ARTICLE

The Necessities of Having aDevelopment-orientedCurriculum for EarlyChildhood Education

Mina BadieiSeptember 2013

ABSTACT

The Article is going to discuss about one of the qualified

education curriculums which is development-oriented curriculum

and the importance of that on early childhood education.

Studies on education and psychology show that early childhood

years is the most important era of human being’s life. It was

mentioned that child intelligence development is being

accomplished during the first days of his/her life till year

six, so the first years are very critical for a child growth

and every child needs a creative experimental environment for

his/her development. Therefore, having a “qualified

education”, prepared a worthy life for them both in their

childhood and their future. A “qualified education” especially

for pre-kindergarten education here means an education which

contains children’s comprehensive and integrated development

and change.

Keywords : Early childhood, Curriculum, Education, Development

Introduction

Studies on education and psychology show that early childhood

years is the most important era of human being’s life.

(Muralidharan, 1992) points out that almost 50% of child

intelligence development is being accomplished during the first

days of his/her life till year six, so the first years are very

critical for a child growth and every child needs a creative

experimental environment for his/her development. Learning is a

natural and delightful experience for each child. During these

years of child’s learning so many thing depends on development

stages and assurance. However, there are lots of skills that a

child cannot gain automatically and needs some learning

experiments to dominant and overcome them(Clements, Sarama, &

DiBiase, 2004). further define the awareness which is achieved

by kids in primary ages of their childhood is remarkably

significant in the upcoming life that they will have, through

an excellence pre-kindergarten practice assisting to place the

groundwork for the types of abilities, and manners which kids

are anticipated to learn perfectly throughout the school years.

Mostly this fact is inevitable in the condition that kids are

grown up in poverty. Therefore paying attention to children’s

needs in these years, are so necessary. Among them is education

which is the children’s right and having a “qualified education”,

prepared a worthy life for them both in their childhood and their

future. A “qualified education” here means an education which

contains children’s comprehensive and integrated development and

change.

For having a “qualified education”, it is needed to have an

appropriate curriculum. Development-oriented curriculum is a

program that leads us to our goals if it is well performed.

Development and Growth Process

Development and growth are two different things but are

supplementary. Development and growth are the changes are

continuous and appear orderly and gradually in children. Gradual

means that changes are not formed at once but in some processes

and orderly means the changes are following a specific order and

it is different in each child.

Generally, growth is measurable such as height and weight but

development is all about quality and shows the skills and

functions (Hills, King, & Armstrong, 2007), such as language

development that contains saying sounds, words, sentences, and

comprehensions.

Development-Oriented curriculum

There are so many curriculum and programs in the area of early

childhood and preschool education and each of them are based on

their goals and theoretical concepts. One of these programs is

the “development-oriented curriculum”.

Development-oriented curriculum aims to help children to have an

integrated and comprehensive growth and development.

Comprehensive development means the physical, cognitive, social

and emotional, language and creativity development.

Theoretical principles of this curriculum are based on the views

of psychologists and educational trainers in the area of

cognitive and developmental psychology. According to these

theories, knowledge or learning are formed when a child himself,

experience and engage in activities by the time he faces an event

or a thing. As Piaget mentioned, cognitive development was a step

by step restructuring of intellectual procedures as a consequence

of physical development and situational involvement. Kids create

a picture according to their recognition of their surrounding

environment, and later on practically see differences among the

things which are previously known by them and the new experience

are learnt in their surroundings (Piaget & Cook, 1952).

The method of this curriculum is established from the direct

activities of children with no interference. It is presented in

the format of “lesson plans” as a guide for teachers and trainers

to work with children.

The Necessity of Performing a Development-Oriented Curriculum

The reasons of choosing the development-oriented curriculum are

as follows;

1. The development-oriented curriculum as it was written in the

definition deliberates the comprehensive growth and

development of children. Considering the comprehensiveness

of children’s growth and development lead to their

compatibility, balancing, and health in both physical and

mental dimensions.

2. The emphasis of this curriculum is on answering the

children’s needs in different aspects of growth and

development.

3. Learning methods in this program is based on collaborative

and active learning with distinction of a right for children

to choose according to their interests and needs, and with

emphasizing on play, experience, discovery, search, and

child’s activity.

4. Theoretical principles of this curriculum are grounded on

theories of pioneers in early childhood learning and

education. Here are some of these theories:

Pestalozzi (1746-1827) gave a very special attention to educating

children through family, play and sensory experiences, learning

through self-discovery with using experimental activities, low-

income children, and family education.

Frobel (1782-1852) emphasizing on flourishing of children’s

natural growth, respecting the individuality of each child,

playing as the basic method of learning and developing,

children’s independence and freedom in performing the programs,

and their personality difference.

Montessori (1870-1952) respected the unique individuality of each

child. She paid attention to inherent tendencies of children,

their natural needs and interest, self-reliance and independence.

Considering the discipline and freedom of children, preparing a

safe environment for learning, and educating the families to help

their children in learning process.

