Tools of the Mind

Next year some kindergarten classrooms in my district are trying a new approach to teaching called Tools of the Mind.  In short, the program concentrates on teaching children how to regulate their own behavior and learning versus being directed by the teacher to regulate everything.  For example, children in a Tools classroom do not raise their hands: they all talk at once (answering questions like what is the weather today) and they learn, just as adults do, to have a natural ebb and flow of letting others speak.

During a training this week we watched a video about the classic marshmallow test.  In short, small children are given a marshmallow which they can choose to eat right away, or wait a period of time and be given a second marshmallow.  The video is pretty hilarious:



In a recent article in the Boston Globe regarding self regulation, a study showed that children who were able to regulate themselves and wait for the second marshmallow performed better on the SATs.

I was excited after the training to begin this new adventure in teaching!