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Lifelong Learners
Josh Keller | August 4, 2010 | Comments (3)
Here at The Grove School, we believe in educating your children not just for 10 months each year, but for a lifetime. As a current student, I can definitely relate to this.
From a young age, I can remember my first days in school. I was enthusiastic to show up every day, and my teachers inspired me to be like them. As I grew older, my teachers proved to be an even bigger part in my life. In middle school, we were all taught to ask for their help if we needed it, a strange, yet big step for us teenagers. We became more independent, yet the teachers were still there for us. They taught us about high school, what to expect, the future, and prepared us for a lifelong journey.
As soon as high school rolled around, there was no messing around; this was the real deal. I took what I learned from middle school and used it to the best of my ability for this new experience. My teachers played an even bigger role in our school work (and our lives). I established relationships with them outside of the class room. I always had a favorite teacher each year (not to say that all of them weren’t my favorite)! I could see the relationships of the students to the teachers was getting stronger in high school. Students would talk after class, laugh with the teachers, even sit and have lunch with them. Most importantly, they prepared me for a college experience and instilled a sense of a lifelong learning experience for me.
Now that I am an incoming sophomore in college, the bond between student (and now professor) is still strong. Being on my own is a wonderful experience, although tough at times. Being in college has taught me to be independent and to look for help when I need it. The professors play a big role in the student’s lives, and no where else but college is the lifelong journey more present. After college, anything is possible. Medical school, Law school, a career, a job, anything. The professors have taught me, and will continue to teach me, valuable life lessons that will help me further down the road, and prepare me to be a lifelong learner.
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Early education: America’s Hedgehog Concept?
Dan Flood | June 29, 2010 | Comment (1)
One of the great things about working for an education company is that you feel like you’re doing some of the most important work in the world. That chorus is echoed in our halls here at The Grove School continuously. However, it’s always great to get an inspiring reminder of why education, and particularly early education, is such important work.
Recently, the Harlem Children’s Zone has gotten a lot of attention as the result of Paul Tough’s book, Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America. The Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) is the manifestation of Geoffrey Canada’s vision to provide a comprehensive education program that touches parents, infants, preschoolers, elementary and high-school and children. The ultimate goal being to increase the chance of success later in life for poor children in Harlem.
Canada’s results are stunning. In an area of extreme poverty, his programs have produced children who outperform their peers throughout the state of New York. At the end of the 2008-09 school year, 65% of the HCZ’s prekindergarten students (the Harlem Gems) had reached an “advanced” school-readiness classification, up from 33.5% being at that level upon program entry. Additionally, 100% of the program’s third graders (which comprise the Promise Academy) tested at or above grade level on the state’s math exam.
In many ways, Canada embodies the spirit of the “human capital” thesis, which looks at education more from an economic perspective. Economist James Heckman has spent years studying this topic and has concluded that, “the rate of return to a dollar investment made while a person is young is higher than the rate of return to the same dollar at a later age.” Geoffrey Canada’s basic goal upon founding the HCZ was to change the lives of poor children in sizable numbers, and in a way that could be replicated nationwide. The net result is that the children who come out of this program, and programs like it, will be likelier to graduate college, enter the workforce, and stay out of the judicial system, all of which will have positive societal and economic impacts.
As the strategy guy at The Grove School, I’m always trying to answer the question, “How can we best spend our limited resources to be as effective as possible?” One of my favorite books on this topic is Jim Collins’ Good to Great, which attempts to identify what separates companies that perform well from those who don’t. The “great” companies have what Collins calls a Hedgehog Concept: a single, unifying idea that defines what will be the focus of the organization. The Hedgehog Concept is formed by answering three questions:
1. What are you deeply passionate about?
2. What can you be the best in the world at?
3. What drives your economic engine?
The first two questions are critical to understanding what an organization’s mission and core competencies are. The third question, however, is perhaps the most important in terms of focus. The goal isn’t to identify a set of measurements that will tell you how your business is performing, it is to identify a single measurement that will be a leading indicator of all critical areas of focus.
For example, Wallgreens’ concept was, “the best, most convenient drugstores with high profit per customer visit.” Focusing on this simple statement allowed them to organize all their efforts, planning and investment efficiently, confident that everything else would fall into place as a result. In doing this, they managed to out-perform Intel, GE, Coca Cola and Merck over a 15-year period.
My point in all of this is that “high-quality, early education programs with high elementary-school readiness rates” seems to have a lot of potential as a Hedgehog Concept for a well-functioning, high-performing society. If we look at early educational success as a leading indicator for future graduation rates, job growth, health care costs, judicial costs and crime rates (which numerous studies have proven is the case), it becomes easy to understand why this is perhaps the single most important measure of our society’s well-being. It obviously requires long-term vision, but the rewards we gain years from now will be exponential.
