Emergent Curriculum-Cycle of Inquiry: A conceptual model for emergent curriculum operationalized through planning artifacts

• In Event: 31.059 - Preparing Educators for Constructivist Learning Environments

Abstract

Based on thinking practices like interpreting observational data and planning close to children’s thinking, emergent curriculum has an anecdotal history of success yet it is difficult to describe, teach, and study (Gandini & Goldhaber, 2001; Wein, 2008). The one study of the approach and child outcomes is limited by the varied descriptions of philosophy and practice in each school (Mardell & Carbonara, 2013). This paper presents the Cycle of Inquiry (COI) planning model, organizing our conceptualization of emergent curricula planning practices as cognitive behaviors and locates visible products of these in five COI planning forms. We present a first-draft rubric assessing how planning practices follow the model and we report on a small-scale study of measurement properties of this rubric.

Authors

• Jane Tingle Broderick, East Tennessee State University

• Seong Bock Hong, University of Michigan - Dearborn

• Michael Garrett, East Tennessee State University