HighScope Education
The HighScope Educational Approach is a child-centered preschool education model, proven effective through scientific research and designed to support all areas of child development. Developed by David Weikart and his team, this model is grounded in strong theoretical foundations, including Jean Piaget’s cognitive development theory and Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory. HighScope is built upon the principle of active learning, encouraging children to take an active role in their educational journey.
HighScope embraces active participatory learning, ensuring that children are not passive recipients of knowledge but rather learn through hands-on experiences, exploration, and application. The learning process is child-driven, allowing children to construct knowledge by directly interacting with the world around them, based on their interests and choices.
Five Key Components of Active Learning:
- Materials – Children have access to a variety of meaningful and developmentally appropriate materials.
- Manipulation – They are encouraged to explore, transform, and interact with materials through hands-on experiences.
- Choice – Children are given the freedom to select materials and activities based on their interests and needs.
- Adult Support – Teachers guide the learning process by asking open-ended questions, expanding children’s thinking, and creating enriching learning environments.
- Children’s Language and Thoughts – Students are encouraged to verbalize their thoughts and experiences, fostering language and cognitive development.
These components help children develop creativity, independent thinking skills, and problem-solving abilities, laying a strong foundation for lifelong learning.
Scaffolding and the Role of the Adult
In the HighScope educational approach, teachers act as guides in children’s learning processes. The Scaffolding method is used to support children’s existing knowledge and help them reach the next level of development. Teachers carefully observe children and provide support tailored to their Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), enabling them to extend their learning. Throughout this process, teachers provide physical, emotional, and cognitive support to ensure that children feel secure and actively engage in their learning journey.
Plan-Do-Review Process
HighScope enables children to manage their own learning experiences through the Plan-Do-Review process. In this process, children make plans based on their interests, carry out their activities, and evaluate their experiences. This approach fosters skills such as independence, self-confidence, problem-solving, and responsibility. In the HighScope approach, teachers guide children, ask open-ended questions that encourage thinking, help them develop problem-solving skills, and provide rich materials that support the learning process.
HighScope utilizes a framework called Key Developmental Indicators (KDI) to support children’s development. These indicators encompass the following areas, promoting cognitive, social, emotional, and physical growth:
- Approaches to Learning
- Social and Emotional Development
- Physical Development and Health
- Language, Literacy, and Communication
- Mathematics
- Creative Arts
- Science and Technology
- Social Studies
HighScope takes an individualized approach to child development, providing an educational experience tailored to each child’s interests, abilities, and learning pace. Children play an active role as narrators of their own learning, shaping their learning journey and developing the ability to manage their learning process.
HighScope’s Global Impact and the Perry Preschool Project
HighScope is a renowned educational approach that has shaped early childhood education worldwide. Established in 1970, the HighScope Educational Research Foundation is recognized for its extensive research in child development. One of the most significant studies demonstrating the effectiveness of the HighScope model is the Perry Preschool Project. This long-term study, spanning 40 years, has proven that children who participated in the HighScope program demonstrate higher academic achievement, career success, and a greater sense of social responsibility.
HighScope’s research-based instructional model equips children with essential skills such as critical thinking, independent decision-making, and collaboration, preparing them for the demands of an ever-changing world. For this reason, the HighScope approach aligns seamlessly with the Hisar School Preschool Program, supporting students in developing lifelong learning skills that will benefit them throughout their education and beyond.