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A curriculum is an indispensable part of any successful educational process. An effective curriculum gives a quantifiable strategy and framework for providing great education to teachers, students, administrators, and community stakeholders. The curriculum outlines the student learning results, standards, and skills before progressing to the following levels (Mushtaq, 2012). Brazee and Capelluti (1995) define curriculum integration as an overall perspective of learning that acknowledges the need for students to perceive the broad picture. An integrated curriculum is one in which students broaden their knowledge in disciplines connected to certain parts of their surroundings. It looks at learning and teaching as a holistically comprehensive approach and mirrors the actual world (Humphreys, Ellis, & Post, 1981).

The integrated curriculum aims and primarily focuses on holistically delivering the content without the constraints that typically apply to subjects (Chernus & Fowler, 2010). It focuses on the interrelationship of all curricular fields in early childhood programs that assist children in gaining basic learning abilities (Kysilka, 1998). Reading, writing, listening, speaking, literature, theatre, social studies, math, science, health, physical education, music, and the visual arts is covered in an integrated curriculum. Integrated learning processes allow children to gain and utilize fundamental abilities in all areas of content. Also, it enables students to create good attitudes towards continuing effective learning. It stresses the significance of relationships. It mainly focuses on how children learn and the development of their cultural and communal backgrounds (Kysilka, 1998).

Learning in an integrated curriculum takes place through projects and themes that reflect children’s preferences. Bredekamp and Rosegrant (1992) describe themes as a valuable instructional tool to accommodate diverse learning styles. Through an integrated approach, teachers integrate learning outcomes from all the curricular sectors. They incorporate various subjects concentrating on age-appropriate concepts. Integrated learning allows children to build valuable connections between different aspects of their learning. Jensen (1996) states that multi-path and real-life experiences are optimal for the brain, and isolated learning kills the passion of learning forever. When the brain makes more connections, the individual develops high-level thinking skills. The characteristic of an integrated curriculum includes the differentiated level of activities and opportunities for critical thinking. According to Schwartz and Pollishuke (1991), balancing between the group and individual activities and teacher-initiated and child-initiated activities is crucial in developing an effective integrated child-centered curriculum. As future teachers, we aim to meet students’ needs and interests through planning and implementing integrated lessons and encouraging students to participate in real-life experiences. This method will help us develop lifelong learners with higher-order thinking skills who can analyze, manipulate, and connect facts.

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The MOE Kindergarten curriculum framework promotes children's holistic development and ensures that pupils have acquired the knowledge and skills they need to succeed, thrive, and flourish in primary school and beyond. The MOE ECE curriculum targets KG1 and KG2. Subjects include Arabic, English, Islamic, mathematics, science, social studies, moral education, and Chinese for some schools. It relates concepts across different subjects using themes for learning to take place in a meaningful context. Themes are related to children's experiences and the natural world, such as Going to School, Earth, Humans and Animals, and Toys and Technology.

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Overview of the MOE ECE Al Warda Unit Plan

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Overview of the MOE ECE Al Warda Unit Plan

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The Earth Unit Plan targets KG2 students and focuses on science, math, and English. The learning outcomes focus on listening, speaking, emergent reading, and emergent writing skills. At the end of the unit, students are expected to use single words to name places, create repetitive rhythms, participate in reading activities, and relate story events to personal experiences. The MOE is a content-rich curriculum because it ensures that the scope is sufficiently deep and engages children's interests across multiple learning experiences. The scope of the unit focuses on direction and maps. The unit plan sequence and arrange the lesson from whole-class activity to small groups and finally to the learning centers. It offers a range of activities for each subject. For instance, students will explore sand in the science center, create a collage in the creative expression center, and explore books at the reading centers. Lesson sequencing ensures smooth transitions between lessons to achieve the learning outcomes. As skills do not develop in isolation one at a time, the unit plan sequence uses existing skills to strengthen children's development and provide a foundation on which to build new skills (McCutchen, 2010). Thus, the MOE curriculum sequences lessons for students to cumulatively build all skills in the unit objectives.

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Documents from MOE ECE Al Warda Curriculum

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Documents from MOE ECE Al Warda Curriculum

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The Australian curriculum aims to develop confident learners who take an active role in their learning. It is a flexible curriculum that enables teachers to tailor their instructions based on students’ needs. The curriculum targets children from one to ten years. Students learn throughout their first years of school through teacher-student interactions, exploration, experimentation, and play in the school community. It prepares learners for the 21st century. The foundation year learning areas include English, mathematics, health and PE, languages, science, arts, humanities, and technologies.

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Overview of the Australian Curriculum Unit Plan 

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Overview of the Australian Curriculum Unit Plan 

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The chosen plan is a Science unit plan that consists of seven lessons. It is designed for students from four to eight years old. The scope of the unit focuses on the great barrier reef. Even though it is a science unit plan, it integrates mathematics, English, and visual arts. The objectives include identifying geographic features of a reef and different food chains in the reef ecosystem. The unit plan is well-organized as it sequences the lesson plans appropriately. This sequencing creates a smoother functioning classroom and optimizes the learning environment for learners. Each lesson takes 30 minutes. The unique part of this unit plan is the prior knowledge activation task at the beginning of each lesson. According to the constructivist Bruner, activating prior knowledge allow students to make connections and build initial knowledge needed to access the upcoming content (Spector, 2015). Also, the unit plan offers a range of activities for each lesson which promotes students’ autonomy by giving them choices over their learning. Studies have shown that providing students with choices helps students build intrinsic motivation for learning (Deci & Ryan, 2014).

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Documents from the Australian Curriculum  

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Documents from the Australian Curriculum  

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Mark Battersby (1999) of the Learning Outcomes Network states that learning outcomes are more than a few lines annexed onto curricula. He believes that learning outcomes within a unit of instruction influence learning and improve student engagement. Rather than concentrating on covering the information, the learning outcomes express how students may use the material, both in the classroom setting and more widely (Duke, 2002). Learning outcomes are guiding tools that direct students to the intended course objectives. Additionally, they demonstrate and assist teachers in determining the path to be taken and make students conscious of what they will achieve at the end of the unit (Singh & Mahajan, 2017). When the learning outcomes are included in the curriculum, both instructors and students will determine the best educational path. The learning outcomes are similar to the GPS that guide us to a certain destination without getting lost. The MOE ECE curriculum is missing a vital component that can lead to student success. As a part of this curriculum, including the learning outcomes is a must, as students need to be informed about the path they will follow during the lessons, courses, and units. Students need to become aware of the knowledge, attitudes, qualifications, and behaviors they must accomplish (Kinta, 2013). In one of our previous teaching practicum experiences, an incident was evident where an MST forgot to explain the learning outcomes for the students before introducing the topic. After that, some students asked about the lesson by saying: “Teacher, what are we going to do?” This incident proves the importance of highlighting and mentioning the learning outcomes professionally in the curriculum. The learning outcomes must be measurable and based on Bloom’s Taxonomy. Bloom's Taxonomy describes the learning process and has thus proven to be a valuable instrument for developing the learning outcomes (Singh & Mahajan, 2017).

Mahajan and Singh (2017) stated the below points as the factors that must be followed when writing learning outcomes:

Knowledge: Knowledge about the subject, familiarity, awareness, or understanding of the subject, such as facts, information, descriptions, or skills acquired through experience by discovering or learning. The commonly used words are “list, recognize, define, etc.”

Cognitive: Intellectual skills should include how to apply knowledge to actions and problem-solving skills. The commonly used words are “describe, explain, identify, etc.”

Practical: How to design and carry out experiments? The commonly used words are “demonstrate, implement, etc.”

Generic Skills: Generic skills include problem-solving techniques, keys to learning. The commonly used words are “analyze, compare, etc.”

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Assessment is an integral part of instruction, as it enables teachers to determine whether the milestones were achieved or not. It affects decisions about grades, development, and instructional needs (Lidz, 2003). To improve the MOE curriculum assessments, we recommend integrating other types of formative assessment tools within the observation. The practice guidance for the EYFS states that formative assessment is at the heart of effective early years practice. Brookhart (2010) defines formative assessment as a wide variety of methods that educators use to conduct in-process evaluations of students’ knowledge, learning needs, and academic progress. Exit slips, questions, and presentations are examples of formative assessments that enable teachers to enhance children’s learning by giving feedback and extending their knowledge, skills, and achievements. Thus, the curriculum must identify multiple assessment methods that will provide evidence of when and how well students develop that desired outcomes. Also, we suggest providing a combination of qualitative and quantitative tools. Observation alone is not sufficient to indicate whether students achieved the learning outcomes. Including multiple tools will assist in interpreting students’ achievement, such as checklists, rubrics, and rating skills. Checklists and rating scales are qualitative assessments that require the assessor to judge the presence or absence of specific skills listed (Brassard & Boehm, 2011). Rubrics have the potential to promote learning and improve instruction by making expectations and criteria explicit (Jonsson & Svingby, 2007). The combination of several tools helps the teacher to identify successful learning experiences and enhance student learning (Landrigan & Mulligan, 2013). We recommend differentiating the assessment tools. From our experience in previous teaching practice in a private school, the teacher used various assessments for specific groups of learners. Differentiated assessment is the process of adapting assessments based on students' abilities. It aims to fulfill students' unique requirements and improve their capacity to demonstrate what they have learned. The constructivist Piaget asserts that students differ in their levels, learning, readiness, academic standing, abilities, and backgrounds. Therefore, teachers should differentiate assessment tools to respond to diverse learning needs (Tomlinson & Moon, 2014).

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Evaluation is an essential component of teaching and learning. It is a fundamental component of every curriculum and has a critical role in defining what students learn (Agrawal, 2007). According to Candlin and Edelhoff (1982), learners learn best when they know how their efforts will be examined and evaluated. The evaluation also plays an essential role in determining what and how teachers educate. Education is considered an investment in the development of human resources, skills, motivation, knowledge, and so on (Agrawal, 2007). According to Ogunniyi, evaluation improves the development of educational programs and the enhancement of their efficacy (1984). It functions as an in-built monitor within the application to assess learning progress regularly. It also gives useful input on the program's design and implementation. The evaluation procedure is significant in the teaching and the learning process. It assists instructors and students in improving their teaching and learning, as it is a continual procedure (Manichander, 2016). It aids in the formation of students' values of educational standing and accomplishment. Evaluation is unavoidable in teaching and learning, as judgments are made in all areas of the educational activity (Taylor & Tyler, 2011). The MOE ECE curriculum is missing a crucial component that improves students, curriculum, and teachers. The curriculum creators must realize the importance and the positives that will result from considering evaluations at the end of any unit.

Evaluating students:

According to Serevina and Muliyati (2018), in achieving several goals, evaluating young children is essential because it offers information so administrators, curriculum creators, and educators may better understand the development and status of children and how well they learn (Serevina & D, 2018). It allows early childhood program staff to determine how effectively they fulfill their children's targets. It offers some of the information necessary for responsibility for the program and helps to advance child development understanding (Serevina & D, 2018). The National Research Council (2003) states that the most successful assessment in a teaching and learning community is the one that promotes and rewards good teaching methods based on student learning outcomes. At its finest, evaluation of student learning allows students to recognize their own strengths and limitations, as well as the types of knowledge they require to address learning gaps and misunderstandings. According to the National Research Council (2008), when such evaluation is used correctly, students will engage in self-assessment and continual performance improvement for the rest of their life. Therefore, the MOE ECE curriculum should allow students to discover their levels. Also, assessment is an opportunity through which teachers can modify content to benefit students and their needs.

