Resource - High/scope In The Elementary Classroom

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HigH/SCoPE ELEMENTARY Each day in the High/Scope elementary setting follows a carefully planned and consistent schedule. it is only when they come to learn more about the process that teachers understand that plan-do-review helps to meet curriculum expectations. For example, children explore materials that are curriculum-related. Moreover, the teacher learns how to use plan-do-review to scaffold children’s learning and to use children’s experiences to support the curriculum at other times of the day. Furthermore, the method that teachers adopt for planning and reviewing is connected to specific curriculum expectations and children’s developmental levels. Plan-do-review is conducted in different ways according to the age of the children in the classroom. Kindergarten students may plan and recall orally and with props, whereas students in grade two and grade three may use journals to independently record their plans and reflect on their work-time experiences. Making a Difference Extending High/Scope practices into the elementary classroom leads to both improved teacher effectiveness as well as positive student outcomes. Using the High/Scope approach in my third-grade classes supported my students’ performance on standardized tests, for example. When asked to use manipulatives and include pictorial explanations for their answers to the math sections of the test, my students were able to draw on their familiarity with using mathrelated manipulatives in a meaningful way during plan-do-review every day. Their previous classroom experience with manipulatives gave them greater confidence at testing time in demonstrating their understanding of math concepts through concrete objects. The method that teachers adopt for plan-do-review is connected to specific curriculum expectations and children’s developmental levels. Students also became more independent and self-motivated learners as a result of teaching practices that allowed children to engage in active, hands-on learning and projects of their own choosing. For example, some students saw themselves as “scientists” when they formed a science “club.” others (some of whom were typically very active) began to consider themselves as artists, working in a focused way on paintings of nature for forty-five minutes during plan-do-review. My students were also able to internalize the value of cooperation verses competition and communicate this important difference to others. one child, who attended a birthday party outside of school, returned to tell me that the host parent had organized competitive games; she said she explained to the adult that she preferred cooperative activities. After the first year of my adapting the High/Scope approach to teaching and learning, i attended the usual endof-year meeting during which teachers determine where each student will be placed the following school year. i felt confident advocating on behalf of students who had once been considered “challenging” but who had learned in my High/Scope classroom how to better regulate their emotions and to resolve difficulties and conflicts through problemsolving. These students were no longer considered “difficult.” Making a difference in the classroom sometimes requires that teachers make changes in their classroom practices. My own journey in extending High/Scope into elementary settings has been overwhelmingly rewarding, and i’ll continue to use this active learning approach in my classroom. i am convinced it is the way to make a positive and lasting difference in my students’ lives. References Epstein, A. S. (2007). Essentials of active learning in preschool: Getting to know the High/Scope curriculum. Ypsilanti, Mi: High/Scope Press. Evans, B. (2002). You can’t come to my birthday party! Conflict resolution with young children. Ypsilanti, Mi: High/Scope Press. Sarah Fewson is a High/Scope consultant and trainer and elementary school teacher in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. For more information on High/Scope’s elementary approach, see our Web site. www.highscope.org ReSource Fall/Winter 2008 16
HigH/SCoPE’S READY SCHooL ASSESSMENT From Preschool to Ready School: Using Data to Support a Preschool– Early Elementary Continuum by Marijata Daniel-Echols A mong educational researchers, policy analysts, and policymakers, support for developing and implementing a continuum of curriculum content and pedagogy between preschool and early elementary school is at an alltime high. Interest has been fueled by increases in state-funded preschool initiatives that bring early childhood education into direct relationship with the K–12 system in new ways. The push to expand preschool is driven by longitudinal research that demonstrates a connection between early childhood experiences and elementary school performance. The primary focus of the RSA is to help elementary schools think critically about their policies and practices. Users are challenged to look at evidence to see how ready they are to educate all children. A prominent example of work focused on an early childhood–elementary continuum is the Foundation for Child Development’s PreK–3rd initiative. its creators describe it as an initiative that aims to contribute to the creation of “a new first level of American education,” extending from age three to age eight (Foundation for Child Development, 2008). its goal is to encourage the alignment of preschool standards, curriculum, instruction, and assessment with the kindergarten through third-grade elementary experience and expectations. The Kellogg Foundation’s Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids (SPARK) is another example of a national effort to increase school readiness and ensure smooth transitions for children as they move from preschool to elementarylevel classrooms (W.K. Kellogg Foundation). SPARK supports partnerships among preschools, elementary schools, and community stakeholders, encouraging them to work together to better serve their children and families. While in recent years there has been growing interest in preschool to elementary articulation, the concept is not new. The National Education goals Panel’s (NEgP) Ready Schools Resource group produced a list of ten characteristics of a ready school (Shore et al., 1998). The second trait listed was that “a ready school strives for continuity between early care and education programs and elementary schools” (p. 5). From Concepts to Constructs in a grant related to, but not directly a part of, the SPARK project, the High/ Scope Foundation received four years of funding from the Kellogg Foundation to develop the Ready School Assessment tool (RSA). The theory behind the work is that in order to have a strong articulation of preschool and elementary education content and practice there must be a way to translate general concepts of a ready school into specific, measurable constructs. The RSA measures eight dimensions of a ready school: Leaders and Leadership; Transitions; www.highscope.org ReSource Fall/Winter 2008 17
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Resource - High/scope In The Elementary Classroom

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