And that’s why all of us here at The Grove School are doing what we do. If we do our job well, we can change the world.
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What if?
Wendy DeSpain | February 9, 2010 | Comments (2)
“What if those curious minds of early childhood were turned loose on some of the situations we face today?”
This statement appeared on 1/23/2010 in a Dallas Morning News article, “You Better Think” by Carolyn Milford Gilbert, and some of her comments reminded me of other literature I have read and spurred me ask:
Is today’s educational system choking the creativity out of our children’s minds?
This is not a new question; it is being contemplated by many national leaders as well as leaders within the field of education and those studying the neurology of learning. Ken Robinson discusses the way some formal education systems actually discourage creative behaviors for the sake of conformity and standardization. He notes the children ofen describe themselves as creative while adults rarely describe themselves by that trait, in fact, most adults will flat out state that they are not creative. So what happens to them as they grow up? Robinson argues that our society is in urgent need of creative, innovative, and flexible people to meet the demands and problems of today’s society. He goes to iterate that organizations are trying to fix a problem that originates in schools and universities. Howard Gardner establishes similar points when he outlines the anatomy of creativity through the experiences of Freud, Einstein, Picasso, Stravinsky, Gandhi, and others. Each of thier individual experiences, in some cases decades apart, evidence pressure to conform in formal education and ostracization when noncompliant or unconventional behaviors are exhibited.
Therefore, while the value of creativity in adults is steadfast, the nurturing of it in children appears to be lacking. Young children though are naturally curious and innately frank. Are we pushing them away from natural tendencies when we reward conformity in situations like coloring within the lines, answering closed ended questions, and repeating facts, songs, or stories as they are written? The childhood traits of curiosity and honesty have behaviors inherently attached to them that are at times endearing and at other times frustrating, but often unconventional and creative. So…
“What if those curious minds of early childhood were turned loose on some of the situations we face today?”
I fear that there would be dichotomy in the responses. I fear that some formal education systems are working so hard to meet standards, to reward conformity, and to effectively grow cognition in a very diverse classroom that inquiry, exploration, creativity, and individualism is inadvertently discouraged and extinguished. But I am confident that there are some educational systems where innovation, creativity, and uniqueness are facilitated, where alternative solutions to problems are not only encouraged but expected, and where learning materials are meant to be a launching pad for independent thought and exploration. It is this approach that I believe is most appropriate and most beneficial for our students and our future.
What if preschool-age children spent part of their days planting seeds, practicing yoga, and playing outdoor instruments? What if they spent their weekdays learning and playing in a sustainably designed school filled with natural light and fresh air — where recycling, hands-free faucets and an organic garden are as educational as early reading, writing and math skills? What if our preschools served organic produce and dairy products — and avoided ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and trans fats? What if preschool-age children spent their weekdays with highly qualified teachers helping them get ready for elementary school?
The Grove School of Plano is one of those places. That is why I am passionate about it.
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Fun and learning at the grocery store
Linda Loop | January 25, 2010 | Comment
Can grocery shopping with children be fun and educational? You bet! Grocery stores are literally stocked with learning opportunities children of all ages will enjoy. Here are just a few math and literacy activities you may want to add to your list, next time you and your child go shopping together.
Math Activities for Younger Children
• Opportunities for number recognition and counting are everywhere! How many wheels are on your grocery cart? How many aisles are in the store? How many people are in the aisles? How many grocery-store workers does your child see? How many items are in your cart? How many people are in the checkout lines? Have your child look for numbers—on signs above each aisle, on signs at the ends of aisles, on price tags on shelves, and on the cash-register screen as your items are scanned.
• Compare the different sizes of similar items, such as the different sizes of cereal boxes, milk cartons, and yogurt containers, using words such as big, bigger, and biggest.
• Weigh different items in the produce department. Which weighs more, a potato or an apple? Do two potatoes weigh more than a bunch of grapes?
Literacy Activities for Younger Children
• To enhance vocabulary development, tell your young child what items you are looking for. Name the items as you put them in the cart or ask whether your child sees them on the shelf. Discuss what you will make with the items in your cart.
• Ask your child to look for the letters in his or her name.
• In the produce department, ask your child to look for different colors, for example, red apples, yellow bananas, green broccoli, and orange carrots.
