The High Scope Curriculum
The High Scope Curriculum is learning through hands on experiences with people, materials, events and ideas. (So children are constantly experimenting, discovering, initiating, solving and resolving conflicts as they learn).
The curriculum emphasizes adult-child interaction, a carefully designed learning environment in which children are active learners. They participate in the planning of their work the teachers are facilitators and together there is a partnership in shaping the educational experience.
There is always a balance which helps children to become self-reliant and have a sense of empowerment.
The High Scope Curriculum integrates all aspects of child development. Using research-validated strategies, this approach enhances each child’s growth in the foundations of academics as well as in social-emotional, physical, and creative areas.
Each individual program consists of a complete system of teaching practices, defined curriculum content areas for each topic and age group, assessment tools and a training model.
The practices and content are flexible by design, easily adapted to individual needs and institutional requirements.
High Scope involves active participatory learning and the basic ingredients for this are:
Materials
The abundant supply of readily available materials. Materials should be safe, appealing to children and to be used in an open-ended manner.
Manipulation
Children handle, touch, examine, combine and transform materials and ideas. They make discoveries through direct hands-on and minds on contact with these resources.
Choice
Children choose materials and play mates. They choose to build on their ideas, plan their activities with their teachers according to their interests and needs.
Child language and thought
Children describe their work and what they are doing. They communicate both verbally and non-verbally as they think about their actions and modify their thinking to take new learning into account.
Adult scaffolding
Adults need to be supportive to children’s current level of thinking and challenge them. Adults encourage children’s efforts and help them extend or build on their work by talking with them about what they are doing, by joining in their play, and by helping children learn to solve problems that arise.