How Small-Group Work Supports Emergent Curriculum
Presenter
- Jennifer Carvajal, Teaching Beyond the Square
Session / Time
- Breakout Session II
- 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
- Glenwood Room
Description
In this workshop, participants will learn how to organize their classes into small curriculum workgroups in order to support their students’ interests and needs. We will discuss how to develop, sustain, and document emergent curriculum as it progresses in these groups. Participants will see a variety of examples of curriculum topics and how they were explored in small groups.
Goals / Content / Intentionality
By the conclusion of this session, participants will:
- understand the benefits of small-group work, including the relationships that develop as a result of this work, and
- identify the logistics necessary in order to make small-group work successful.
My hope is that educators will leave the workshop with a desire to experiment with small groups in their classrooms, whether they are curriculum related or for other purposes.
Take-Home Messages
- Small-group work helps young children develop their individual identities, classroom identities, and peer relationships.
- Emergent curriculum looks different in each classroom, and small workgroups are one way that curriculum can be approached.
- Small groups allow children to be heard in a more intimate setting and allow curriculum to go deeper.
Presenter Bio
Jennifer Carvajal, Teaching Beyond the Square
Jennifer Carvajal, Teaching Beyond the Square
Jennifer Carvajal is the senior educational director of Teaching Beyond the Square. She leads professional development and partners with schools that are shifting to a more progressive philosophy. She works with the Jewish Education Project to lead cohorts, and she has presented at the JCC Manhattan’s Come Learn with Us conferences and the Jewish Early Childhood Association’s annual conferences. Jennifer taught at Beginnings Nursery School from 2002 to 2009 and participated in a study group in Reggio Emilia, Italy, in 2007. She received her B.S. in early childhood and elementary education from Susquehanna University and her M.S. in education, with a concentration in literacy, from Hunter College.
