Curriculum
The curriculum encompasses all aspects of learning and ensures the development of skills, content knowledge, and learning dispositions. The aim of the curriculum is to create “effective contributors, responsible citizens, successful learners and confident individuals” (Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence, Education Scotland and Scottish Government)
At Early Level, the curriculum must:
- Be created within the setting, taking into account the children and families wants and needs.
- Reflect the context of the setting and the local community.
- Align with the setting’s vision, values and aims.
- Be guided by the Curriculum for Excellence documentation.
- Be flexible and strike a balance between planned and responsive experiences.
Realising the Ambition (Education Scotland, 2020) states,
“Children learn and develop at different rates personal to themselves. They are continually trying to make sense of the world around them. Children learn best when they are active, busy learners. It could be said that they are learning all of the time from all of their experiences.
In essence, this is their curriculum.
On the other hand, the curriculum is also about what the practitioner wants children to learn within a warm, caring, nurturing environment – the intentional promotion of experiences and interactions which are important for young children to learn.” (p. 62)