Piaget (1896-1980) proposed the need to know the necessities and

characteristics of children’s growth and development and their

adaption to educational programs, emphasizing on children’s

internal rythm, and considering the general pattern of growth and

development in children. He also stated to prepare an appropriate

environment for children so that they can learn themselves.

In addition to endorsement of psychology and educational

expertise, the development-oriented curriculum is accepted by

international organizations such as UNICEF and UNESCO. Also in

convention on the rights of child, in educational issues, the

comprehensive and integrated development of children is

emphasized.

Characteristics of Development-Oriented Curriculum

Development-oriented curriculum has some characteristics and here

are the most important ones:

A development-oriented curriculum considers the individual

differences and specific rhythm of the growth and

development for each child as well as considering child’s

needs in order to achieve the growth and development.

A development-oriented curriculum emphasizes on educating

and collaborating of families in children’s educating

process and it helps to increase the parent’s knowledge in

the field of children’s learning and growth.

This curriculum is not a centralized program so every

teachers and trainers can choose or create the activities

based on the facilities and circumstances that they have in

different parts of a country.

A development-oriented curriculum is focused on children and

teachers creativity. Considering the children’s interests,

accepting their right of choice and freedom of act, and its

compatibility to facilities of the school or educating

centers.

Important factors in children’s growth and development

One of the factors that can be noticeable in children’s

development and growth is the genetics; it means that all

characteristics that transfer from parents to their child can be

important. The other factor is the environment before and after

birth. The environment before birth can be the factors that

affect the child during the pregnancy of mother. And the after

birth environment includes family, kindergarten, school, society

and specially social media.

Most of psychologists believes that both factors are so effective

in human’s development, but since providing approperiate

environment specially in kindergarten, preschool, and home is the

duty of teachers and parents, therefore in education the

environment factor is more emphasized.

Developmental Skills of Children

There are different categories in various references in

categorizing the developmental skills of children. In a reference

three aspects of child’s development (physical, cognitive and

emotional) were stated (Crandell, Crandell, & Vander Zanden,

2009). In another references four aspects (social development)

and five aspects (language development), and also six aspects

(creativity development) were stated.

This paper reviews the last segmentation which contains six

aspects of child’s development.

Physical development

The procedure that begins in human early stages and carrys on

throughout the last years of pubescent is called physical

development. It includes emerging control against the body,

mainly muscles that controls movements of different parts of

human’s body. The highest point of physical development takes

place in babyhood in order to inspire particular acts like

grasping, writing, crawling, and walking it is a critical period

for intelectual nerve system progress and organizing different

parts of the body. As a kid raises, his or her nerve organism

turn out to be more developed. While occurring this development ,

the kid turn out to be gradually more and more skillful of

carrying out complex tasks. This is called motor skills or

physical development. Gerber et al (2010) pointed out the grade

of motor development was perceived as the phases of lying prone,

lifting the head, gently sloping over, sitting, standing and

walking. Physical developments remain recognized by way of

unrefined or adequate. Those skills that engage the utilization

of big body parts and muscles like those occupy for hiking or

moving the hands are called gross or unrefined motor skiils. Fine

motor abilities include sophisticated actions like the tasks that

necessitating finger dexterousness.

Cognitive Development

Cognitive development mentions the improvement of specific

essential abilities that make us capable of knowing and

recognizing the environment around us (Kaul, 1997). Kids grow a

suitable form of cognition and perception regarding the world at

the initial steps of their lifetime. (Bjorklund, 2013) mentioned

that the procedure of reasoning and understanding, named

awareness, containing: purposefulness, insight, elucidation,

organization, recalling preceding information, generating and

exploring ideas, concluding instructions, and comprehending

values, or demonstration of potentials/prospects, formation of

plans, scheme, and thoughts.

The important stages in cognitive development are:

Five senses

Senses are like widows that ease the child’s communication

to his world around. A child begins to know his world by

seeing, listening, touching, smelling, and tasting.

Memory

Memory is the ability to recognize and remember things and

situations. According to the time it has two types of short-

term and long-term. It has also divided in to different

categories: visual memory (recognizing and remembering

stimulus by seeing), audio memory (recognizing and

remembering stimulus by hearing), smelling (recognizing and

remembering stimulus by smelling), touching memory

(recognizing and remembering stimulus by touching), and

tasting memory (recognizing and remembering stimulus by

tasting).

Children are different in each of the memory types. So by

the time of training their memory, the individual

differences should be considered too.

Reasoning

Children, according to their developmental stage, address

the reasoning about the stimuli’s which they get from their

senses. For instance a 4 year old child, by placing a few

pencils with different sizes next to each other, can explain

which one is taller or which one is shorter.

Problem solving

Since children have the ability of reasoning, they can solve

tangible daily problems related to them. But it is obvious

that flourishing of this ability needs more exercise. One

the important issues in problem solving is recognizing the

relationships between things and situations which children

usually discover it by curiosity and asking questions.

Concentration

Children, based on their age, have the ability to

concentrate on an activity in a specified time.

Concentration in children is usually selective and it

depends on their interest for activity. Concentration can be

learned, and with playing and using interesting ways this

can be increased.

