A Vygotskian Approach to self regulation and learning
Dr. Elena Bodrova and
Dr. Deborah Leong
By
Orlene Bernier
What is it?
 Tools is an early childhood education curriculum
based on the work of Vygotsky, who views learning as
active play and as socially mediated by teachers and
classmates.
 Develops cognitive skills such as self-regulation,
deliberate memory, and focused attention while
developing academic skills.
 Views play as the leading skill-development activity for
young children and emphasizes the teacher’s role in
supporting the development of mature, intentional
dramatic play.
History
 The Tools of the Mind curriculum began in 1993 at
Metropolitan State College of Denver.
 The whole premise for Tools of the Mind was based on
Vygotsky’s “Zone of Proximal development”.
We need all students in
their Zone of Proximal
Development for optimal
learning.
Lev Vygotsky
 According to Vygotsky, until children learn to use
mental tools, their learning is largely controlled by the
environment: they attend only to the things that are
the brightest or loudest and they can remember
something only if has been repeated many times.
 Children can transform their physical, social and
emotional behaviours when tools have been mastered.
From being "slaves to the environment," children
become "masters of their own behaviour.“
Tools of The Mind Program
Utilizes Play as a vehicle to:
 Learn Impulse-control (resisting to act out even when
driven to do so)
 Develop Working memory (holding information in
your head while completing a task)
 Learn Flexibility in thinking (being able to adjust from
situation to another without difficulty)
In a Tools Classroom
 Teachers systematically scaffold children's moving along the
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continuum of self-regulation from being regulated by others to
engaging in "shared" regulation to eventually becoming "masters of
their own behaviour."
Children gain control of their social, emotional, and cognitive
behaviours by learning how to use a variety of "mental tools."
Teaching of early literacy and mathematics emphasizes building
underlying cognitive competencies such as reflective thinking and
meta cognition.
Children practice self-regulated learning throughout the day by
engaging in a variety of specifically designed developmentally
appropriate self-regulation activities.
Children learn to regulate their own behaviours as well as the
behaviours of their friends as they enact increasingly more complex
scenarios in their imaginary play in preschool and in learning activities
in kindergarten.
What makes Tools Unique?
 A focus is emphasized on self-regulation
 Scaffolding techniques are used for a diverse population of
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children
Builds on the executive functions of the brain
Uses constant scaffolding and monitoring to enable the child to
become successful and independent
Play provides a unique context in which children are motivated
to act and at the same time develop the ability to self-regulate
their behaviour
As play matures, there is a progressive transition from reactive
and impulsive behaviours to behaviours that are more deliberate
and thoughtful
Every moment is devoted in some way to teaching the kids how
to regulate their behaviour and emotions
How is tools implemented?
 Tools is designed as a core curriculum that works for all children including
those with identified special needs
 Tools activities are multi-level so instruction is individualized within the
design of each activity
 Specific scaffolds for children with special needs as well as those who are nonEnglish speakers are written into each activity
 Specialized training is given to teachers and staff to ensure they work together
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in a coordinated manner
Materials include both Tools-designed materials and materials already present
in most primary classrooms
Tools staff help district personnel inventory their existing materials and then
suggest modifications, adaptations and additions
Tools is designed to be implemented in both full and half day programs with a
teacher and one part-time or full-time paraprofessional, depending on class
size
Pacing guides are developed that ensure that instruction matches end-of-year
district benchmarks and standards
What are the Characteristics of
Tools of the Mind?
 Content is presented in an integrated, developmental
way
 All instructional formats and activities in Tools are
researched based
 Strategies include child-directed activities, teacher
directed activities and collaborative partner activities
 Instructional strategies match activities
 Progress is monitored daily, weekly and monthly
Self Regulation
Includes:
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The ability to stay on task
Ignore distractions
Remember on purpose
Hold two strategies in mind at the same time
The development of self-discipline
The motivation to succeed
When children are self regulated, every activity they engage in is a learning
activity and they can follow rules without the teachers support!
Children who are not self-regulated can behave if the teacher is watching
them and learn if the teacher is helping them pay attention, but without the
teacher’s direction, the child will not (cannot) learn.
