Basis of high scope

In designing the curriculum, Weikart and his colleagues initially drew extensively from Piaget's research on child development and John Dewey's philosophy of progressive education. Piaget's theory on cognitive development supported the originating team's philosophy that theory and practice must support each child's capacity to develop through active learning (Hohmann and Weikart 1995). Dewey's influence is seen in the prominence in the HighScope approach of playful active engagement in real-life experiences using real materials. Currently HighScope is underpinned by more recent research on cognitive development and on brain activity.The philosophy behind HighScope is based on child development theory and research, originally drawing on the work of Jean Piaget and John Dewey. The curriculum was further developed to incorporate Lev Vygotsky's zone of proximal development and Jerome Bruner's related strategy of adult scaffolding.

Learning Environment

The learning environment in a HighScope setting, indoors and outdoors, is carefully planned to provide children with the optimum opportunities to work independently, to make choices and decisions and to solve problems. Learning environment at Doon Public School's junior wing is one of the key attractions . classes are conducted in thematic rooms .
We have an aqua room which is inspired from the beach , this room has elements of beach like sand play , boat and a water body to completely get an immersive experience . The jungle room is modelled after forest , and has artificial grass , cave and animal toys for children to play and learn .
Our fairy room has fairies , castles and slides for children to get hands- on experience . We believe the environment is the third teacher at doon .

Plan-do-review sequence (planning time, work time, recall time) — This three-part sequence is unique to the HighScope Curriculum. It includes a 10- to 15-minute period during which children plan what they want to do during work time (the area to visit, materials to use, and friends to play with); a 40- to 60-minute work time , another 10- to 15-minute period for reviewing and recalling . Small-group time — During this time, a small group of children meet with an adult to experiment with materials, try out new skills, and solve problems. Large-group time — Large-group time builds a sense of community. Up to 20 children and two adults come together for movement and music activities, Outside time — Children and adults spend at least 30 minutes outside every day, enjoying vigorous and often noisy play in the fresh air. Transition times — Transitions are the minutes between other blocks of the day, as well as arrival and departure times.

Daily Routine

Plan Do Review

For preschoolers it includes the plan—do—review process unique to HighScope, which enables children to express their intentions, carry them out and reflect on what they've done. Small-group time provides educator-initiated learning experiences based on observations of children's interests, key developmental indicators and local events. In large-group time, educators and children initiate music and movement activities, storytelling and so on. Other aspects of the routine include greeting time, tidy-up time, outside time, break and transition times.The heart of the HighScope daily routine is the plan‐do‐review sequence, in which children make choices about what they will do, carry out their ideas, and reflect on their activities with adults and peers. We call these parts of the day planning time, work time, and recall time. By participating in the plan‐do‐review process, children gain confidence as thinkers, problem‐solvers, and decision makers.

Research evidence suggests that the engagement of parents and families in their child's education improves children's academic performance and their motivation. Parental participation leads to higher adult expectations and increased parental confidence and aspirations (Schweinhart et al. 2005). HighScope programmes offer a variety of meaningful opportunities for fathers, mothers and educators to work together sharing information on how to extend children's learning and development. These opportunities can include: daily conversations; family group meetings; conducting home visits; parents' or educators' observations, using a diary or film as a focus for discussion (given due ethical considerations for the confidential nature of the material), or attending key concept sessions. Families establish a unique set of hopes , values , and goals for their children's based on love , experience , and instinct . as educators and caregiver , we are invited to bea part of small circle of people who have tremendous impact on young Childs's growth and learning.

Parent Engagement

Key Developmental Indicators

HighScope identifies the KDIs that are the building blocks of thinking and reasoning. The KDIs are based on current child development research and national and state early learning standards but also reflect HighScope's educational philoso- phy and teaching practices. KDIs pave the way for later Pre-Schooling in Coimbatore and entry into the adult world. In terms of the two major types of learning objectives used by many educational theorists, the indicators include both knowledge and the application of this knowledge in thinking.For example, preschoolers need to know color names (knowledge) in order to sort objects by color (thinking) The content areas in which the pre-school KDIs are organised are:

In the HighScope approach careful daily observation of children's experiences is seen as essential to planning, teaching and learning. The KDIs are used as the basis for the HighScope record-keeping process. Educators record brief, precise anecdotes or capsule summaries of children in action as they play, build, pretend, explore and talk. These narratives are then arranged within the main KDIs and cross-referenced if appropriate (acknowledging the complexity and integrated nature of children's learning and development). Selected anecdotal notes can then be transcribed into the child observation record (COR). The COR is a comprehensive and validated assessment tool. It affords a systematic assessment of young children's abilities and knowledge, incorporating all areas of development. In addition to the anecdotal notes, portfolios and other evidence of children's work can be included. The COR is administered as a baseline assessment when children have settled into the setting and is ideally followed by two further assessments throughout the year. The KDIs and hence the COR can be recorded electronically.

Assesment (Cor Advantage)