Samantha Jaspal, Headteacher of Berkhamsted Pre-Prep and Day Nursery, outlines how to provide stretch and challenge for highly able children under the age of 7. The presentation explores the dangers of hot-housing, examines aspects of childhood cognitive development, as well as making practical suggestions of extension activities.

1. Leading
Change
with Parents
Tuesday 28th January, 2014
Denham Grove, Denham
Samantha L. Jaspal, B.A. (QTS)
Headteacher, Berkhamsted Pre-Prep

2. What do we mean by progress in the
Pre-Prep?
The Pre-Prep Learning Brain
How to Develop Mastery:
Austin’s Butterfly
How to Challenge Children
in the Pre-Prep

3. What do we mean by progress
in the Pre-Prep?

4. How to Challenge in the Pre-Prep
What do we mean by Progress?

5. What do we mean by Progress?
Learning to Read
Ik heet Irene en ik lees graag.
Ik lees graag longe boeken.

6. What do we mean by Progress?
Learning to Read
Ik lees graag korte boeken.
Ik lees graag boeken met plaatjes.

7. What do we mean by Progress?
Learning to Read
Ik lees graag grappige boeken.
Ik lees graag verrietige boeken.

8. What do we mean by Progress?
Reading Challenge
Reading Task: The Krinklejup
A krinklejup was parling a tristlebin when a barjam
stipped. The barjam then grupped the krinklejup.
The krinklejup zisked zoelly.
Comprehension Exercise:
What was the krinklejup doing?
parling a tristlebin
What stipped?
a barjam stipped
What did the barjam grup?
the krinklejup
How did the krinklejup zisk?
zoelly

9. What do we mean by Progress?
Reading Challenge
Reading Task: The Krinklejup
A krinklejup was parling a tristlebin when a barjam
stipped. The barjam then grupped the krinklejup.
The krinklejup zisked zoelly.

10. What do we mean by Progress?
Reading Challenge
Reading Task: The Krinklejup
A krinklejup was parling a tristlebin when a barjam
stipped. The barjam then grupped the krinklejup.
The krinklejup zisked zoelly.
Comprehension Exercise:
NOUNS:
krinklejub, trislebin, barjam
VERBS:
was parling, stipped, grupped, zisked
ADVERBS:
zoelly

11. What do we mean by Progress?
Reading Challenge
Reading Task: The Krinklejup
A krinklejup was parling a tristlebin when a barjam
stipped. The barjam then grupped the krinklejup.
The krinklejup zisked zoelly.
Comprehension Exercise: Questions that probe deeper
Describe what a krinklejup/ a tristlebin / a barjam looks like.
Why you think the barjam grupped the krinklejup?
Describe how to stip, grup and zisk?
What would make you zisk zoelly?

12. What do we mean by Progress?
Reading Challenge
Reading Task: The Krinklejup
A krinklejup was parling a tristlebin when a barjam
stipped. The barjam then grupped the krinklejup.
The krinklejup zisked zoelly.

13. How to Challenge in the Pre-Prep
What do we mean by Progress?
Reading Task: The Wolf
A wolf was chasing a little girl when a huntsman
appeared. The huntsman then shot at the wolf.
The wolf ran away frightened.

14. What do we mean by Progress?
Reading Challenge
Reading Task: The Wolf
A wolf was chasing a little girl when a huntsman
appeared. The huntsman then shot at the wolf.
The wolf ran away frightened.
Comprehension Exercise 2:
Describe what a krinklejup/ a tristlebin / a barjam looks like.
Why you think the barjam grupped the krinklejup?
Describe how to stip, grup and zisk?
What would make you zisk zoelly?

15. How to Challenge in the Pre-Prep
What do we mean by Progress?
It is too easy to think that a
young child has grasped a topic,
idea or skill.

16. How to Challenge in the Pre-Prep
What do we mean by Progress?

17. How to Challenge in the Pre-Prep
What do we mean by Progress?

18. The Pre-Prep Learning Brain
and Pupil Profiles

19. The Pre-Prep Learning Brain – Early Years
Hothousing
Hothousing “is the process of inducing
infants to acquire knowledge that is
typically acquired at a later developmental
level.”
Sigel 1987, p.212

20. The Pre-Prep Learning Brain – Early Years
Hothousing
“One can teach very young children a lot of
material that can be learned in a rote,
mechanistic fashion but without their
understanding. Why bother to spend the
time and energy to teach material earlier,
when the probability is very high that most
children will learn it all later anyway, more
easily and with understanding?
“In sum, my basic argument derived from research on
cognitive development is that acquisition and use of
knowledge involve understanding because understanding
allows for generalisation of acquired knowledge to various
contexts.”
Sigel 1987 p.215-6

21. The Pre-Prep Learning Brain – Early Years
Learning Words
12 months
Children move from sounds to words.
18 - 24 months
Vocabulary of 20 – 50 words
5 years old
Vocabulary of 2000 words

22. The Pre-Prep Learning Brain – Early Years
Learning to Read and Write
“Categorizing words and learning the alphabet involves attending
to sounds of speech.” p.47
Nursery Rhymes play an important part in this process as they
demonstrate an implicit awareness of the sound and rhythm of
spoken language.
Jack and Jill went up the Hill
Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall . . .
Peter Piper . . .
Fee, Fie, Fo, Fum

23. The Pre-Prep Learning Brain – Early Years
Learning to Write
“Few children will have established the skills involved in
writing until the age of four, no matter how good their
conversational language or how exposed they are to books
and other forms of writing.”
Blakemore and Frith The Learning Brain 2005 p.48

