Tools of the Mind curriculum for preschool age children is a comprehensive curriculum that presents content in an integrated, developmental way so that instruction forms a coherent whole.  Instructional strategies used in Tools are a combination of child-initiated activities, teacher scaffolding and explicit instruction, individualization through multiple levels of scaffolding and on-going use of assessment data to tailor interactions to meet individual needs.  Progress is monitored daily, weekly, and monthly.

Self-regulation is a primary result of the use of this curriculum, helping children prepare to be successful in kindergarten.  Current research shows that self-regulation (both cognitive and social-emotional) has a stronger association with school readiness than IQ or entry-level reading or math skills.  Good self-regulation includes the ability to stay on task, ignore distractions, and hold two strategies in mind at the same time, as well as the development of self discipline and the motivation to succeed.  Aspects of self-regulation such as ability to pay attention, remember on purpose, plan one’s actions, reflect on one’s thinking, and cooperate and act empathetically toward peers, heavily influence a child’s future success in school.

The central focus of Tools of the Mind is the development of both cognitive and social-emotional self-regulation at the same time that academic skills are taught.  In the Tools classroom:

• Practice in self-regulated learning is embedded into all activities.
• Teachers use strategies to help children improve the quality of their dramatic make-believe play so it fosters self-regulation development.
• Research-based literacy and math activities are modified to include self-regulatory components.
• Specific instructional activities are designed to teach self-regulation and reflective thinking.
• Classroom management techniques maximize time-productive interactions and task involvement.

Mature intentional make-believe play is the foundation of self-regulation development.  It creates conditions in which young children are able to act in a more mature way and use mature mental functions.  Children remember more, attend better and have better self-regulation.  This kind of play is the only classroom experience that naturally provides three types of interactions which lead to self-regulation:  regulation by others, regulation of others, and self-regulation.  Without deliberate scaffolding by teachers providing on going opportunities to engage in mature play, many young children will not develop it on their own.  In Tools of the Mind, there is explicit design of literacy, mathematics, and science activities so that they further promote the self-regulation developed in play.   Mature intentional play has the following characteristics:

• Supports expressing and representing intention through play planning.
• Has explicit roles and implicit rules.
• Uses symbolic props.
• Has an extended time frame.
• Includes extensive use of language.
• Involves imaginary pretend scenario.

Children are assessed daily through review of their play plans, observation, and through the use of assessment tools that review a child’s level of ability in activities.

Examples of activities in the Tools of the Mind classroom:

Graphics Practice

In Graphics Practice, children develop the fine motor and self-regulation skills needed for writing.  They draw on white boards with markers, stopping and starting in response to musical cues.  Children use private speech to help them remember how and what to write, learning to inhibit while also remembering the shape they’re representing in writing.

Buddy Reading

In Buddy Reading, pairs of children “read” books to each other, using external mediator cards to remind them of their roles as they take turns reading and listening.  Buddy Reading is one Tools of the Mind’s cooperative partner activities.  These activities are designed to foster self-regulation development and positive child-child interaction while also fostering the development of emergent literacy or numeracy skills.

Play Planning

Children describe what they are going to do when they play and then represent their plan on paper in drawing and writing.  Children work at their own level, adding detail to their drawn plans, using lines to represent words in their written message, and using the Tools of the Mind Sound Map to write letters representing the sounds in their words.

Making Collections

In Making Collections, children work in a cooperative partnered mathematics activity taking turns counting and ‘checking’ using one-to-one correspondence.  Children use Vygotskian tatics such as private speech, external mediators and other-regulation.