Highscope Preschool Key DEVELOPMENTAL Indicators (Kdis) and Supportive Strategies

HighScope Preschool Key DEVELOPMENTAL Indicators (KDIs) and Supportive strategies

HighScope Key Developmental Indicators (KDIs), “are the building blocks of thinking and reasoning at each stage of development” (Epstein, 2007 – Essentials of Active Learning in Preschool).

Using the KDIs as a guideline for planning will ensure that children’s developmental needs are being addressed in our classrooms. Remember that each child is unique and will have differing interests and abilities; the Learning Plan needs to be individualized for each child and reflect the active participatory learning approach.

Resources used in the development of this strategy list include, but are not limited to: Me, You , Us: Social – Emotional Learning in Preschool (Epstein 2009), Getting it Right for Young Children from Diverse Backgrounds (Espinosa 2010), Small-Group Times to Scaffold Early Learning (HighScope Early Childhood Staff 2009), Real Science in Preschool: Here, There and Everywhere (Neill 2008), “I Know What’s Next!”: Preschool Transitions Without Tears or Turmoil (Evans 2007), “I’m Older than You. I’m Five!”: Math in the Preschool Classroom (Epstein and Gainsley 2005), 50 Large Group Activities for Active Learners (Boisvert and Gainsley 2006)

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APPROACHES TO LEARNING

Initiative: Children demonstrate initiative as they explore their world.
Children are eager to learn. They exhibit curiosity, independence, and self-direction as they learn about relationships, materials, actions, and ideas. They take reasonable risks as they investigate the environment.

Planning: Children make plans and follow through on their intentions.

Children make plans and decisions, and express choices and intentions based on their interests. Their plans increase in detail and complexity. Children follow through on their plans.

Engagement: Children focus on activities that interest them.

Children sustain involvement and concentration in their play. They are persistent, motivated, and able to stay engaged.

Problem Solving: Children solve problems encountered in play.

Children are inventive and flexible in solving a variety of problems. They progress from using trial and error to more systematic attempts at problem solving.

Use of Resources: Children gather information and formulate ideas about their world.

Children use all their senses and a variety of tools to explore and gather information about the world around them. They ask questions and try to explain their ideas about the things they encounter.

Reflection: Children reflect on their experiences.

Children use their experiences to draw conclusions about people, materials, events, and ideas. They make connections between what they already know and what they are doing and learning.

Strategies Throughout the Daily Routine to Build Approaches to Learning

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Greeting:

Use pictures on a message board for children to figure out messages for the day. This may include how many days are left of school, who is having a birthday, special events or changes to the daily routine, new materials added to the learning environment, etc. The message board has the potential to increase children’s interest and excitement about the day ahead
Make sure to display and refer to the daily routine in picture format for children

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Greetings can include, but are not limited to:

Special hellos / “I Love You” ritual / Greeting song
Nametag (Letterlink) activities / Signing-in
Changing a clip from home to school
A commitment board / Class meeting
Joke of the day

The Message Board can reflect:

How many days are left of school for the week
Any special event/changes in the daily routine
Special news about a child
Weather conditions
Something new in the environment
A visitor to the class room

An absent teacher

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Please refer to the HighScope resources, From Message to Meaning, (Gainsley, 2008) and Essentials of Active Learning in Preschool (Epstein, 2007) for additional ideas and clarity in practice.

Planning and Recall:

Use a variety of planning and recall strategies to keep children interested. Relying on 1 strategy will eventually bore the children and decrease their engagement in planning and recall. The goal is to increase children’s thinking and ability to verbalize it. Asking questions like, “What will you use?” (to complete your plan), or “How will you use (the materials)..?” will encourage higher order thinking, interest , vocabulary and initiative to complete the planned activity.

Use planning boards, or books (children indicate where they plan to play by pointing, placing a name card, magnetic letter, or number, or some other object on the picture of the area where they plan to play)
Children go to the area they want to play in and bring back an object from that area to describe their plan (variation: the teacher gathers favorite items from different areas to help children formulate plans)
Use props to plan with (based on children’s interests, examples include: a stuffed toy, telephones, microphones, small toys, etc)
Have children get in line, pretending to be a train. Choo-choo around the room stopping in each area. Children get off the train in the area they plan to play in.
Recall “works-in-progress” children may not have finished from previous days
Use a tape recorder to record plans, play it back for recall
Create a map and allow children to indicate where they want to play by “driving” a small car to that area on the map
Use songs (ex: “Jingle, jingle, jingle jive, clap your hands and count to five” change numbers, rhymes and movements as needed, children plan after they complete the movement)

Please refer to the HighScope resources, Essentials of Active Learning in Preschool, (Epstein, 2007), for support strategies and clarity in practice.

