Get Insights into How PALS Instructs Your Children
There’s a reason that PALS Praise and Leadership Schools is considered a top preschool in Peoria IL. Our school was built upon research that shows what it takes to find success for a lifetime. We believe the skill sets children need for that success begins with developing virtues. In addition, we’ve studied the best programs in the world and have built them into our curriculum. If you’re curious about how PALS instructs your children, we’ve outlined the core elements we’ve used to develop our program.
Don Holdaway’s Foundations of Literacy
Don Holdaway pioneered reading methods based upon a simple model he witnessed as he studied how kids learned to read. He wrote that the natural learning model was based upon four phases: demonstration, participation, role-playing practice, and performance. He noted that children learned best when a caretaker or teacher genuinely reads to a child. Eventually, a child will “read” along with a caregiver before acting out a book unsupervised. Finally, the child will perform and share the book, and when parents and teachers validate this growth, confidence grows, too. Practicing this model leads to literacy. And we’ve built this into how we teach children in our care.
HighScope Preschool Program
HighScope has been an innovator in the world of early childhood education for more than 50 years. Their work revolves around building programs that ensure all children receive a high-quality and equitable education. HighScope’s approach has always been to use extensive research to build content curriculum areas that help children of all backgrounds succeed. They have built curriculum for both infant and toddlers as well as preschoolers, which provide school readiness and allow children to achieve goals through measurable outcomes. They are known for having a consistent focus on five key factors, including: anti-bias, culturally responsive classrooms; child-centered teacher-facilitated curriculum; family engagement; children’s social-emotional development and trauma-informed educators; and a whole-child approach. HighScope is one of the outstanding foundations for how PALS instructs your children.
Brian Cambourne’s Conditions of Learning
Brian Cambourne has been a leading researcher of literacy and learning across numerous research universities across the United States, and at the University of Wollongong in New South Wales in Australia. In 1988, he developed his Conditions of Learning research, which outlined the best conditions for teaching children, which are now applied in classrooms across the globe. There are seven conditions — immersion, demonstration, expectation, responsibility, approximation, use, and response — that Cambourne said provides children the opportunity to actively engage in their learning. It’s used to help kids develop confidence and show that they are free to learn and explore while improving themselves. These Conditions of Learning are a guide within the PALS classroom.
Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory
Howard Gardner’s work in psychology and human cognition led to a theory where he wrote that teachers should present material based upon how students best learn. He outlined nine different learning styles in his Multiple Intelligence Theory. These learning styles explore how students may learn through language, math, touch, and more. His research shows that when presented with a range of instruction methods, kids will gain confidence in their weaker areas and grow. As you’re looking for insights into how PALS instructs your children, Gardner’s work is a core foundation for our school.
Dr. Becky Bailey’s Conscious Discipline
Dr. Becky Bailey is a renowned educator who is known for her expertise in childhood education and developmental psychology. Bailey’s Conscious Discipline approach is based in social and emotional learning. The model provides behavior management strategies and classroom structures that can turn situations into opportunities for students to learn. With this model, teachers are empowered to learn how to self-regulate and find safety and connection while teaching children the same skill. Ultimately, both teachers and their students learn to work within a culture of compassion. The goal is to teach children seven skills — composure, encouragement, assertiveness, choices, empathy, positive intent, and consequences — that show them how to manage their emotions, resolve conflict, and take responsibility for their actions. It’s work that is at the heart of our school.
Get Support from PALS
With these insights, you’ll see that there is a consistent framework for how PALS instructs your children. Using these safe and positive structures, you can trust that we’ve built an exceptional foundation for your child to learn and flourish for a lifetime. PALS Praise & Leadership Schools is more than a daycare. We offer a safe haven that will ensure your child is a life-long learner. It’s where your child’s self-esteem, skills, and moral character will grow. And it’s where your child can think, reason, be responsible, achieve, excel, and communicate successfully.
To learn more about PALS and how we are such a great school for your child, come visit our convenient Peoria locations. We offer two campuses with the same great experience for your child. You can reach our North Peoria campus, located at 2327 W Willow Knolls Rd in Peoria IL, at 309-691-4326. Or you can contact us at our Downtown Peoria campus, located at 700 NE Greenleaf in Peoria IL, at 309-674-2938. Come see how PALS Praise & Leadership Schools offers the tools to help your child grow into an exceptional adult.