Math Activities for Older Children
• Ask your child to count how many different kinds of the same items there are in various sections of the store. For example, in the bakery section, how many different types of breads or cookies does your child see? In the canned goods section, how many different kinds of soups are there?
• Discuss why certain items, such as boxes of cereal, are priced differently. Does the size of a box of cereal determine its cost? Does the type or brand of cereal determine its cost? Which type of cereal is a better bargain? Why?
• Weigh different items in the produce department to determine how many apples are in a pound or how many heads of lettuce equal a pound. Or challenge your child with simple addition problems. For example, if one pound of oranges costs $3.75, how much does two pounds of oranges cost?
Literacy Activities for Older Children
• Have your child keep a list in a small spiral notebook of all the new words he or she sees on signs around the store or on the items in your cart. When you get home, go over the list of new words together.
• In the produce department, have you child list the different varieties of items, such as pears and squash. What makes the varieties different? Color? Shape? Taste? Why might there be so many choices?
• Examine labels with your child. What kind of information is included on nutrition labels? Why are nutrition labels important?
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The benefits of educational technology in the preschool classroom
Lilla Dale McManis | December 12, 2009 | Comment
It is well established that three and four year olds need a strong focus on cognitive development along with attention to their social and emotional development to be ready for kindergarten (1, 2). Technology can play a key role in this preparation. Experts confirm that preschool age children are developmentally ready and able to benefit from instruction with technology. The use of educational technology is now known to have a major, positive impact on the social, emotional, language, and cognitive development of children.
It is recommended that many opportunities be given during the preschool years for exploration using technology tools in a playful, supportive environment. Researchers further agree that a number of technology applications have the potential to support and extend learning in the young child through their unique capability to provide excellent instruction in these important developmental areas that are critical for educational success (3-5).
Specifically, research has found that preschoolers who used computers with developmentally appropriate supporting activities for key learning goals, had more gains than children without these computer experiences. Among others, these included increases in knowledge, long-term memory, verbal skills, problem solving, and manual dexterity (3).
A set of studies with low-income children found those who received a computer curriculum had increases in cognitive, motor, and language scores compared to similar children in a regular curriculum (6,7). Recent research published in the journal Pediatrics found that young children who had access to a computer compared to those who did not performed better on measures of cognitive development and school readiness as measured by the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence. The lead author notes that the findings suggest that “computer access before or during the preschool years is associated with the development of preschool concepts and cognition” (8).
The National Association for the Education of Young Children also states that considerable research points to the positive effects of educational technology on children’s learning and development. For these effects to be present, however, educators must monitor that it is appropriate in the areas of age, individual child needs, and culture; and integrate educational technology into the learning environment in ways that support what and how children learn (9).
To read the research studies noted above, here are the references:
References and Sources
1. Eager to Learn: Executive Summary. (2000). (Eds.) B.T. Bowman, S.M. Donovan, & S.M.
Burns. National Research Council. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
2. Landry, S. & James Baker Institute for Public Policy. (2004). Effective Early Childhood
Programs: Turning Knowledge Into Action. Houston, TX: Rice University.
3. Haugland, S.W. (2000). What role should technology play in young children’s learning? Part 2. Early childhood classrooms in the twenty-first century: Using computers to maximize
learning. Young Children, 55, 12–18.
4. Murphy, K., DePasquale, R., & McNamara, E. (2003). Meaningful connections: Using
technology in primary classrooms. Beyond the Journal: Young Children on the Web.
5. Clements, D.H. 1994. The Uniqueness of the Computer as a Learning Tool: Insights from
Research and Practice. (Eds.) J.L. Wright & D.D. Shade. Young children: Active learners
in a technological age, pp. 31-50. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education
of Young Children.
6. Ainsa, T. (1989). Effects of computers and training in Head Start curriculum. Journal of
Instructional Psychology, 16, 72–78.
7. Ainsa T. (1987). Effects of computers and training in Head Start curriculum. Journal of
Educational Computing Research, 3, 249 –260.
8. Li, X., & Atkins, M.S. (2004). Early childhood computer experience and cognitive and motor development. Pediatrics, 113, 1715-1722.
9. National Association for the Education of Young Children
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State early learning standards
Megan Riede | October 26, 2009 | Comment
It’s imperative to us that your child’s education maps to your state’s early learning standards. Our curriculum aligns with, and in some cases, exceeds these standards so that your child is prepared for kindergarten and beyond.
