Shakin Bones Time… Almost every place I travel too there seems to be a requirement of a weekly “lesson plan”. What the HELL!?! How is it possible that we can predict what a child is going to need or want on Friday? Because of this requirement many early childhood people put together a prediction of what adults think children need. Many of these lesson plans require a goal and/or objective. When I was a young child, I did not say to myself, before I played, Hide and Seek “Let me think about the goal I hope to accomplish”. The true lesson plan should be daily. Observing children during the day before to see if there is anything that might be added to the curriculum or environment that will support the needs of the child. So what people, who understand children do, is “make up” a lesson plan to meet the requirement and follow children’s leads. Don’t write to me and say this is unethical. It is unethical to plan ahead based on what adults needs are.
If “The Child is the Curriculum” then stop-making lesson plans that meet what an adult thinks a child needs and move towards what children need. Instead of preplanned goals and objectives let children decide on what is important, as the play develops and evolves on their own.
