By Charlotte Meaden, Faye Humby, Kerry Hayward, Sarah Baker and Toni-Marie McCarrick

High/Scope• High/Scope is an approach that was initially

developed by Dr David Weikart in 1962, to serve children at risk of school failure in Michigan, USA.

• “Staff encourage children to become decision-makers and problem-solvers, helping them to develop skills and traits that enable them to become successful students.” (Pound, 2005, p. 56)

• The curriculum model is now used in more than 20 countries including UK, Ireland and Mexico.

Pound, L (2005) How children learn, Leamington Spa: Step forward publishing.

• Research was carried out called the “High/Scope Perry Pre-school project.” This was to evaluate if early intervention was the solution, from the research it was concluded that this was. From here the High/Scope approach was implemented into nurseries.

• The Perry pre-school project ran for 5 years and was a longitudinal study, following up the lives of the children who went to the nurseries. One group of children were enrolled on a pre-school course whilst the other group had no education before they went to school.

“The original project was one of the early attempts totranslate Piaget’s theory into practice with each aspect ofthe work theoretically grounded and thoroughly evaluated.”(Bredekamp, 1998, p. 27)

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High/Scope Perry Preschool study findings at age 27

Nursery

NoNursery

5+ arrests $2000+ Own home Graduate

Hohmann, M and Weikart, D (1995) Educating young children, Michigan: High/Scope press.

Key dates• 1962-1967: High/Scope Perry pre-school project began

with the first group of 123 children.

• 1984: Publication of Changed lives: the effects of the Perry Pre-school program on youth through age 19.

• 1990: High/Scope UK, the first institute outside the US.

• 2004: Publication of Lifetime effects: The High/Scope Perry Pre-school study through age 40.

Pound, L (2005) How children learn, Leamington Spa: Step forward publishing.

View of childhood

The power to learn resides in the child

Children and adults think differently

Independenceis promoted

Children need to take care of their own needs

Every child is unique and their self-confidence needs to be enhanced by building on what they can do already

Hohmann, M and Weikart, D (1995) Educating young children, Michigan: High/Scope press.

Children learn through their own actions and interactions

http://www.high-scope.org.uk/hs_code/about_us/approach.asp (Accessed on 13/11/07)

The Daily RoutinePlanning time (10–15 minutes)

Work time (45–60 minutes; includes cleanup time at the end)

Recall time (10–15 minutes)

Small-group time (15–20 minutes)

Large-group time (10–15 minutes)

Outside time (30–40 minutes)

Transition times (including arrival and departure) (variable)

Eating and rest times (variable)

Adult team planning time (20–40 minutes)

http://www.highscope.org/Content.asp?ContentId=182 (Accessed 16/11/2007)

Key Activity Concept

•High/Scope activities are focused around active learning using the senses and imagination as well as adult

interaction.

•Children are also encouraged to choose their own activities to do and use them however they would wish to.

It is important therefore, that the equipment to be age appropriate and for the supervising adults to observe for

the children's wellbeing.

Activities

Mixing Paint

Adding food colouring to water

Blowing bubbles

Making paper chains

Printing and creating masks on the computer

Problem Solving using puzzles

Wood work (sawing and drilling holes with adult supervision)

Play dough

Role play

Material work

“Children learn best through active experiences with people, materials, events and ideas” (Jackman, 2004, p. 27)

Classroom Plan

Mat

Role Play

Play dough

Writing and drawing

Cooking corner

Sand and Water activities

Labelled play equipment

“Children should be agents in their own learning, therefore the organisation of space, materials and people must support independent learning.” (Brown, 1990, p. 11)

Quotes

“One of the hallmarks of programs based on active learning is the many opportunities they provide for children to make choices” (Hohmann et al, 1995, p. 25)

“The active learning process involves all the senses” (Hohmann et al, 1995, p. 25)

“Through exploration, children answer their own questions and satisfy their curiosity” (Hohmann et al, 1995, p. 25)

“The eight key experiences relate directly to Piaget’s areas of cognition.” (MacNaughton, 2003, p. 96)

Plan do review Piaget’s active learning

Communicating perceptions through creativity

Gardner’s multiple intelligences.

High/Scope philosophies Other theorists

Adults support and play with children

Vygotsky ZPD

Children should have control over their own learning

Smilansky’s roles of planning

Learning through talk Bruner’s scaffolding

• “Through active learning-having direct and immediate experiences and deriving meaning from them through reflection-young children make sense of their world.” (Pound, 2005, p. 57)

• Scaffolding is the “process of giving support to learners at the appropriate time and at the appropriate level of sophistication to meet the needs of the individual.” (Pritchard, 2005, p. 31)

High/Scopes’ view of Play

Experiences

Children should interact with peers and adults

Repetitive and new challenges

Various activities

Play vigorously and quietly

In the Classroom

• Adults organise play into specific areas

Sand and Water Play Role Play Drawing and Painting

Wide variety of materials

Easily accessible

Supporting Play

• Play in a supportive climate in involves all the ingredients of active learning.

• Materials

• Choice

• Language

• Awareness of others

Plan-do-review

• plan activity, carry out and reflect

• set process in motion

• review experiences

• small group time

• large group time

“To capture and build on children’s natural enthusiasms, adults put themselves in children’s hands as often as possible. They follow children’s directions; willingly assume the pretend roles assigned to them by children (“Your leg is broken, but I’m a doctor so I’ll fix it”) and play games according to the child’s rules.” (Hohmann et al, 1995, p. 53)

Planning and Play

Planning leads to involvement and concentration on play

Planning supports the development of complex play

SIMPLE PLAY

Familiar routine, repetitive, unproductive

Cognitively unsophisticated

Performed with no planning or purposefulness

Without structure and with out a goal

Conducted with little mental effort and little care

COMPLEX PLAY

Creative, imaginative and productive

Cognitively complex

Structured and working towards a goal

Learning a new skill, or trying to improve an old one

Conducted with care and mental effort

Hohmann, M and Weikart, D (1995) Educating young children, Michigan: High/Scope press, p. 177.

Assessment

• gather accurate information about children

• observing

• daily planning sessions

Encouraging Independence

• Space and time

• Children’s intentions

• Children’s thinking

‘Active learning depends on positive adult

child interactions’ (Hohmann et al, 1995, p.

6)

• Conduct home visits

Does the High/Scope approach really work?

The “Overall conclusion from research is thatchildren across cultural and socio-economicbackgrounds and of varying abilities benefit fromthe High/Scope Approach. This should be seen asan investment in a child's future life chances andas an investment in the future well-being ofSociety”http://www.highscope.org/Content.asp?ContentI=291 (Accessed on 13/11/2007)

Bibliography• Bredekamp, S (1998) “The contribution of High/Scope to early childhood education in

the United states” Early years 18 (2) pp. 27-31• Brown, M (1990) The High/Scope approach to the National Curriculum – An

introduction, London: High/Scope Institute. • Hohmann, M and Weikart, D (1995) Educating young children, Michigan: High/Scope

press.• Jackman, H (2004) Early Curriculum: A Childs Connection to the World, USA:

Thomson Delmar learning.• MacNaughton, G (2003) Shaping Early Childhood, Bershire, McGraw-Hill• Pound, L (2005) How children learn, Leamington Spa: Step forward publishing.• Pritchard, A (2005) Ways of learning, Oxon: David Fulton publishers

• Head start and High/scope, http://www.angelfire.com/stars3/education/headstart.html (Accessed on 13/11/07)

• The High/scope approach, http://www.high-scope.org.uk/hs_code/about_us/approach.asp (Accessed on 13/11/07)

• http://www.highscope.org/Content.asp?ContentI=291 (Accessed on 13/11/2007)• Daily Routine, http://www.highscope.org/Content.asp?ContentId=182

(Accessed 16/11/2007)