Clean-up Time:

Ensure that the classroom supports children’s independent “find – use – return” cycle of play. Make sure that how to use the spaces and materials are clear (Ex: if the easel is separated from the paper and brushes, its use may not be clear to young children). Also make sure that shelves and containers are clearly labeled so that children know where to find and return items.
Allow children the choice about where and with whom to clean as oftenas possible. Use a variety of strategies that engage children in cleaning. Acknowledge children’s attempts and involvement , ex: “You two are working together to put this block away” or “Look, you put all of the dolls away and now this area is clean and safe!” This builds children’s decision making, problem solving and sense of mastery.
Clean-up like… (dogs, dinosaurs, robots, teddy bears - what ever children are interested in)
Have a clean-up parade (put music on and parade around the room, when the music stops clean-up where you are)
Wear pretend binoculars and go on a “toy hunt” to spot items that need to be put away
Play “Beat the Clock.” Turn a timer on and encourage children to race the timer by cleaning up a specified area, amount or item before the timer goes off

Work Time:

Add props and materials to build on children’s interests and skills
Allow children the choice about where and with whom to play. Allow children to use materials in novel ways. Children may take the sorting toys over to the house area to cook, or the play dough to make cookies. Support children by thinking how you can allow them to accomplish their plan while still maintaining the daily routine and safety of the classroom.

Example: Children want to take ALL of the sorting toys over to the House Area to cook with. The teacher tells the children that he/she is concerned because this will be a lot to clean-up during clean-up time. The teacher engages children in problem solving about the potential clean-up to develop a group agreement about how and when they will clean-up the toys before they begin their play. The teacher then follows through on the group agreement at the end of work time. Group agreements might include: that each child will assist with clean-up, they will begin cleaning at the 10 minute warning, they will clean until the job is done, etc.

Allowing children choice and flexibility builds their sense of autonomy, mastery, problem solving and initiative.

Practice S.O.U.L. – Stay silent, observe, understand and listen before entering children’s play. Try to understand what the purpose of the play is, what roles are being recreated, the level of representation and language and finally, how you can scaffold children’s current levels of development.

Note: Being ardent observers help educators assess children’s development, interests and emotional states. The information garnered is vital for individualizing, developing intentional learning plans for children and remaining responsive to children’s needs. Educators who practice this art of observation and are responsive to the needs of the children have classrooms where children feel safe, acknowledged and capable which compounds positive cognitive and emotional outcomes for children assuring constructive approaches to learning.

Use the HighScope Steps to Conflict Resolution in response to children’s social conflict or problems with materials

Please refer to the HighScope resources: Essentials of Active Learning in Preschool, (Epstein, 2007); Lesson Plans for the First 30 Days, (Marshall, 2007); You Can’t Come to My Birthday Party (Evans, 2002), for strategy ideas and clarity in practice.

Small Group:

To support children’s approaches to learning during small group, teachers need to incorporate the following strategies:

Plan small group activities around children’s interests
Plan small group activities that accommodate each child’s developmental level
Make sure that the activity incorporates the Active Participatory Learning approach
Make sure to have all of the materials needed at hand to conduct the group experience to limit wait time
Make sure that each child has his/her own set of materials to use to avoid time lost time due to children having to negotiate for materials
Get up and move around the table to talk individually with each child about how they are using the materials. Support, scaffold and encourage their ideas
Refer children to one another
Plan small groups with an idea of a beginning, middle and end and how children will transition to the next activity

Integrating these strategies into small group time will improve the likelihood that children will engage in the activity increasing children’s cognitive outcomes.

Large Group:

To support children’s approaches to learning during large group, teachers need to incorporate the following strategies:

Plan large group activities around children’s interests and developmental levels
Elicit children’s ideas about how to move their bodies, naming movements, act out stories, or problem solve
Allow children to take the lead in some activities by giving them choices, following their lead and commenting on their actions
Plan group time with a beginning, middle, end and transition in mind.
Augment large group activities with class made song books, movement books, finger play books etc.