Evaluating teachers:

Teachers play a vital role in increasing education standards. The improvement of school efficiency and equity rests, to a significant degree, on ensuring that educators are well qualified, adequately equipped, and motivated to do their best. The proper monitoring and evaluation of education, in turn, are essential if the efficacy of teaching in a school is to be continuously enhanced (Nhundu, 1999). It is vital to recognize the strengths and areas of teaching that should be improved (Kupermintz, 2003). From this point of view, teacher evaluation is a critical step towards improving the efficiency of teaching and learning and increasing educational standards. Shymansky (1978) once claimed that many variables contribute to successful education, but the instructor is the most significant contributor to the success of the program. The evaluation of teacher performance thus appears to be so essential as the evaluation of students (Kupermintz, 2003). In our previous teaching practicum experiences, a series of incidents was evident where the school principal attends the classroom suddenly and evaluates the teachers’ performance. We have also seen teachers attend and give feedback to their colleagues for improvement. The feedback is taken into consideration, and the assessed parameter improves itself based on the seen weaknesses. Evaluation results are not always negative, as teachers get praise and a call for the continuity of the level if it is excellent. Thus, the MOE ECE curriculum should provide evaluation and allow teachers to improve their teaching level and methods. Also, they must consider allowing colleagues to evaluate each other and provide feedback.

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Areas needing improvement within the MOE ECE curriculum

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Areas needing improvement within the MOE ECE curriculum

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As assessing students' learning is a crucial endeavor, evaluating the curriculum itself is a part of the ongoing quality improvement process. Students' understanding of the curriculum will decrease by a "wrong" or "incomplete" curriculum. Determining the "correct" curriculum is critical. A curricular gap is when a topic or component is required but does not exist in the curriculum. Curriculum gaps reveal the sections of the curriculum that are "wrong or incomplete" (Gannod, Gannod, & Henderson, 2005). As a part of the assessment, we need to find critical gaps in the MOE ECE curriculum.

The first critical gap in the MOE ECE curriculum is providing one assessment tool only termed observation. Although observation is a critical tool, it is not sufficient alone. Peggy Mak (2002) states that even the most competent educators find it challenging to help students acquire a great amount of knowledge. Instructors must assess students' abilities to determine the efficacy of certain classroom activities utilizing a variety of assessment techniques. They should have a large amount of quality and quantity data to grasp how much their pupils have learned. To that aim, it is critical to assess pupils using a variety of ways (Maki, 2002). Second, there are no evident and mentioned learning outcomes specified in the curriculum, even though the learning outcomes are valuable to learners and instructors. Learning outcomes are a combination of information, skills, abilities, attitudes, and understanding. Students acquire them as a consequence of their effective participation in a set of educational experiences. In truth, they symbolize a lot more. They provide a methodological technique for expressing and describing the curriculum modules, units, and qualifications, as well as levels, cycles, and subject standards statements. The learning outcome is not just an isolated tool. It represents an approach that plays a significant role in a much broader context that is the foundation stone of the new architecture of educational reform (Adam, 2004). Therefore, we consider not having clearly stated learning outcomes in the curriculum as a gap. Third, there are no evaluation methods included in the curriculum. However, evaluation is necessary to improve the teaching and learning process. According to Arnold Love (2010), educational evaluation expanded at a remarkable pace. Evaluation purposes are likewise growing as the boundaries of educational evaluation continue to extend. Evaluations improve students' development, education systems, and responsibility for outcomes. Administrators and instructors should perform their own evaluations to enhance school performance and promote innovative learning environments (Love, 2010). Accordingly, we consider not having an evaluation plan in the curriculum as a gap.

