Education Curriculum

The Effects of Specialized School Curricula on Children 's Art Experience and Knowledge

Chapter I

Introduction

Three approaches in early childhood education in Europe have been significantly increasing the conduct and practices of teaching in North America . In elementary and early childhood education , three of the best-known approaches with European origins are Waldorf , Montessori , and Reggio Emilia (Edwards , 2002 , n .p . These inspirational approaches provide an alternative method of teaching from the traditional education . Founded by Rudolf Steiner , at the core of Waldorf education is the promotion of peace

and justice in society . It aims to respect the essential nature of childhood , and in the early years , a secure unhurried environment which provide a sound foundation for emotional social and cognitive intelligence later (Nicol , 2007 ,

. 1 . Maria Montessori founded the Montessori school which offers multi-level approach to education with individualized instructions for students Montessori believed that children developed in stages and that each stage had its own unique characteristics and qualities (Isaacs , 2007 br

. 9 . The similarity of Reggio Emilia 's approach with that of John Dewey cannot be denied in its emphasis on the relationship of the individual to the society . The approach can exist with other approaches and crossfertilization can happen between programs (Fraser Gestwicki , 2002 ,

.10 . It may be said that all three approaches are similar in acknowledging the child as competent and resilient with rights that have to be upheld

As a substitute teacher , I have worked with kindergarten through fifth grade students in...