To read more about your state’s standards, here are some resources:
North Carolina
Early Learning Standards for Preschoolers and Strategies for Guiding Their Success
North Carolina Office of School Readiness
Texas
Texas Education Agency early childhood education curriculum
Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines
Texas Education Agency Curriculum
During their early years, children go through critical stages of development, and consistent, high-quality education can have long-lasting, beneficial effects on the overall development of children. Choosing a preschool in which your child will be loved and cared for is of utmost importance, of course. But it’s also important to select a school that will partner with your family to ensure your child’s healthy development throughout his or her early years.
Social and Emotional Development
Having your child attend the same preschool program throughout his or her early years allows him or her to develop relationships with the adults and children in that environment, which provides a sense of security. A child who is comfortable with the people in his or her life is more likely to participate in learning opportunities and in advanced cooperative play, such as roleplaying with others, playing games with rules, and working with others to accomplish goals. Children who experience consistency in their program demonstrate less aggressive behaviors, because of their ability to interact with others and use their language to resolve conflicts. For young children, the knowledge that teachers, other children, and daily routines will be consistent over time fosters confidence and competency in social settings.
Cognitive Development
Consistency in the preschool program can significantly impact a child’s cognitive development. High-quality programs that provide developmentally appropriate curricula enable children to develop specific cognitive skills at the appropriate age. Developmentally appropriate curricula help children develop cognitive skills through a developmental continuum, meaning the curricula builds on children’s existing skills and knowledge to help them acquire new skills and knowledge. In addition, curriculum programs that incorporate developmental objectives ensure children follow a scope and sequence of age-appropriate developmental milestones throughout their time in the program.
Language Development
Language development occurs at a rapid pace in children between the ages of one and five years old. Children who are secure in their environment and with the people around them are more likely to engage in frequent, age-appropriate conversations. These daily interactions lead to more advanced language skills by promoting vocabulary development and conversational skills. Through activities such as daily group discussions, fingerplays, songs, and read-alouds, children develop the fundamental language skills they will continue to build on throughout their lifetimes.
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What is “school readiness”?
Megan Riede | October 26, 2009 | Comment
At The Grove School, our number one commitment is to prepare your child for future academic success through a hands-on, integrated curriculum and learning community. School readiness is at the center of that environment. But what does “school readiness” really mean?
Generally, it’s a term that refers to a set of skills and abilities a child should possess before entering kindergarten.
But more specifically, I like this definition from scientists and early education professors K. Maxwell and R.M. Clifford in their Research in Review: School Readiness Assessment–
“School readiness involves more than just children. In the broadest sense, it’s about children, families, early environments, schools, and communities. Children are not innately ready or not ready for school. Their skills and development are strongly influenced by their families and through their interactions with other people and environments before coming to school. “
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) also has an excellent position paper that details important considerations when preparing children for school and preparing schools for children. Three important points covered in the statement include:
1. Giving children deserve access to opportunities that promote school success.
2. Recognizing and supporting children’s individual differences.
3. The importance of establishing reasonable and appropriate expectations for what children should be able to do when they enter school.
Additional highlights from the NAEYC School Readiness position paper follow (see the links below for PDFs of both the summary and full position papers):
Readiness is more than basic knowledge of language and math, important as these are. Readiness expectations should include all areas: physical, cognitive, social, and emotional competence as well as positive attitudes toward learning.
Young children develop in different ways and at different rates. Readiness does not happen at the same time or in the same way for all children. For example, one child may develop language skills rapidly while being slower to gain social competence. Definitions of readiness must consider these variations.
A school is ready if the curriculum in kindergarten and the early grades builds on prior learning. In early childhood and beyond, skills are most effectively learned and practiced when embedded in meaningful experiences. Even for children who enter school without having mastered specific skills, curriculum should include child-initiated as well as teacher-supported activities, and should emphasize hands-on, integrated learning.
The school must take into account individual differences in language, culture, and prior experience. Children whose experiences differ from those of the school they enter may be viewed as less ready. Effective kindergarten-primary programs meet children where they are and take extra care to help make meaningful connections with each child’s home, culture, and community.
Teachers must know how to teach young children and have the resources to do so. Ready schools need kindergarten and primary grade teachers who have professional preparation in child development and early education. Class sizes are small enough to meet children’s individual learning needs. Classroom equipment and materials support children’s active, thoughtful engagement with learning.
Our curriculum and school community address these issues head on. From the types of activities and structure of our school day to the credentials of our teachers and how we cultivate community, we’ve thought deeply about to how to best prepare each child for a successful academic future.
