Teaching should change as students develop, whether it be typical or a-typical development. For example, when beginning a preschool year, a teacher might focus on gross motor control, and provide a great number of opportunities to use the body, and move, including dancing and rhythm exercises. The teacher might pair this with activities designed to build basic vocabulary (Gonzalez-Mena & Eyer, 2009). These activities might give way to those focused on fine motor control, such as stringing beads, and problem solving at a more detailed level, such as constructing puzzles or answering riddles (Gonzalez-Mena & Eyer, 2009). By using the same portions at different points, or by repeating certain portions, the teacher can tailor the curriculum to any student, typical or developmentally delayed.

An effective preschool curriculum requires a variety of components. First, children tend to learn better in environments that are adult-led, but child-centered, so while the teacher should demonstrate and aid, he or she should not be the focus of the activity (Sylvaa et al., 2007). Second, a curriculum should include a variety of different types of learning, from motor, to verbal, to cognitive and so on (Sylvaa, et al., 2007). Finally, a good curriculum includes...

Together, these three elements create a successful curriculum.
Creating a curriculum for young students is difficult because of the rapidity of change that happens at that period in a child's life. However, constructing a curriculum for students with developmental delays is perhaps more difficult, because one must be constantly aware of how the individual is progressing both on their own, and against the measure of typical development. Curriculum design must take into account all the different learning styles and speeds, and create a cohesive plan that can accommodate them. A teacher must be able to identify the typical milestones for development, in order to provide early intervention, and to create a classroom experience that is educational for all students.

Works Cited

Gonzalez-Mena, J, Eyer, D. (2009) Infants, Toddlers and Caregivers. Boston: McGraw Hill

Sylvaa, K., Taggart, B., Siraj-Blatchford, I., Totsikac, V., Ereky-Stevens, K., Gildena R., Bell,

D., (2007). Curricular Quality and Day-to-Day Learning Activities in Preschool.

International Journal of Early Years…