Journaling is important even for pre-readers.
Gretchen’s House follows the HighScope curriculum. This philosophy encompasses five areas: environments, adult child interactions, a consistent yet flexible daily routine, active learning experiences, and child observation and assessment.
The HighScope approach is based on research that shows that children learn by doing. Children learn and recall more information if they discover facts and answers for themselves. For example, a teacher could tell a child that 2 plus 2 equals 4. If the child repeats this fact, he or she will learn it through rote memorization. But if a teacher provides counting materials and encourages children to group different quantities of items, count them, guess how many they will add up to, and manipulate items and numbers for themselves, children will learn not only that 2 plus 2 equals 4, but they will also have acquired strategies for solving other addition and subtraction problems. This reinforces feelings of competence and confidence to approach new tasks.
Our indoor and outdoor play environments are designed to encourage experimentation with real objects and provide meaningful context. We stock our classrooms with developmentally appropriate materials that challenge children’s abilities and invite them to explore. We set up distinct areas to facilitate particular kinds of play—a tiled area for messy projects, a quiet, cozy nook for reading—but we also encourage children to make connections across interest areas. So we are pleased when a child who is building in the block area brings over a book about bridges for reference or includes play food in the kitchen he has just built.
The teacher’s role and interactions in a HighScope classroom is to be a facilitator or coach. Our activities are designed to encourage children to dive into play rather than waiting for directions. Teachers plan for a range of developmental abilities and strive to provide varying levels of challenge to meet children’s individual needs. Teachers also use the problem-solving approach with the children in their classroom when children are negotiating about materials and space. They redirect play that becomes unfocused or destructive.
The HighScope approach to learning can also be described as a constructivist approach. Children are constantly building on previous knowledge and refining what they know with new experiences. This method emphasizes process over product, promotes higher level problem-solving skills and encourages children to plan, reflect, and develop self-reliance and initiative. Teachers scaffold learning by challenging children to explore concepts that are just beyond their individual comfort zones, by providing feedback and resources when children become frustrated, and by posing questions and problems that lead children to new concepts.
Core Curriculum
We plan our curriculum based on the HighScope Key Developmental Indicators (KDI’s) described on our Daily Routine page. These curricular activities will vary from group to group based on interest and developmental levels. However, there are certain activities that you are likely to see at all of our centers:
Children go outside every day, weather permitting.
Children listen to stories and read to themselves every day.
Children sing and listen to music every day.
Children prepare family-style meals and snacks together every day.
Children participate in the “work” aspects of group life: planning, setting up, and cleaning up activities; recycling.
Children care for living things: plants, gardens, and animals, as is developmentally appropriate.
Work Time
A large block of time each morning and afternoon is devoted to Work Time. To read more about our daily routine, as well as the HighScope Key Developmental Indicators (Approaches to Learning, Social and Emotional Development, Physical Development and Health, Language and Communication, Mathematics, Creative Arts, Science and Technology and Social Studies), please visit our Daily Routines page.