Early childhood curriculum refers various elements that help a child development both
cognitively and socially. Curriculum is also essential in the development of the learning abilities
of a child. Tersely, without curriculum, a child is likely to suffer from various hardships such as
problem resolution and social skills in their future lives. Children need an environment that can
provide them with the ideal support mechanisms to develop cognitively and improve their
learning skills. On this note, various theories have been developed in the filed of child
development and curriculum. Some of the notable theorists include Maria Montessori and
Howard Garner. There five core practices critical in child development and curriculum. The
paper will analyze the core practices in references to the theories developed by Montessori and
Garner.
The creation of a nourishing classroom culture is one of the core practices. On this note,
Montessori argues that children should be provided with an environment that encourages them to
learn. Concisely, she asserts that the classroom should be set in a way that all supplies needed for
effective learning are position at the eye level of the child. Moreover, the supplies should be
child sized (Dodd-Nufrio 2011). In this regard, it is the obligation of the teacher to ascertain that
the environment encourages the students to participate in the learning process by ascertaining
that all resources are strategically placed and attractive to children (Hedges and Cooper 2018).
On the other hand, Gardner asserts that children have different means of learning and the
environment they are exposed to has a profound effect on the learning and development process.
Precisely, the teacher should ensure that they incorporate different formats of learning to enhance
the ability of the children to participate in the learning environment (Chen and Gardner 2011).
Child Development and Curriculum 3
Succinctly, a nourishing culture involves the creation of an environment that is attractive to the
children.
Enhancing the curriculum with materials is a core practice. Precisely, the teacher should
optimize the application of the resources in disseminating knowledge to the children.
Montessori’s theory is applicable in this practice because the teacher should ensure that the
materials used in the classroom settings are justified and the children can relate to them (Dodd-
Nufrio 2011). Thus, the teacher should ascertain that all the materials used are in line with the
learning capabilities of the children. On the other hand, Gardner’s theory is applicable because
the teacher should create various formats that will encourage the children to participate in the
learning process. The teacher is responsible for challenging the community to contribute to the
curriculum through the creation of new formats and materials for learning (Chen and Gardner
2011). Furthermore, since children have different means of learning, the teacher should optimize
the resources readily available within the society to create different learning formats to cater for
individual students’ needs and learning capacity.
Gardner asserts that children have different means of learning and therefore the teacher
has the responsibility of identifying the ideal formats that suit the class. Precisely, the third core
practice underlines the need for the teacher to bring him or herself to the teaching and learning
process (Chen and Gardner 2011). Therefore, the teacher should plan to teach and learn in the
process of planning the curriculum. Moreover, it is essential for the teacher to plan
comprehensively on the teaching approaches best fit for the children’s development and learning
process. On the other hand, the teacher is responsible for the creation of the ideal environment
and culture according to Montessori (Dodd-Nufrio 2011). On this note, the teacher should
ascertain they orient themselves in the learning and teaching process to create conducive
Child Development and Curriculum 4
environments and cultures for the children. Concisely, the teacher’s involvement in the learning
and teaching process will create an ideal environment and enable the teacher to effectively plan
curriculum using different formats.
Teaching children to learn about learning is an important core practice that is crucial to
the learning and development process. On this note, Gardner’s theory is applicable because the
children have different methods of learning and they should identify the best formats that help
them to understand concepts (Chen and Gardner 2011). In this regard, the teacher should create a
culture that encourages children to ask questions in the event there are some concepts that have
not been understood fully. Moreover, the teacher should use different formats including dramas
and dramas regularly to ascertain that children are informed of the best means of learning (Tang
et al. 2017). On the other hand, Montessori’s theory is applicable because the teacher will have
to create a culture that will enhance the learning process. Tersely, the teacher should create a
culture where children are taught to look closely and focus on the learning process (Dodd-Nufrio
2011). Therefore, the classroom setting is essential in ensuring that students learn about learning
through the creation of the ideal culture.
Digging deeper to ensure that the teacher is well acquitted with the learning process is
influential in the development and learning process (Curby et al. 2018). According to
Montessori, the teacher should create a classroom setting that enables the children to be
interested and participate in the learning process. However, the teacher should have pertinent
knowledge about the kind of knowledge that the children are interested in to ascertain the
provision of the supplies needed for a particular class (Dodd-Nufrio 2011). On the other hand,
the teacher should also engage in the learning process to identify the ideal formats that children
will apply in their development and learning process. Gardner asserts that there are different
Child Development and Curriculum 5
methods that children learn (Chen and Gardner 2018). Consequently, the teacher should dig
deeper to learn with children to identify what format is ideal for the children by participating in
the learning process.
Gardner and Montessori’s theories can be applied in a wide range of teaching practices.
On this note, the core practices of teaching children can be enhanced if the teachers use the
theories to understand how different approaches should be applied in the classroom. Precisely,
the core practices can fail to elicit the ideal outcomes if the teachers do not put into consideration
the guidance of the pedagogical theories developed by different theorists. On this note,
Montessori and Gardner have provided teachers with an ideal means through which they can
apply in the provision of the ideal environment and cultures when teaching young children.
Succinctly, this will ascertain that the children are provided with the appropriate learning and
development skills that will serve them well in the future.
Child Development and Curriculum 6
Bibliography
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Dodd-Nufrio, A.T., 2011. Reggio Emilia, Maria Montessori, and John Dewey: Dispelling
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