Development of Open Curriculum in Kindergarten

Pre-requisites: Systems and Programs of Preschool Education exam

Course objectives: Training students for conducting the process of transformation of educational practice / curriculum development on the kindergarten level, through collaborative action research.

Course description: Open curriculum as a result of educational practice transformation. Learning and teaching as a co-construction of knowledge and identity. Kindergarten as a learning organization. Curriculum development through action research: reconstruction of educational practice, understanding of that practice and the conditions in which it is being created and changed. Presentation and analysis of research examples. Starting points in curriculum development: text (programme) analysis and analysis of educational practice: “image“ of a child and its position in educational process and the role of educator. Reviewing the structure and the culture of an institution: deconstruction of implicit pedagogy of educators and hidden curriculum of institution. Introducing changes and monitoring their effects. Building fields of common meaning and values through group discussion, observing and evaluating / reflection. The functions and the ways of keeping documentation. The role of educationalist (professional associate) in coordination of action research. Practical course: performing the initial steps of action research in the field, report writing and group analysis.

Learning Outcomes: Students know how to organize and coordinate the process of curriculum development as a collaborative process of learning and transformation of practice.

Literature/Reading:

• Elliott, J., 1993, What have we learned from action reseach in school-based evaluation, Action Reseach, vol.1, No.1
• Hendrick, J., ed., 1997, First Steps Towards Teaching the Reggio Way, London, Prentice-Hall Int
• Miljak, A., 2005, Sukonstrukcija kurikuluma ranog odgoja, Pedagogijska istraživanja, br. 2
• Miškeljin, L., 2008, Dečji vrtić kao izvor kurikuluma, Zadužbina Andrejević
• Pavlovski, T., 1998/2004, Prikaz jednog akcionog istraživanja: tematsko planiranje vaspitno-obrazovnog rada u vrtiću, u: Pešić i dr., Pedagogija u akciji, Beograd, IPA
• Pešić, M., 1998/2004, Samoevaluacija praktičara, u: Pešić i dr., Pedagogija u akciji, Beograd, IPA
• Pešić, M., 1989, Programiranje vaspitno-obrazovnog rada po oblastima: jedno akciono istraživanje, Predškolsko dete, vol. 19, br. 2.
• Rinaldi, C., 2001, Documentation and Assesment, u (grupa autora), Making Learning Visible, Reggio Emilia, Reggio Children, 78-115
• Slunjski, E., 2006, Stvaranje predškolskog kurikuluma, Zagreb, Mali profesor (50-72)