Suzanne L. Krogh - The Early Childhood Curriculum: Inquiry Learning Through Integration

Figure 1.2 A partial glimpse into the Room 4 Pet Shop.

Young children are, by nature, curious about the world around them. Providing opportunities for them to inquire and explore will, therefore, generally engage their interest. It should be noted that the world around does not frequently divide itself into curriculum segments such as math or science or social studies. More frequently, it is an integrated combination of societys definition of subject matter. This indicates that, for young children (and for many older ones and adults as well), the most effective approach to truly successful learning is one of using inquiry through an integrated curriculum.

When children are provided meaningful opportunities to use their curiosity and to pose questions in order to gain in-depth knowledge of a topic, it is termed investigative learning, inquiry-based learning , or simply inquiry learning . When skills from more than one curricular subject area are drawn together and connected in purposeful ways it is called curriculum integration . This text emphasizes the ways that childrens natural curiosity, the backbone of inquiry, can be infused throughout the integrated academic subjects.

Research in recent years has demonstrated the powerful advantages of integrating the curriculum while providing inquiry opportunities (Audet, 2005; Copple & Bredekamp, 2009; Etim, 2005; Helm, 2012; Hyson, 2008; Vars & Beane, 2000). At the same time, however, state and national requirements have moved schools, and even early childhood centers, in the opposite direction, all in the name of making sure that no child is left behind. In other words, as described above, programs are canned, come from a curriculum design team, or follow teacher-made plans that offer no room for child direction or creativity.

Does any caring teacheror parent, caregiver, legislator, governor, president intentionally set out to leave children behind? Most assuredly, those who care about and for children have the best intentions when they make decisions about their education. However, the best route to ensuring childrens school success is the subject of longstanding, and sometimes intense, debate. The debates are always a reflection of the times and peoples responses to them. For example, when in the 1950s the Soviets began to win the race into space, American education became much more structured and basic, even in early childhood settings. Later, the counterculture movement of the 1960s and 1970s led to a view of early education that was more focused on the young childs social and psychological needs. It is easy to forget, when we are in the middle of developing a new and seemingly progressive view of early education, that theory, research, and practice are all influenced to a degree by the politics of the time.

Thus, as we, in the early years of the 21st century, labor to leave no child behind, even labeling national legislation after this sentiment, the ways in which policy makers choose to accomplish this feat are most certainly influenced by todays societal expectations and current politicsjust as the case was in previous decades and centuries. For the early 21st century, the national No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation of the George W. Bush administration has meant a move toward more structured education accompanied by continual testing to ensure progress. The Barack Obama administrations adaptation of NCLB, known as Race to the Top (RTT), continues to focus on structure and testing. Meanwhile, the most recent work of early childhood educators and researchers has shown that most young children thrive best when their learning is at least somewhat less structured and more personalized, and testing is kept to a minimum. It is the tension between these two views of how best to leave no child behind that this book addresses. Accountability is here to stayat least for the foreseeable futurebut it is possible to provide young children with an education that is engaging, exciting, and meaningful to their lives while ensuring that they do well on the necessary assessments.