors to consider when planning curriculum, continued

balance of learning Activities that support all domains of development, structured and
activities unstructured, indoor and outdoor, and active and quiet

attention span The length of time a child can spend on the same activity

Learning styles

field-sensitive Children who like to work with others, assist and follow models
field-independent Children who are independent and like to be first and try new activities

visual learner One who depends a great deal on the sense of sight for learning

auditory learner One who learns best through hearing

Multiple Intelligences

multiple Many, more than one

intelligence A way of being “smart,” a category of talent or ability

bodily-kinesthetic The ability to use the body or body parts

interpersonal The ability to understand and relate with other people

naturalist The ability to see differences between living things

musical The ability to think in music, recognize and remember patterns

intrapersonal The ability to understand oneself, one’s strengths and limitations

linguistic The ability to use language to express and understand messages

logical-mathematical The ability to understand systems and manipulate numbers

spatial The ability to comprehend the world of space