The LINC Curriculum Module was developed to promote greater understanding of early childhood and help school and early childhood leaders use knowledge about the field of early childhood education to foster improvements in all education from birth to grade 12. The LINC curriculum is comprised of a flexible set of lessons that can be utilized in a variety of ways. Universities can incorporate LINC into their redesigned education leadership programs. Professional developers can include LINC in their training efforts. The lessons are designed in such a way that they can be used in-class or independently to maximize their potential uses and create meaningful learning opportunities in a variety of contexts. The overarching goals of the LINC Curriculum Module are to 1) promote greater understanding of early childhood and 2) help school leaders and early childhood directors use knowledge about the field of early childhood education to foster improvements in all education from birth to grade 12.
The LINC Curriculum Module is organized into Four Strands, each of which covers a different aspect of the learning continuum. Each strand is composed of 3 to 5 lessons that elucidate and elaborate on the strand topic. The lessons are clearly organized into different components: 1) A lesson outline that provides an overview to users of what the particular lesson entails; 2) An introductory description of the lesson, as it relates to the strand; 3) Clear objectives for learning for each lesson; 4) Key concepts of the lessons as they relate to objectives, readings, discussion, and activities for each lesson; 5) An essential library that contains the most relevant and recent literature on the lesson topic; 6) Discussion and writing exercises, designed to engage participants in small or whole group discussion or through independent writing and reflection; 7) Pre-and post- lesson activities to support participants in applying and extending their knowledge to their own school experiences and practices; and 8) Additional resources for any additional information that is useful and relevant to the lesson, but was no included in the essential library.
To access the strands and lessons, you can use the navigation bar on the left or click in the text below.
Strand One is comprised of four lessons. In Strand One, participants are introduced to the idea that early childhood programs, elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools all need to work together to meet the child’s developmental and educational needs at all ages in one aligned continuum of learning. By looking at the continuum from different perspectives, participants will learn more about how each level of education fits into the overall system and how school leaders can work to make the system more effective.
The Four Lessons in Strand One include:
1.3 The Continuum
In Strand Two, comprised of three lessons, participants will be introduced to some models of the education continuum. It builds off Strand One in its exploration of the different features of education and how best to integrate them into a continuous, well-aligned and integrated system. In this strand, participants will become acquainted with different models of the education continuum, with an emphasis on bridging and aligning the B-3 span. It provides concrete examples, as well as frameworks, tools, and resources, to support leaders in building better aligned systems in their own school buildings and beyond.
The three lessons in this strand are:
Strand Three includes four lessons designed to help participants understand the relevance of developmental domains (social/emotional, physical, cognitive, adaptive, and communication) and developmentally appropriate practices across the birth-to-grade-12 continuum. Participants learn about making sound instructional and assessment decisions in ways that are informed by human development and support an integrated learning continuum.
The four lessons in this strand are:
The three lessons that make up Strand Four examine the importance of relationships to all levels of education. This strand looks at two types of relationships, in particular—relationships that schools have with their students’ families and the community at large and relationships that help children make the transition from home to early childhood programs, to elementary school, etc. There Is a wealth of research on the role of families in children’s learning and education, and there are many examples of best practices from a variety of settings and cultures. In this strand, participants should learn the basics and apply them to the setting in which they work.
The three lessons in this strand are: