1st Edition

Internationalizing Early Childhood Curriculum Foundations of Global Competence

By Nancy Brown Copyright 2019
    158 Pages
    by Routledge

    158 Pages
    by Routledge

    Internationalizing Early Childhood Curriculum empowers teachers and directors to internationalize their curriculums around the world in their own unique and culturally specific ways. Serving as a guide and catalyst for thinking about curriculum in our interconnected world, this book explores how young children learn about the world and describes how children develop intercultural understanding, including how their teachers transform to expand their own global awareness and citizenship. Stories from actual classroom curriculum projects are featured, as well as suggested strategies and stages for the process of implementation. Exploring the implications for teacher education and professional development, this book gives readers the tools they need to bring internationalization into their own programs.

    Designed to apply to formal and informal early childhood centers across the spectrum, Internationalizing Early Childhood Curriculum is essential reading for professional developers and trainers, as well as classroom teachers, directors, policy-makers and NGO professionals providing early childhood services in the U.S. and around the world.

    Introduction  1. Why International? Why Now? A Theoretical Rationale  2. Guidelines for Internationalizing Early Childhood Curriculum  3. Stories from the Classrooms  4. Transformational Portraits: The Teachers  5. Children’s Voices and Artistic Expressions  6. Conclusions, Recommendations and Reflections  References

    Biography

    Dr. Nancy Brown is Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education in the College of Education at Florida Atlantic University, and serves as Faculty in Residence at the Karen Slattery Educational Research Center for Child Development. For many years she has been a United Nations Representative for the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI), and has been a long term member of the Committee on Teaching About the United Nations (CTAUN).

    Recipient of the 2019 CTAUN Excellence in Education Award

    "This timely publication by Nancy Brown opens up an opportunity for introspection and realization that early childhood offers a window of opportunity to instill the fundamentals that each individual needs to become agents of the culture of peace and non-violence. Her book articulates convincingly that helping children gain a global citizen’s perspective in the early childhood years is essential for a safer, saner and sustainable world. Recommendations and suggestions she offers are practical, relevant  and valuable to teachers and managers of early childhood schools in different countries and regions of the world." — Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury, Founder of the Global Movement for The Culture of Peace (GMCoP) ; Member, Executive Committee of the Early Childhood Peace Consortium, based in UNICEF (ECPC); Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations (2002-2007).

    "I believe that with Dr. Brown's extensive international experiences in teaching, research, and service, this book will be a great addition to the field of early childhood. With its research-based foundation, this book will be able to aid teachers, early childhood center directors, teacher educators as well as additional key stakeholders to make a better future for children." — Judit Szente, University of Central Florida, USA

    "The world is changing more rapidly than ever, and so is early childhood education. Dr. Nancy Brown brings this change to the forefront in this book, helping teachers ensure that all children receive the skills to become aware, adaptable global citizens. This is a must read for teachers who wish to implement changes to their current curriculum that broaden the minds of young children, expand their understanding of others and give them a sense of belonging to today’s global community." —Diane Whitehead, Executive Director of the Association for Childhood Education International, USA

    "Dr. Nancy Brown’s book challenges each of us to reach beyond the typical notion of curriculum to one of internationalizing any curriculum to build transformational global competence in children, families, and teachers. Her research and hands-on experiences provide theoretical and practical guidelines to inspire collaborative work in early childhood settings worldwide. Her stories describe how her professional development program for teachers in a university-based lab school led to increasingly substantive inquiry, along with continuous curriculum experimentation and exploration. This book emphasizes not only curriculum but also the importance of building human relationships, and all early learning advocates should have this information!" — M.J. Steele, Director of Early Childhood Education for Palm Beach County School District, USA