Tools Implementation
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Make sure that children have sufficient time for play
Provide ideas themes that extend children’s experiences and
enrich the play
Choose appropriate props and toys
Help children plan their play
Monitor the progress of the play
Coach individuals who may need help
Suggest or model how themes can be woven together
Model appropriate ways to solve disputes
Encourage children to mentor each other in play
Point of Interest
Children from Tools Program were twice as
likely to successfully complete tasks that
require three of the most important executive
functioning skills than children attending
standard education programs:
 Impulse control
 Working Memory
 Flexibility in thinking
What does it look like?
So, before Emmy and Zee even think about picking up a
Toy, they sit down with their teacher at a small
classroom table and fill out some paperwork.
That’s right. PAPERWORK!
On a small blank form, they spell out their intentions. “I want to
play bookstore, each girl writes with assistance. Then she draws a
picture of herself playing bookstore. Then, together with her
teacher, she reads back her intention so that everyone is clear
about what is going to happen. Finally, each girl grabs an armful of
props and makes her way to the corner, where (as in most preschool and
early years classrooms) strong disagreements about the appropriate way
to play bookstore ensue.
Executive Function
While all that play might have been looked a lot like
time spent doing nothing much at all, It actually
helped build a critical cognitive skill called executive
function. In fact, good executive function is a better
predictor of success in school than a child’s IQ.
Poor executive function is associated with high drop
out rates, drug use and crime.
Tools Activities
 Freeze Dance
 Memory
 Buddy Reading
 Recess
 Graphics Practice
 Elkonin Boxes I and II
 Venger Drawing
 Learning Conferences
 Venger Word Problems
Sample Schedule
Point of Interest
 Researchers argue that children’s reduced self-regulation skills
may be showing up in the numbers of kids diagnosed with
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder!
Old –Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills!!!
Evidence of effectiveness
 Tools of the Mind has been the subject of numerous
research studies including ones funded by Early
Reading First and the Institute of Education Services.
In 2001, Tools was named an exemplary educational
innovation by the International Bureau of Education, a
UNESCO program.
 Children in Tools were found to have higher rates of
self-regulation in a National Institute for Early
Education Research (NIEER) double randomized
study of a control tools group and one ECE group
without tools.
Critique:
 Aimed at Preschool and
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Kindergarten children
Possible to implement up to grade 2
No set and designed activities to
restore regulation
Canadian Curriculum demands
hours of academic study of outcomes
and teaching
Existing behaviours may hinder
successful outcome
Costly program and time needed to
be trained adequately
Critique of other theorists
 Seganti would argue that Tools is “currently doing things
out of sequence by trying to let students know all their
rights and encouraging self-expression and independent
thought, and so on, before working to establish basic
respect for others and the environment”(pg. 209)
 Serganti would also argue that Tools would need a leverage
tool for success to help control behaviour
 Morrish would argue that teachers should use their
authority to set limits and to “decide how you want
students to behave” (pg. 89-90)
Support of other Theories
 Glasser’s choice theory suggests that “student
behaviour is determined by student choice, not
teacher control
 Fred Jones and his approach of “keeping students
responsibly involved” teaches students to manage their
behaviour responsibly
 Paula Cook’s Approach to Neurological Based
Behaviour is encompassed in the tools program by
using sensory integration, environment, language, and
attitude to help control and teach behaviour
Discussion:
Is there any way to turn the process around again
in the adolescent years? Is there a way through
imaginative play to restore in high school students
what they may have lost out on in their early
childhood years? (Whole group)
Using the information and theory of play, what kind of
activities could you plan for Middle years and
High school? Try to be creative!! (Small groups)
References
 Bodrova, E., & Leong, D. J. (2001). Tools of the Mind: a case study of implementing the
Vygotskian approach in American early childhood and primary classrooms (Innodata
monographs 7). Geneva: International Bureau of Education. Retrieved from
http://www.ibe.unesco.org.
 Diamond, A., Barnett, S., Thomas, J., & Munro, S. (2007). Preschool program improves
cognitive control. Science, 318(30), 1387–88.
 Charles, C.M Building Classroom Discipline 10th . Toronto, ON. Pearson, 2011
 NIEERS (July 23, 2008) Growing and learning in preschool retrieved from:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or10f-YcM8Q on February 26, 2011.
Video of Tools of the Mind
 Thank You!!