At Yew Chung International School of Beijing, the children in our Early Childhood Education (ECE) benefit from participating in programmes that are guided by the YCIS ECE Approach and the twelve foundational values that it encompasses. One of these important values describes how our children learn through emergent curriculum and emergent themes, which is beneficial in facilitating our youngest students' learning and development.

What is Emergent Curriculum?Emergent Curriculum - is a philosophy of teaching and way of planning that focuses on being responsive to children's interests to create meaningful learning experiences. This philosophy priorities active participation, relationship building, flexible and adaptable methods, inquiry, and play-based learning. The curriculum is child-initiated, collaborative and responsive to the children's needs.

Our Learning Community environments support and encourage children to take initiative with their ideas and play scenarios. Our programme is not based on subject specific lessons; it is a focus on what is more personally important to children within their play. Teachers support and extend the spontaneous learning that takes place every day.

Within our ECE Learning Communities, our teachers observe what the children are interested in and capture their ideas. Teaching teams reflect on the learning that has happened and respond to those ideas in planning provocations for what comes next.As facilitators, teachers listen carefully and invite children to opportunities to learn more, co-constructing learning together and weaving academic skills and knowledge into child led experiences. What are the key benefits?The key benefits of participation in this curriculum for each unique child are multi -dimensional, but it also is of benefit to parents and teachers as well.

Learners benefit by: Receiving recognition as agents of their own learning;  Participating in opportunities to make choices about and begin to take increasing responsibility for their learning – thus making it more meaningful to them;   Co-constructing purposeful curriculum planning with their teachers builds on their interests, questions, queries and wonder about the world;  Participating in exciting, challenging and motivating learning experiences and developing opportunities for sustained and focused interest;   Engaging in enhanced opportunities for the development of their self-expression, oral language and creative abilities. 

Parents benefit through: Opportunities for authentic participation by parents, families and other partners and community members, which uses their diverse understandings, capabilities and knowledge;  Receiving effective communication about children's learning, and also having opportunities for family and community to share interests and learning from home;  It allows for families to develop discussions and experiences at home that engage children in similar interests as shown at school.

Teachers' benefits include opportunities to; Develop authentic observation practices that are linked to understanding children's knowledge, development, capabilities and dispositions. Integrate learning across the seven areas of learning and development through play, real-life engagements, routines and transitions.   Build continuity by connecting children's prior knowledge to new learning, leading to deeper understandings about topics of interest.   Challenge thinking and support children to engage in alternative ways of explaining and representing their ideas. 

Our emergent curriculum provides a strong foundation for children to establish the 21st-century skills that they will need in the future. Our ECE Approach provides a meaningful, child centred programme where children are valued and respected within a nurturing and inspiring learning community.