The preschool curriculum in the educational context of Montenegro

Tatjana L. Novović

Summary:  Through an analysis of the various open and/or partially open types of curricula, their common orientation is noted: the education process is directed towards a child in the environment of interpersonal responsibility and the culture of dialogue. A child has both the need and the right to be an active participant in his/her development. Beginning with the humanistic and socio-constructivist paradigm guidelines, the official Montenegrin preschool educational curriculum is constituted. However, on a practical-performative level, the official programme obtains new meanings and context reification through operationalised goals and activities. The Montenegrin preschool teachers plan thematically, starting with the compulsory programme, the developmental age of the children/group, the actual events, the children’s interests, the parents’ proposals and the team agreements. The educators combine the programme objectives with the requirements of the context, children and adults, individualising activities while taking into account the coherence between the various forms of work and difficulty level. On the other hand, in practice, the traditional, fairly routinised programme script intertwines with the elements of open, flexible and individualised child-oriented approach. The overcapacity of preschools in the central and southern regions significantly complicates the position and rights of children to have appropriate space, free play, variety of interactional activities, active involvement of parents, availability of teaching aids and, consequently, the quality of individualised planning.