RTI uses cookies to offer you the best experience online. By clicking “accept” on this website, you opt in and you agree to the use of cookies. If you would like to know more about how RTI uses cookies and how to manage them please view our Privacy Policy here. You can “opt out” or change your mind by visiting: http://optout.aboutads.info/. Click “accept” to agree.
Whitebread, D., & Sitabkhan, Y. (2022). Pedagogy and curricula content: Building foundational skills and knowledge. In M. Bendini, & A. Devercelli (Eds.), Quality Early Learning: Nurturing Children's Potential (pp. 83-124). The World Bank Group. https://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-1795-3_ch2
Reviews evidence related to early childhood education (ECE) pedagogy and curriculum and offers suggestions for implementation. Pedagogy determines how the educator organizes and facilitates learning. The curriculum determines the classroom’s learning focus. Both play a crucial role in determining ECE quality. The role of the ECE educator remains that of facilitator and guide rather than instructor. Beyond ensuring a responsive and supportive relationship between educator and child, other elements of high-quality pedagogy include supporting children’s spoken and communication skills; supporting children’s ability to self-regulate their cognitive and emotional mental processes; and creating opportunities for active learning through play. A whole-child, evidence-based curriculum should include activities supporting development in (1) physical health and development; (2) social and emotional development; (3) preliteracy and prenumeracy understandings and abilities; (4) ways of understanding the world; and (5) self-expression through the creative arts. Putting policies into practice requires moving from diagnosing the challenges to planning and then to continuous improvement of pedagogy and curriculum.