Understanding basic concepts

Children in early years can understand the concepts through

playing and experiencing. It is so significant for

cognitive development to understand the basic concepts

which are mathematics, science, understanding natural

environment, and social sciences.

Emotional Development

Emotions are intellectual conditions which rise instinctively,

instead of utilizing mindful determination and are frequently

convoyed by physical shifts; like thoughts and feelings. Emotions

can divided in two groups: positive or pleasant emotions such as

joy, hope, passion, safety, satisfaction, etc.; and unpleasant or

negative emotions such as fear, anger, sadness, stress, jealousy,

etc. According to (Cohen, 2005),emotional development contains

the kid’s understanding, manifestation, and organization of

feelings and the capability to create confident and worthwhile

interactions among other people. It comprehends together intra-

and interpersonal procedures.

The principal characteristic of emotional development contain the

capability to recognize and comprehend personal moods, to

precisely recite and realize feelings of other people, to be able

to control powerful feelings and their manifestation in a

dynamic mode, to manage personal manners, to create the feeling

of understanding toward people, and to make and keep interactions

and relations. 

Social Development

The social development in children can be defined as their

sociability. Family, kindergarten, preschool centers, social

media are the factors that have important role in developing of

this aspect. (Johnson, Dziurawiec, Ellis, & Morton, 1991)

pointed out that vigorous social-emotional development for kids

reveals in an interactive situation, to be precise that of

constructive continuing interactions by accustomed, fostering

grownups. Kids are principally in concurrence to public and

expressive stimulus. Not only kids but also infants seem to pay

more attention to similar looks to familiar faces.

The basic stages in children’s social development are;

understanding the social environment like jobs, and places,

social customs and special events and days, moral customs like

saying hello and goodbye, getting permission, and moral values

such as honesty, respecting others, help, passionate,

collaborating and discipline. They should learn the ability to

communicate with peers and adults, to state their opinions, to

know the rights to play, education, and having good nutrition and

health.

Language Development

Language is a tool to communicate, learn and think. Language

development is the process by which children come to understand and

communicate language during early childhood.

According to (Bochner & Jones, 2008) the early language

development is the process by which a child begins to understand

language and communicate. This process starts before birth. In

the last months of pregnancy, the fetus hears the sounds of

speech outside of the mother's body. At birth, the infant cries

to communicate, but language development through repetition and

imitation takes place immediately

The important stagesin language development are the hearing

skills such as listening, sound recognition, listening in a

specific time, and comprehension by listening. The other one is

the expressing skills such as the vocabularies, correct

pronounciation of the sounds, sentence making, communicating with

others, expressing the pictures, or things, story telling, and

singing songs. These dominance on these skills are varies

according to children age.

Creativity Development

Creativity means the ability to create and operate new thoughts.

Creativity is defined as the tendency to generate or recognize

ideas, alternatives, or possibilities that may be useful in

solving problems, communicating with others, and entertaining

ourselves and others (Franken & Bauers, 2002). The creativity

skills can be seen almost in a 2 year old child when he can

visualize the things. The important stages in creativity

development are as follows:

Visual creativity which contains all types of creative

drawings, creative picture reading, and creative description

of landscapes or situations.

Physical creativity such as creative plays, creative drama,

creative movements, and harmonic movements.

Volume creativity which includes all types of hand made

crafts.

Language creativity such as creative story telling, story

making, planning questions with creative answers, and

planning riddles.

Childhood era is the time for flourishing the creativity. Recent

studies shows that creativity can be trained like other abilities

in children. Providing facilities for perfoming creating

activities in different stages of growth can be helpful in

developing creativity in children.

Role of Teachers

An early childhood teacher should be challenged to find new

experiences to share with children.  Guide children, do not lead

them, and move in a direction that interests the child.  As a

guide, she should allow the child to choose their learning and

playing style.

The teachers should become a partner in learning and encourage

children to find their own answers instead of providing the

answers for them.  Early childhood teachers support learning by

providing activities and materials that children find engaging. 

By facilitating learning, supplying a developmentally appropriate

environment, interesting materials, and adequate time to explore,

play, and interact, children find learning easy and fun!

Nurturing a child encompasses all aspects of development: social,

emotional, cognitive, and physical.  In every interaction, a

teacher should nurture appropriate growth and development.

Conclusion

Over the growing and developing process, children face so many

problems in all aspects of development. Some of these problems

related to growth and can be solve without any interference, but

some of them needs effective inteference and researches. Problems

can be regarding to cognitive development such as problems with

memory, concentrating, comprehension or problem solving, problems

regarding to social development such as less of self-esteem,

sever fears, aggression, etc. problems that are relating to

physical development, like difficulties with nutrition, sleep,

motivation, playing, etc. In the aspect of creativity the

problems are paid attention less than others. So probably

children have more problems in this area such as comparing

themselves with others, imitating others, competence instead of

collaboration, and using less creative ways in performing

activities. So a good quality curriculum or program would be a

good way to solve these problems. Therefore, planning and

implementing a development-oriented curriculum seems to be a need

for further studies.

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