AI-Powered Planning for Student-Centered & Emergent Curriculum

By: Allison White

TK Los Altos School District

Hi! My name is. . .

• Allison White, Transitional Kindergarten Teacher in Los Altos School District
• Credentials: Multiple Subject, Admin. Services Clear, Child Development Permit-Program Director
• Experience as a Teacher, Principal, and Coach

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Agenda

Introduction - Why Co-creating a curriculum with students is effective

The Process

Chosen Topic

Student work/feedback

Key Takeaways/Future Co-creations

Q&A

Hands-On Session

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Co-Creation in Learning: Transforming Classrooms

• A dynamic collaboration between teachers and students.
• Grounded in research-backed learning theories related to ECE best practices
• Enhances engagement, inclusivity,student motivation and agency.

1. Co-create the unit

Co-Creation in Learning: Transforming Classrooms

Guiding Principles of Early Childhood Education, Birth - 8 years

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Through their intentional teaching, educators blend opportunities for each child to:

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• Exercise choice and agency within the context of a planned environment constructed to support specific learning experiences and meaningful goals.
• Be active constructors of their own understanding of the world around them.
• Initiate and regulate their own learning activities

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1. Co-create the unit

Co-Creating Curriculum and Developmentally Appropriate Practice

“Children are born eager to learn; they take delight exploring their world and making connections. The degree to which early learning programs support children’s delight and wonder in learning reflects the quality of that setting. Educators who engage in developmentally appropriate practice foster young children’s joyful learning and maximize the opportunities for each and every child to achieve their full potential.” �

• NAEYC, Position Statement on�Developmentally Appropriate Practice

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California Preschool Transitional Kdg. Learning Foundations

Learning Foundations Introduction:

• “Children have different ways of knowing and may express their knowledge across domains through different means and modalities.”
• “...early education programs value play and offer children a balance of child-led and teacher-guided play activities to promote children’s interest and engagement in their learning.”

Co-Creating Curriculum and Emergent Curriculum

Emergent Curriculum

Teachers using an emergent inquiry curriculum are responsive to children, planning provocations around questions they (teachers) have developed that challenge the children toward the edges of their own understandings. Teachers identify emerging threads of inquiry during the process of reflecting on their documentation of children’s play.

NAEYC Blogpost, “Finding the Threads of Inquiry, 7/15/2020. Tingle and Bock

Emergent Curriculum Boosted by Learning Genie AI Unit Planner

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• Develops student agency through their voices and questions
• Supports critical thinking and is a catalyst for children’s inquiry
• Honors developmentally appropriate learning

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The Process Begins. . .

My beginning approach was to involve the whole class.

• This involved high levels of engagement and participation of all students
• Allowed students to voice their interests
• Encouraged collaborative discussions

There was student interest in learning about volcanoes. We spent one day doing some read alouds of non-fiction books on the topic. The next day we created a list of their specific wonderings about volcanoes.

I input all their questions in the Unit Planner and noted which PTKLF’s �I wanted to focus on: Foundational Literacy, Science, and Visual and Performing Arts.

The Process

The Spark:

In order for all students’ voices to be heard, each student shared one idea

• Students first brainstormed and shared ideas with each other
• Then, each student shared their question or wondering about volcanoes.

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Three Week Unit Plan: Volcanoes

Link to Week 1 from the Unit Planner

Student Work

Student Work

Student Work

Construction of a path through lava!

Student Work

Student Work

Student Engagement with Informational Text

Student Work

Student Feedback

“I liked learning about lava.”

“Lava moves slower than I thought.”

“I liked magma and lava.” (Demonstrates the gesture we use to distinguish the two)

“We made volcanoes in the sandbox.”

Student Reflection: Volcano Unit

Teacher Reflection: Key Takeaways

Students engagement with informational text was purposeful. They flagged illustrations that connected with deeper learning of the topic.

I could have added in the Preschool Transitional Kdg Learning Foundations for Social Emotional Development to compare feelings to eruptions

Student use of Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary greatly increased even during independent play

I observed a high level of engagement co-creating this unit with the class

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Teacher Reflection: Key Takeaways

The activities were a catalyst to many types of play, modeling, and building.

This unit led to ideas for extension units from the students:

Layers of the Earth

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Students were deeply excited learning these lessons, and it sparked collaboration and dramatic play because of their shared knowledge about volcanoes

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Future Co-Creations

Building this unit has opened up opportunities for implementing UDL into the classroom.

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Co-create a unit with designated ELD group based on cultural relevance,traditions, and greater support with vocabulary..

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Based on the needs of the students, create additional ways to engage students who are neurodivergent or have sensory needs.

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Based on specific topics from unit, co-create units that smaller groups of students are interested in so that they become experts on sub-topic from the unit. They can then “teach” each other and share their learning.

SEL Co-Creation

Co-Creation with a UDL lens

Co-Create shorter units for Expert Groups

Some future ideas

The possibilities are endless!

Together, we will make a bigger impact to children’s life.

Thank you!