What is an Emergent Curriculum?
Through my studies I have discovered that the term emergent curriculum has not been fully understood by all and it comes with many misconceptions; the biggest one being that an emergent curriculum is a free for all, with no real plan in sight. This is far from the truth.
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An emergent curriculum is extremely intentional in nature and takes the creativity and trust of the educator to develop the learning environment to reflect the interests and curiosities of their students. The emergent curriculum which is inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, is based on the children and it involves a variety of learning experiences that awaken the interests and wonders that are inside each child (Aslan, 2018). Within the emergent curriculum approach, teaching becomes a two-way relationship between the teacher and student, who construct and discover meaning together, enabling both teacher and student to learn from each other and guide the students’ curiosities. In an emergent curriculum classroom, teachers are identifying and highlighting our students’ curiosities and schemas in a serious manner as they are recognized as capable citizens contributing to our society.
As Sampson and McLean (2021) mention in their article, teachers of an emergent curriculum view their students as creators of culture, where the environment is the third teacher, and as educators, we guide behavior and inspire creative thought. As each student is unique in their abilities and interests, the emergent curriculum approach requires teachers to discard “the rules” and use our own judgement to guide our teaching practice (Biermeier, 2015).
There are three important aspects of teaching in an emergent curriculum:
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Believing the child is capable of learning.
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Being flexible to ensure we are enabling children to meet their needs and to make important explorations (Sampson and McLean, 2021).
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The power of observations and documentation
Overall, the emergent curriculum materializes from the mind and interests of our students and is intensified by the experiences laid out by the teachers (Aslan, 2018).
References
Aslan, O.M. (2018). From an academician’s preschool diary: Emergent curriculum and its practices in a qualified example of laboratory preschool. Journal of Curriculum and Teaching, 7(1), 97-110. https://doi.org/10.5430/jct.v7n1p97
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Biermeier, M.A. (2015). Inspired by Reggio Emilia: Emergent curriculum in relationship-driven learning environments. YC Young Children, 70(5), 72-79.
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Sampson, M. & McLean, C. (2021). Shifting from a rules-based culture to a negotiated one in emergent curriculum. Journal of Childhood Studies, 46(1), 34-50. https://doi.org/10.18357/jcs00202119744