Children Learn Through an Emergent Curriculum

“Children learn through extended inquiry of themes. Themes emerge naturally through children’s play in the classroom, interactions with others, and interactions with the environment. Teachers support children in taking a theme or project and exploring it deeply. Themes may vary in length and may reemerge throughout the school year as children rediscover the topic and develop new questions for investigation .” 

The Yew Chung ECE Approach utilizes a reflective curriculum driven by observations, collaborative reflections and ‘teacher as researcher’ responses. Emergent Curriculum is an inquiry-based pedagogy that is characterized by a learner-centred approach that ensures learners’ right to choice as well as ownership of their learning journey.

Making Thinking Visible practices further support the deep learning in an emergent curriculum by empowering young learners as capable and competent thinkers who are able to intellectually engage the world around them. Yew Chung leaders and educators play an active role in children’s learning in an emergent curriculum through scaffolding, extending, facilitating, role-modelling, co-constructing, provoking, meditating, planning, scribing, etc.

‘Stage Manager’ is an essential role for a Yew Chung Educator in supporting Value 6; effectively implementing meaningful and relevant figure-grounds and provocations ensures all learning environments are experienced by learners as a 3rd Teacher . The Yew Chung ECE Approach sees learning as an active and engaged process where children are the protagonists in the learning experience and thus need stimulating, diverse, age appropriate, holistic, and engaging learning environments. All learning areas include centres/areas/elements of mark-making, language and literacy; science, math and discovery; construction; role-play; art and expression; sensory; and motor development.