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When comparing and contrasting the two curricula in relation to their components, we found some parallels and differences. First of all, the MOE neglected the learning outcomes, while the Australian formulated several outcomes. The Australian outcomes focused on holistic child development, including physical, social, emotional, and cognitive skills. Prioritizing all of the developmental areas combines thinking with feeling and fosters students’ creative expression, communication, and comprehension as they will be able to navigate complex amounts of information (Bao, 2019). Second, both unit plans provided clear content and scope by explaining what should be taught and the required depth of the materials. Also, both of them particularized numerous learning objectives related to the content. Their objectives described what students were supposed to achieve at the end of the lessons. Sinha (2021) stresses that learning objectives guide teachers’ instructions and strategies used for teaching. In addition, both curriculums provided sequential lessons consecutively. However, the Australian curriculum sequenced each session into activating prior knowledge, introduction, concept reinforcement, conclusion, and homework. The MOE sequenced the sessions into whole-group, small-group, and learning centers. The Australian curriculum sequenced a total of seven lessons in a unit plan, while the MOE sequenced five lessons in a unit plan. Even though both curriculums mentioned the assessment tools, the tools differ. The assessment of the MOE focused only on observation, and the Australian focused on questions. Those tools are beneficial to assess students but insufficient. The timing was not mentioned by the MOE but mentioned by the Australian curriculum. It allocated 30 minutes for each lesson. In addition, both curriculums stated a methodology to implement the lessons and balanced between teacher-centered and student-centered activities. Balancing the teaching methodologies scaffolds students creates energized classroom, cultivates joy, and increase the enjoyment of learning experiences (Byrne, 2016). In addition, both curriculums mentioned a range of resources involving books and hands-on materials. These resources allow exploration of the five senses and build students’ motor skills. Finally, both curriculums mentioned tasks divided into learning centers. The National Association for the Education of Young Children promotes the use of learning centers in the early childhood curriculum. It states that learning centers enhance discovery and enable students to work together cooperatively and acquire problem-solving skills (Arce, & Ferguson, 2013).

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Hamda and Eman group:

we like how they organize the information in the padlet, it means that they know how to use it also they was very specific and formal about the information.

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Azza and Mahra, you covered the assessment parts successfully.  You supported your arguments, claims, and statements with reference, which makes your work substantial. In the first part of the assessment, "Description and Importance of the Integrated Curriculum," you have mentioned many different points. Information bout the multidisciplinary approach, the significance of the integration, and the rationale were clear and detailed. However, it would have been better to write the rationale in the form of successive paragraphs that are connected to ideas and supported by examples. You have provided a clear and accurate overview of the MOE curriculum, and we liked the example you mentioned regarding the structure of the unit. It's good that you have mentioned the prime areas of learning covered in the Early Years Curriculum Framework and the specific areas of learning. You have included two indexes covering the relationships between the 11 components of the MOE ECE Al Warda curriculum and the EYFS curriculum. We recommend adding information from the curriculum itself along with your comments to each component. We liked that you wrote the similarities and differences in detail. You mentioned that there is a need to include learning outcomes focused on the social and emotional development of the child. We recommend including examples of the learning outcomes that focus on the social and emotional development of the child. Also, you mentioned that there is a need to bring innovation in assessment methods. We suggest mentioning how teachers can be innovative in assessment methods. In general, you did the work well, and it is clear that you worked hard on it.

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Latifa and Huda, we liked how you demonstrated detailed and in-depth knowledge of the UAE Curriculum. You even mentioned other curriculums in UAE Private schools, such as IB, British, and American curriculum. It is great that you considered Differentiation as one of the critical gaps needing improvement within the MOE ECE curriculum. We recommend providing suggestions about how to improve this gap by offering differentiated activities. It was excellent that you noted similarities in subjects between the UAE curriculum and the USA curriculum. However, we suggest that you compare other curriculum components, such as objectives, assessments, or tasks. You used a sufficient range of resources in this project that supported your ideas. Great job!

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Their padlet is clear and have all the information, also i can understand both of the curriculums.