Study On Curriculum Design Of Early Childhood Education Specialty In Higher School

In recent years, early childhood teacher education has been placed to an important position with the increasing attention to the early childhood education from the government. Early childhood education construction became the focus of all types of higher schools. Curriculum is the center of schooling. Therefore, curriculum designing affects the quality of personnel training directly. Based on that, this study is focus on the curriculum design of early childhood education through a variety of research methods including literature study, interview method, text analysis and case study. The aim of the study is to promote future early childhood teachers’ lifelong pursuit of professional development as the fundamental values of the curriculum design, training the future kindergarten teachers who possess ability and political integrity, equally, outstanding ability of early childhood care and education.The dissertation discusses the concept of curriculum, teacher education curriculum, and the theory foundation of curriculum design. Equally, analyses the history, current situation and problems of early childhood teacher education curriculum’s evolution within undergraduate in higher schools. Then I summaries the factors which affect early childhood teacher education curriculum most, analyses the process of early childhood teacher education curriculum setting.At last, the study constructs the curriculum system of early childhood teacher education. I believe that this study can enrich the research of early childhood teacher education curriculum theory. It’s also very helpful to improve the quality of early childhood professional training in higher schools.Above that, the results show that:1.The four historical development stages of early childhood teacher education curriculum has gone through are learning and imitation, stagnation, rebirth and exploration, reform and improvement. Its development trajectory shows a series of basic features. The value orientation of curriculum design tends to combine the need of society and the individual, curriculum structure tends to be more optimized and the type of course gradually tends to be diversified, the course content increasingly highlights "child centered", the growing practice oriented curriculum design, etc.2. According to the analyses of the undergraduate early childhood professional training plan from fifteen universities, I have found that the training objectives of undergraduate preschool education generally focus on high-quality preschool teachers and related staffs. The problems are various, such as the same curriculum structure, the significant differences of credits proportion; emphasis on professional courses, but the differently understanding of "professional"; reasonable sequential curriculum; the variety of content and forms of educational practice courses. Further analysis has showed, the wider range of training objectives of current early childhood teacher education curriculum are lacking of maneuverability; parts of the core curriculum module setting is ambiguous; course content is not considering the practical needs; few courses considering the "children’s own learning and development"; irregularities in the process of curriculum designing, etc. 3. The main factors affect the early childhood teacher education curriculum are, on macro level, which including the trends of international teacher education curriculum reform and the background of socio-economic, political and cultural. At intermediate level, including the related trend of China’s education reform and development of higher education, teacher education and teacher qualification policy. Microcosmic factors mainly refers to the direct effect on early childhood teacher education curriculum in higher school, including environment in higher school, professional concepts of curriculum developers and the needs from students.4. On the basis of the dynamic analysis of early childhood teacher education curriculum design, tangible course objectives should focus on the cultivation of personal and professional qualities to future early childhood teachers. Meanwhile, I proposes the basic requirements and the overall concept of the course chosen, namely, constructs the system of curriculum with early childhood professional characteristics and practice-oriented. I discusses the basic principles and approaches of curriculum organization and arrangement, and expounds several basic contradiction should be well treated in the curriculum design.This study suggests that the future early childhood teacher education curriculum in higher school should be established on the perception of improving children’s learning and development. Construct the course structure of training future early childhood teachers with ability and integrity. Equally, construct the "trinity" curriculum implementation model. Establish the developmental concept of early childhood teacher education curriculum evaluation view. To do this, we need a reasonable early childhood professional orientation of training objectives, emphasis on building and improvement of the related pre-school teacher education certificate system, reform the university curriculum management system, strengthen pre-school teacher education.Early childhood teacher education curriculum is a complex system construction, which requires both theoretical basis and the reality concern; meet the needs of economic and social development, and to maintain its relative independence; consider the nation and society demand for talents, and the practical conditions of universities and students. There is no universal curriculum structure, in this sense, the early childhood teacher education curriculum is an everlasting work that requires continual adjustments and critical reform in practice.