Educators evaluate Highscope Preschool Curriculum

A feedback session on the evaluation of the Highscope Preschool Curriculum in Dominica officially got underway on Wednesday.

The program is a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Assistant Education Officer, Veda George who was addressing the official opening ceremony held at Fort Young Hotel said preschool children are supposed to create, invent, explore and not copy.

“Consequently children in the preschools are supposed to learn constructively with manipulative,” George said. “Children in preschools should not be given booklists where they are made to buy all kinds of activity books, where they are made to simply join lines to form letters and numbers. They should be given plain paper to form their own letters and their own numbers. It is only then we as adults will have a true understanding of what they know.”

She continued, “Children in preschools should not be given to colour other people creations, instead they should be allowed to draw and colour their own creations.”

She called on adults to teach children how to learn.

“Remember that at whatever we do with children in these early years, will determine how children’s brains are wired for future learning. We therefore need to teach children how to learn,” she emphasized. “We need to allow them to express themselves as we observe and nurture their interest. It is therefore important for us to present our children an opportunity that affords them to be active rather than passive learners.”

Meanwhile, she noted that the hallmark of the HighScope Preschool Curriculum is active participatory learning.

George also revealed that there are five main ingredients that must be present if children are to be active learners.

“They believe that children must have materials, and they must be given an opportunity to manipulate these materials,” She said. “Children must also have choice in selecting materials and using the materials to be creative. Off course as they manipulate the materials, we the adults must support children as we observe keenly to understand their thought processes and learn their language.”

Additionally she noted that the content of the HighScope of the preschool curriculum is referred to as key development indicators.

“They are key because they are experiences that all children should have in order to have a well rounded foundation. They are considered to be developmental since they are geared towards the development levels of the preschool child,” She explained. “There are 58 indicators which are contained under eight main headings namely, approaches to learning, social and emotional development, physical development and health, language literarcy and communication, Mathematics, creative arts, science and technology and social studies.”

George mentioned that, in 2007 a national survey, which was conducted in Dominica, revealed that the majority of preschools were not using a curriculum or having one that was developmentally appropriate.

“Four demonstration centres were selected as the pilot centers in 2008. the Grand Fond Social Centre Preschool, the Mahaut Preschool, The Social Centre Model Preschool in Roseau and the Southern Women Organization for Rural Development in Saude Preschool in Grandbay,” she stated. “In the academic year 2009 to 2010 the Bagatelle and Canefield Social Centre were included as part of the training of trainers program.”

She noted that from 2010 to 2013, twenty new preschools were added to the list, including Belles, Bense, Campbell, Castle Bruce, Colihaut, Delices, Dublanc, Good Hope, Grandbay, Petite Savanne, Petite Soufriere, Pichlen, Roseau, Trafalgar and Vielle Case.

In fact, she stated, in September of this academic year, seven other pre schools started the process in implementing the Highscope Preschool Curriculum.

“So this academic year, from 2014 we sort to include those preschools that are on government property located next to the primary schools, but not directly in the primary school building,” she explained.

These schools include, The Blossom Preschool in Egleston, Morne Prosper and Soufriere Preschools.

This academic year the Sinekou Preschool, the Happy Day in Loubiere and the Massacre PreSchool are among the school that have begun receiving training for implementing the curriculum.