Curriculum for Us, by Us: Co-Constructing a Toddler Curriculum Through Equitable Practitioner Collaboration

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable Session 3:05 pm
  In Roundtable Session: The Telescopic Mirror: Teacher Research and Teacher Voice (Table 19)

Abstract

The field of curriculum development has long been a white-dominated space, with much of the curricula developed far from the schools themselves. In this practitioner inquiry, we (a group of diverse, predominantly BIPOC early childhood educators, childcare directors, and coaches) collaborated in a year-long process to develop our own toddler curriculum to be used across a group of 13 urban childcare centers serving marginalized children. Using detailed notes and artifacts from our bi-weekly curriculum working group sessions across the year, we conducted a thematic qualitative analysis to reflect on our process, exploring the question: What happens when a group of early childhood practitioners engage in sustained, in-depth collaboration to develop a curriculum for toddlers?

Authors

• Megina Baker, Boston Public Schools

• Sarah Elahi, Independent Researcher

• Pamela Thompson, Neighborhood Villages

• Lisa Goddard, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia

• Megan Shanooshi, Neighborhood Villages