Resources for additional information about school readiness:
NAEYC Where We Stand Summary
Complete Position Statement
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The research behind our curriculum
Megan Riede | October 26, 2009 | Comment
When developing The Grove School curriculum, we considered the opinions and research of multiple foundational groups within the early childhood industry. Below are examples of such groups:
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS/SDE)
International Reading Association (IRA)
National Council for Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)
These groups have developed position statements related to important early childhood education practice, policy, and professional development. If you have an interest in reading more about the thinking that informs our curriculum, I encourage you to download these PDFs.
NAEYC position statements
Developmentally Appropriate Practice
Technology and Young Children (Ages 3-8)
Learning to Read and Write (with the IRA)
A Summary of References to Play (in all position papers)
Early Childhood Mathematics (with the NCTM)
School Readiness
Joint position statements by NAEYC and NAECS/SDE
Early Learning Standards
Early Childhood Curriculum, Assessment and Program Evaluation
Other helpful articles
Reading Aloud with Children
The Essentials of Early Literary Instruction
Mathematics in the Preschool
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Global education and why it matters
Saras Ramamoorthy | October 26, 2009 | Comment
Global education is a term used a lot these days. You may have heard it on the news or read about it in newspapers or magazines. Global education is often used in connection with early childhood curriculum programs. Let’s take a look at what global education means and why it is important for young children.
Before discussing what global education is, it may be helpful to know what global education is not. Global education is not a collection of one-time activities that promote a “tourist approach” to learning about different communities of the world. Nor is it taught in connection with seasons and holidays as a means of comparing and contrasting cultures. Global education is, however, about promoting a perception of the world in terms of “unity within diversity,” helping children to recognize what is similar and unique among cultures. For example, children learn that although individuals and groups of people may have different views of life, they also have common needs and wants. Additionally, global education seeks to instill in children a sense of belonging to a larger world community, which fosters the idea that world systems are interconnected and interdependent. Finally, global education gives children glimpses of the world through the eyes of others, thereby promoting acceptance and tolerance.
We live in a world that grows smaller every day. Advances in technology have shortened the distance between countries and continents. It is easier than ever before to travel to faraway places. The ability to communicate with people on the other side of the globe requires little more than a few clicks on a keyboard, and news that occurs thousands of miles away is received within minutes after it occurs. As we continue to connect with people around the world in these and other ways, we come to see how much our future depends on our ability to cultivate global relationships.
Of course, children’s lives are also affected by new technology and the shrinking global landscape. For example, most school-age children are very comfortable communicating with family and friends through e-mails and text messaging. Children see and hear local, national, and international news on the TV or Internet every day. At school, children interact and play with peers who may speak other languages, celebrate different traditions, and live different lifestyles. It is important that we also help children navigate this exciting and ever-changing landscape.
Teaching Global Education to Children
Among the principles of global education is the notion that global education is basic education, and that it can be interwoven among other disciplines, such as reading and writing, math, and music. For this and other reasons, global education can be seen as lifelong learning—that is, it is not something that can be adequately addressed in a short amount of time. Thus, it is never too early to begin teaching global education to children. As a parent, there are many ways to incorporate global education into your child’s learning. Here are a few.
• Talk with your child about how different people live, eat, play, and work around the world. Seek out high-quality books from your local library or bookstore, such as Children Just Like Me by Unicef. Ask your child questions about the books you read together, encouraging him or her to find the similarities and differences among people around the world.
• Use technology appropriately. The Internet can be a great source of child-appropriate websites about different cultures and places of the world. Be sure to research all websites beforehand to ensure they are appropriate for your child.
• Play games with and expose your child to toys, puzzles, and games from other countries. Since all children play with games and toys, they are a wonderful and fun way for children to learn more about other cultures.
• Attend cultural events in your area to show your child that there are many ways of living, eating, and celebrating. Visit local cultural centers to explore how different people and cultures are the same and different.
• Listen to music CDs from other countries with your child. Combining music with learning is one of the best ways for young children to learn. Try to find translations of the lyrics to help your child learn new words too.
• Encourage your child to learn a new language. Better yet, learn a new language together!
• Finally, always talk respectfully and openly about similarities and differences among people. For example, try to discover the names of some of the unique clothing people in other countries wear, rather than call them “special outfits” or “costumes.”
By engaging in these and other activities regularly, your child will be well on his or her way to becoming a global citizen.
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- The benefits of early childhood education 10.26.09
- What is “school readiness”? 10.26.09
- The research behind our curriculum 10.26.09
- September Dates to Remember in Plano 08.30.10
- Mommy and Me! Preview 08.25.10
- Note from Ms. Opal, Preschool Master Teacher 08.19.10
- Meet Ms. Stephanie! 08.18.10
- Introducing…Misti Johnson-Olthoff, Teacher in Pre-Kindergarten 08.16.10
