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Developed by Deborah J. Leong and Elena Bodrova, Tools of the Mind is distributed by Metropolitan State College of Denver, Center for Improving Early Learning. Address: 5660 Greenwood Plaza Blvd., Suite 100, Greenwood Village, CO 80111. Email: leongd@mscd.edu. Web: http://www.mscd.edu/extendedcampus
/toolsofthemind/index.shtml. Telephone: (303) 721-1313.
Tools of the Mind was first implemented in preschool classrooms in 1993. During the 2008/09 school year Tools of the Mind will be active in more than 450 full- and half-day classrooms in Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Oregon. Tools of the Mind is used in Head Start centers, public preschool programs, and child care centers in various settings. The curriculum is appropriate for use with typically developing children, as well as English language learners, and has been used in both inclusion and special education classrooms.
Tools of the Mind can be implemented in a variety of early childhood settings. The curriculum focuses on 40 activities designed to develop children’s executive function, including child-directed, teacher-supported, and cooperative peer activities. Instruction is individualized through teacher scaffolding. Dramatic play is a main component of the curriculum. With intentional planning by the children and support from the teacher, this component exposes children to a range of experiences that foster self-regulation skills. For example, children are encouraged to write or draw a representation of their plan for a pretend play activity. Self-regulation is viewed as a necessary prerequisite to school readiness and is embedded in activities throughout the day. Thus, activities are designed for children to simultaneously practice self-regulation and cognitive skills, such as “Buddy Reading,” during which children explore concepts of print but also practice staying in the role of “reader” and “listener.” Professional development for teachers, paraprofessionals, and program coaches are provided by Tools of the Mind staff during the first two years of implementation. In the first year the trainers offer four workshops and conduct at least four site visits, depending on the program’s size. The program coaches receive specialized training, a coaching manual, pacing guides, and a fidelity checklist.
Tools of the Mind is typically implemented over a two-year period. During this time the developer provides intensive professional development to facilitate implementation. The first year of implementation costs about $3,000 per classroom, excluding travel and depending on the program’s size. The price includes training for most staff that work with the students, such as paraprofessionals and supervisors—although special education staff are trained separately at additional cost. The cost and number of site visits provided vary depending on the number of classrooms in the program. The curriculum guides cost an additional $100. The developer and adopters negotiate the cost of the second year of professional development services, typically about $1,500. Although the developers of Tools of the Mind do not sell classroom materials, they provide a list of recommended materials that programs can purchase from other vendors.
|Institute of Education Sciences