24. The Pre-Prep Learning Brain
Learning to Write
“The brain’s motor cortex, which controls hand and finger coordination is not usually fully developed until five years old . . .
Development continues through the primary school years.
Because there are large individual differences in the speed of
acquiring fine motor coordination, it is pointless to be cross with
a young child who makes little progress in writing simply
because they cannot control their hand movements. Whether
or not coordination should be accelerated through handwriting
or through other kinds of finger exercises is an open question.”
Blakemore and Frith The Learning Brain 2005 p.48

25. The Pre-Prep Learning Brain – Pre-Prep
Learning to Read and Write
“As vocabulary and grammatical
competence
increases,
children
become able to give a continuous
account of events – to “tell a story.”
This narrative form of talk is related to
the independent expression of
language need for writing.
Children who have competent
narrative skills learn to read and write
more readily than those who have not
established these skills.” p.48

26. Pupil Profiles
Likelihood to SURVIVE
Apgar Vital Signs at Birth
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Appearance
Pulse
Grimace
Activity
Respiration

27. Pupil Profiles
Likelihood to SURVIVE
Apgar Vital Signs at Birth
Likelihood to THRIVE at School
Educational Vital Signs
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
1. Articulacy, Literacy and
Numeracy
2. Getting on with Teachers
3. General Knowledge
4. Contributing to School
5. Wide Friendship Groups
Appearance
Pulse
Grimace
Activity
Respiration

28. Pupil Profiles
Well-rounded
Articulacy, literacy and numeracy
Wide friendship
General Knowledge
Getting on with teachers
Contributing to School

29. Pupil Profile
Imbalanced
Articulacy, literacy and numeracy
Wide friendship
General Knowledge
Getting on with teachers
Contributing to School

30. How to Challenge in the Pre-Prep
More of the same?
“I really wish I hadn’t told my teachers that I
could write because then they just made me do
it more.”

31. How to Develop Mastery:
Austin’s Butterfly

32. Case Study: Drawing Butterflies
Austin’s Butterfly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqh1MRWZjms

33. Case Study: Drawing Butterflies
Austin’s Butterfly

34. How to Challenge Children
in the Pre-Prep

35. Early Years Provision
Early Years Curriculum
• Personalisation
• Enjoyment
• Depth
Adult
Interaction
Highly Able
• Identification
• Acceleration
• Enrichment
Shared
Experience
Engendering
Curiosity
Early
Stimulation

36. PATHS
Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies
Developing Children’s Emotional Literacy Skills:
1. Self Awareness
2. Managing Feelings
3. Motivation
4. Empathy
5. Social Skills

37. Case Study
Sarah’s Profile
Articulacy, literacy and numeracy
Wide friendship
General Knowledge
Getting on with teachers
Contributing to School

38. Case Study
Staff Activity
What are the key issues that arise when
supporting a child like Sarah?

39. Stretch and Challenge
Some Practical Strategies
Teacher-led activities
• Learning Groups
• Open-ended Questioning
• Extensive Discussion
• Dynamic Investigation
• Peer Teaching
Independent/ Home Activities
• Developing Mastery
– Austin’s Butterfly
•
•
•
•
Mathematical Sacks
Imaginative Play
Outdoor/Longitudinal Study
Experimentation with
Resources/ Mixed Media

40. Stretch and Challenge Practical Strategies
Peer to Peer Learning
Opportunity to engage with an intellectual peer
• work on a special project together
• make up games and puzzles for each other.
Reporting Back Time
• Allowing time for a child to report back to a group after an
independent task.

41. Stretch and Challenge Practical Strategies
Outdoor/Longitudinal Study
Recording the Weather Extension Tasks
• Measuring the Temperature at a set time each day
– Recording in a Table
– Making a Graph
• Measuring Wind-speed
– Recording in a Table
– Making a Graph

42. Stretch and Challenge Practical Strategies
Experimentation with Resources
• Mixed Media
A “pretend” 6th Birthday Cake

43. Stretch and Challenge Practical Strategies
Resources
Most Early Years settings are well equipped.
However catering effectively for highly able young children
is dependent on how these resources are used.
Regular building blocks develop principles
in Physics, team-building and imagination.

44. Stretch and Challenge Practical Strategies
Conclusions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Ensure understanding before moving on.
Aim for mastery rather than more of the same.
Avoid prolonged or repetitive writing tasks.
Let children follow their interests.
Develop the child holistically.
Foster and maintain successful partnerships.
Think about how you can use existing resources more
imaginatively.

45. Further Reading and References
• Blakemore, SJ and Frith, U. The Learning Brain, 2005
• Lindon, J. Reflective Practice and Early Years Professionalism, 2010
• Sigel, I. ‘Does Hothousing Rob Children of Their Childhood’ Early
Childhood Research Quarterly, 2, pp. 211-225 (1987)
• Sutherland, M. Gifted and Talented in the Early Years, 2005
• Sutherland, M. Developing the Young Gifted and Talented Learner, 2008
• Wallace, B. Teaching Thinking Skills Across The Early Years – A Practical
Approach for Children Aged 4-7, 2002
• Austin’s Butterfly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqh1MRWZjms

46. Samantha L. Jaspal, B.A. (QTS)
Headteacher, Berkhamsted Pre-Prep and Day Nursery
Email:
Twitter:
Linkedin:
Blog:
preprephead@berkhamstedschool.org
@preprephead
www.linkedin.com/in/samanthajaspal
www.preprephead.blogspot.com