Transition:

Moving like an animal (pretending to be mice in the hallway)
Moving in various ways (crawling like babies to small group, pretending to have different kinds of shoes on that change the way children move, etc.)
Singing a song (“If you are wearing color word, go to the door.” To the tune of “If you’re happy and you know it.”)
Release groups of children by some attribute (clothing, color, age, gender, size, etc)

Gross Motor:

To support children’s approaches to learning during gross motor, teachers need to incorporate the following strategies:

Provide gross motor activities daily (20 minute minimum)
Interact with children during gross motor play indoors or outdoors
Build on children’s interests by planning activities and providing props
Carry on High Scope and Head Start educational practices and strategies outside as well as inside

Lunch:

Allow children to set their own places for meals. Ex: plates, cups, napkins and forks are set out for children to get before they come to the table
Set up a basket of extra utensils, napkins and cups to keep at the table. If a child drops a utensil, cup or napkin, a replacement is at arm’s reach versus having to get up and retrieve one
Distinguish between serving spoons and regular spoons to help children make the distinction. Ex: When serving spoons are identical to eating spoons, mark the handle of the serving spoons and bring it to the children’s attention
Encourage children to serve themselves
Encourage children to clean-up after themselves when they spill and before they leave the table. Acknowledge their efforts

Tooth Brushing:

To support children’s approaches to learning during tooth brushing, teachers need to incorporate the following strategies:

Teach children how to brush teeth and maintain hygiene
Set up tooth brushing toothpaste and cups ahead of time to avoid wait time. Allow children as much management over their own toothbrush, cap and cup as possible
Read books about the importance of brushing teeth
Practice brushing teeth on models to keep children’s interest throughout the year
Make the tooth brushing experience as much fun as possible by engaging children in activities while waiting and acknowledging children’s bright, shiny teeth

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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Self-identity: Children have a positive self identity

Children are aware of the characteristics that make up their identity, such as gender, ethnicity, culture, and abilities. They perceive their uniqueness and develop a healthy self-image.

Sense of competence: Children feel they are competent.

Children make discoveries and solve problems with an expectation of success. They believe they can acquire the knowledge or skills they need.

Emotions: Children recognize, label, and regulate their feelings.

Children identify and name their emotions, and recognize that others have feelings that may be the same as or different from their own. They regulate the expression of their feelings.

Empathy: Children demonstrate empathy toward others.

Children understand the feelings of others by drawing on their own experiences with the same emotions. They respond empathically by sharing the happiness of others and offering assistance when they see that others are emotionally upset or physically hurt.

Community: Children participate in the community of the classroom.

Children act as members of the classroom community by participating in routines, cooperating with social expectations, and sharing responsibility for maintaining the classroom.

Building relationships: Children build relationships with other children and adults.

Children relate to others in the classroom. They refer to teachers and peers by name. Children develop friendships, seek out others, and engage in give-and-take interactions.

Cooperative play: Children engage in cooperative play.

Children involve adults and peers in their play. They engage in cooperative play with others by sharing materials, space, conversation, and ideas.

Moral development: Children develop an internal sense of right and wrong.

Children develop ethical behavior. They understand that there are moral principles that do not vary by situation (e.g., people should not hit others).

Conflict resolution: Children resolve social conflicts.

Children engage in conflict resolution, or social problem-solving, to settle interpersonal differences. They identify the problem, offer and listen to others’ ideas, and choose a solution that is agreeable to all.

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Strategies Throughout the Daily Routine to Build Social/Emotional Development

Greeting:

Use the Conscious Discipline Special Hello apron to greet children individually and according to the child’s choice. Make sure to get down at their physical level, making eye contact and touch as appropriate
Use the Conscious Discipline structures of the “Wish Well” tray and safe box
Greet children and parents warmly, making sure to acknowledge all who enter the room, even late comers
Use children’s names and letter links in greeting activities. Example: Sign-in sheets, name tags, job board, friends and family board, commitment board, attendance board or display, graphs
Greet children in the language the child will most likely understand (native language, sign language)
Introduce any visitors in the classroom to the children
Teach and allow children to greet visitors in an appropriate way (Ex: use the Conscious Discipline structure of the Greeting Center)
Allow children to identify emotions through graphing, or games
Ideas from “The Kindness Curriculum”
Activities from the Mental Health Handbook
Activities from the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA) Classroom Strategies book, as long as it is used to build resilience within all of the children
Any activity that builds a sense of initiative, belonging and competence for all of the children in the class

Planning and Recall: