Approaches to Learning

Approaches to learning describes how young children go about acquiring new knowledge and mastering skills. It is the foundation that affects how children learn in every content area and encompasses children's engagement motivation and participation in classrooms. Approaches to learning includes styles of learning and attitudes towards education for example a child's curiosity independence initiative and persistence towards a given task or problem period approaches to learning also involves being able to breakdown a task and do its components organize a plan of work and reflect on the success of ones endeavors.

5 additional materials to further children's learning and exploration: foam blocks, hardwood hollow blocks, wooden train set, naturally occurring manipulative materials, and small toy vehicles.

KDI's List:

1. Initiative: Children demonstrate initiative as they explore their world.

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

3. Engagement: Children focus on activities that interest them.

4. Problem solving: Children solve problems encountered in play.

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

6. Reflection: Children reflect on their experiences.

Planning Form

Name of Activity

It’s Planning Time

Originating Idea

Differentiated ways to teach students at the beginning of the year when students are still learning the layout of the classroom and how the Daily HighScope Routine goes, especially with narrowing down an area to start their work time at.

Curriculum Area

Highlight 1:

Approaches to learning

Social and emotional development

Physical development and health

Language, literacy, and communication

Mathematics

Creative arts

Science and technology

Social studies

KDIs

2 Planning – Children make plans and follow through on their intentions.

Materials

Planning for Work Time / Planificación del tiempo de trabajo (Symbol Stix / Spanish Translation Area Card with other word sentences (info sheet made by me on N2Y)

Area Cards provided by HighScope
One Object from each Area such as:
Foam block from the block area
Notebook from the writing area
Plastic food pizza piece from the house area
Counting dinosaur from the toy area
Paintbrush from the art area
Kinetic Sand Mold from sand and water table
Book from the book area
Hammer from woodworking area
Egg shaker from the music area

Appropriate Age group

GSRP – ages 3 to 5

Beginning of Activity

To help you become more familiar with the planning time part of the routine, I am going to lay out each of the Area Cards that you see around the classroom. Together you will match the objects with the correct Area Card. Then you will show me where you want to play for work time. This will help you learn where we can find the different toys in the classroom that you might want to play with.

Middle of Activity

After the Area Cards are laid out each child will plan in any way, teacher will help to extend their verbiage if needed.

Early:

Child may point to the material or area card they want to play with/in or say one word or phrase about where they want to go. Teacher will add words to the child’s gestures, word or phrase, such as “You’re going to play in the house area. You said, “la casa” and pointed to the house area card.”

Middle:

Child may plan to work in one area with a single set of materials. Teacher may ask if there are other materials they can add to their plan.

Later:

Child may make a plan to continue and expand on their activity from the previous day or expand on their activity the following day. Teacher may connect the plans and encourage them to find a place to store materials that they are still working with and use a provided work-in-progress sign when they hear the 5-minute reminder prior to clean-up time.

End of Activity

After responding, the child is free to go and begin on their plan for work time.

Follow-up Ideas (2)

Using a camera, children will pretend to take a “picture” of the area they would like to go for work time.
Using a classroom design map, children will take a car and park it in the area they would like to go for work time.

Planning Form

Name of Activity

A cooperative building continuation

Originating Idea

Children are struggling when attempting to allow other children to integrate themselves into another child’s play.

Curriculum Area

Highlight 1:

Approaches to learning

Social and emotional development

Physical development and health

Language, literacy, and communication

Mathematics

Creative arts

Science and technology

Social studies

KDIs

3. Engagement- Children focus on activities that interest them.

Materials

Various types of blocks, building materials, and vehicles from the block area:

Foam blocks
Hollow blocks
Branch blocks
Wooden train tracks
Wooden magnetic train cars
Wooden transportation set

Appropriate Age group

GSRP – ages 3 to 5

Beginning of Activity

Yesterday at work time, I saw Jon playing in the block area and Diego tried to join in, he had picked up a train track and wanted to help him build. Jon was reluctant to let Diego help him build onto his current creation as Jon said, “don’t take my tracks away. I need them.” Diego said, “I want to help. Let me make it bigger.”

Middle of Activity

I am going to give everyone a box with the same number of items and together we are going to make a train track that goes from one side of the block area to the other side.

Early:

Children may move between materials, stay with an activity for a short amount of time, engage in a parallel play or just observe peers.

Middle:

Children may explore one or two materials, enter into an activity that looks engaging to their peers.

Later:

Children may become involved with materials, stay with an activity for a long amount of time, invite others to extend an engaging activity.

End of Activity

Gather children and encourage each group to share their building experience and highlight how they shared and cooperated. Ask follow-up questions such as, “How did it feel to share your blocks?” “What was hard about letting someone else join?” and most importantly “How can we remember to share next time we play?”

Follow-up Ideas (2)

Reading "A Book of Bridges: Here to There and Me to You "by Cheryl Keely then building more elaborate bridges
A home for the dinosaur problem solving

Planning Form

Name of Activity

A home for the dinosaur

Originating Idea

Children in the classroom having issues sharing materials

Curriculum Area

Highlight 1:

Approaches to learning

Social and emotional development

Physical development and health

Language, literacy, and communication

Mathematics

Creative arts

Science and technology

Social Studies

KDIs

4. Problem solving – Children solve problems encountered in play.

Materials

Dinosaurs – enough for each child to have 1 – but not necessary 2
Timers
Mo Willems’ book – Elephant and Piggy - Should I share my ice cream?
Secondary items – building a habitat for the dinosaurs
- Blocks
- Sticks
- Outdoor sod/grass/moss
- Bowls for bodies of water

Appropriate Age group

GSRP – ages 3 to 5

Beginning of Activity

Yesterday at work time, I saw Jason and Jacob struggling to share while playing with dinosaurs. During read aloud time we read the Mo Willem’s book “How to share my ice cream”. So today we are going to use our dinosaurs and build them a home, or a habitat. During other activities this year, we have talked about all the different people who can be apart of our families/our homes. So we are going to work together with our individual dinosaurs to create a new home for them.

Middle of Activity

Each of you will receive a dinosaur. With that dinosaur in mind, use the other materials to create a home for your dinosaur. The home will be for ALL of our dinosaurs. Think about it as the bedroom for your dinosaur in our “family home”.

Early:

-A child cries because they want a different dinosaur – Teacher - offer to the student to ask if anyone would be wiling to trade their dinosaur so they can get their favorite color. Offer to use a timer so that everyone switches and will each get a chance with the dinosaur.

Middle:

- Struggling to have a room layout the way they wanted – Teacher – helping remind children of what goes in a room to help them decide the layout.

Later:

- Add other children to their “dinosaur home” – how might they deal with a dinosaur friend sleeping over.

End of Activity

I noticed you were all working together to problem solve – sharing the space – to create a home for all of our dinosaurs…Let’s do a house tour for the whole group – highlighting something that each child created and then asking, “What was your favorite part of creating a bedroom for your dinosaur?” Tell a friend sitting next you.

Follow-up Ideas (2)

Adding in the book of the 3 little pigs – one set of kids get the straw, sticks and bricks – still creating a house together but which one will last when the big bad wolf comes to blow it down.

Create a tea party and have children share allergy friendly school provided snacks/food.