Students of ECCE must have an in-depth knowledge of curriculum and pedagogy to support young children’s learning and development. The three-credit course, Curriculum and Pedagogy for the Foundational Years, will be offered in semester 2. 

The course will introduce students to the principles and processes that underpin curriculum development for children in the 3 – 8 years. It will familiarise the students with the goals, objectives and principles of the curriculum and how these can be used to plan the learning experiences, daily schedule, learning environment and assessment in the foundational years. 

The course will enable students to develop a critical understanding of theoretical perspectives, contemporary debates and discourses that inform curriculum and pedagogical practices in ECE. Students will critically examine the curricular models and approaches with reference to the contexts in which they emerged and how they evolved over time. Frameworks such as the recent National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (2022), Adharshila (2024) the National Curriculum for ECCE, and other international curriculum frameworks and position papers will be examined. 

The continuities and interlinkages in curriculum and pedagogical approaches between pre-primary (3−6 years) and early primary years (6−8 years) will be discussed while also emphasising their distinctive nature. The purpose and nature of assessments in foundational years will be addressed. The meaning and nature of diversity in the classroom will be analysed using multiple lenses such as gender, disability, language, caste and culture, with a thrust on inclusion in educational spaces. The course will provide opportunities for students to engage in and design learning experiences for children in the 3 – 8 years.