The Good Worker Award

        There is no goal set in this introductory level. The student is encouraged to do as much work as possible in each lab.

        Before the student is moved up to level 2, the child and teacher view the student's lab history to provide council to the child on setting his/her first goal.

        At the end of each level the child at Character Level 1 receives a Good Worker Award in a public ceremony. The purpose at the first level is to enable the child to grow in his awareness of the relationship between the amount of effort he puts forth to work units earned. The child learns about the star and his next step of growth.

        Before the public ceremony, the award is displayed on the student’s computer screen with positive affirmation and appropriate value development. The teacher or parent in the child’s Time With My Teacher will go over the lessons completed during the past week and the student's work production each day. This time enables the teacher or parent to promote affirmation of the child and his capabilities. It is also a time of instruction in terms of the purpose.

Character Level 1

        In terms of investment of energy, the objective at Character Level 1 is for the child to work to complete a single exercise. If there is a Mr. Pencil Go sign, the child continues investing energy to complete the next exercise.

        Every video exercise begins with values about self-worth and capability, will power, the importance of the curriculum objective, God’s love and care, friendship, love and appreciation of parents, kindness and concern for others, plus a multitude of others. Part of the objective is for the child to begin to reflect on his own self in order to take himself as object. It is believed that as he does so, he can more take charge of his own behavior.

        As the child focuses his energy onto completion of a learning exercise, he becomes goal-oriented. The purpose is to develop a growing awareness of the relationship between his investment of energy into working to learn and the number of work units he can complete in a given amount of time. This developing awareness is part of the foundation of becoming goal-oriented.

        A major portion of the program is designed to enable a child to experience a positive affective experience every time he puts forth energy to complete a learning exercise. With praise and validation occurring upon completion of learning exercises, the child will continue to develop the foundation of high self-esteem and a positive view of himself and his abilities.

        As the young child grows in self awareness, he grows in his ability to be more and more responsible for his own behavior. As the child learns that he has choices and that he can choose to do good or not based on values taught, he can grow in being responsible for his own behavior.

        A child grows in independency as he is able to successfully work with the structures of the program. It starts with being able to complete a single work unit. The child then progresses to the next lesson if Mr. Pencil Go Sign cues him to do so. As the child grows in confidence, he learns and is comfortable moving forward without constant teacher support and comfort.

        In the Beginning Program the objective is for the young child to receive and experience God’s love. This occurs in a number of ways. First and foremost the classroom teacher must be God’s instrument of love, care, and nurturing. The child must be able to experience God’s love through her. If not, what is experienced by the child is hypocrisy. Bible reading and instruction provides the foundation and structure for the development of the child. It is like the framework of the house that God fills with His Holy Spirit. “God’s Word never returns void.” God also inhabits the praises of his people. As a child sings and praises God at their own level, the child will experience a glimpse of the Holy Spirit in his or her life. During the beginning portion of the Kirkwood Program, the young child’s spirit should become open to the presence of the Holy Spirit and begin to experience God’s love.

The Beginning Program

        The primary objective of The Beginning Program is for the child to experience his own success along a multitude of curriculum and developmental objectives. It must always be understood that a critical precondition for positive growth and development to occur is for the child to have his security and nurturing needs met. The school environment must be warm, loving, and nurturing. The classroom teacher and program design produces such an environment. It, by no means automatically happens. A loving, warm, nurturing environment must be carefully planned, and then out of the heart of love of a highly trained teacher, the desired growth environment is created.

The Relationship Between Academic Results and Character Level

        There is a close relationship between the academic sequence and the character development sequence. Most all two and three year-olds will begin in the Beginning Academic Program and at Character Level 1. Many two and three year-olds will progress to character level 2 while still in the Beginning six Learning Words books. Children entering the program beyond the academic objective of the Beginning Program will start at Character Development Level 1 and progress accordingly at their own rates. Character Development Level 1 helps to define a baseline of work production necessary for the child to meet his first goal for Character Level 2.

Language Development

        One of the primary objectives of the program at level 1 is language development. The purpose is to stimulate language development through six Learning Words booklets. Each book consists of 80 words. There are four word pictures on each page. The interactive video lesson asks the child to say the word as the picture is brought forward and back then discussed. In the exercise the child is asked to say the word several times and finally point to the picture word. Part of the strategy is to get the child as active in the learning process as possible. As children try to say common words associated with familiar objects in their environment, the part of the brain associated with speech and language development will be stimulated. As a result of this stimulation, speech development will occur. Each exercise is ladened with value development. At the conclusion of the exercise, the child will raise his hand for the teacher who will ask the child to point to each picture word as she names it. She will then ask the child to name the word picture as she points to it. Variability of the process can occur depending on student mastery level. Pointing is an easier response than naming the picture. The objective is to enable the student to demonstrate success and competency as much as possible. One work unit of credit is given for correctly pointing to the picture and a second work unit credit is given for naming the word corresponding to the picture.

        An assumption in the program is that there is an interaction between trying to articulate a word with the development of the brain related to speech. The more this area is stimulated, the more speech development will occur. The critical component has to be one of significant positive reinforcement with the idea that you are stimulating brain development. The atmosphere has to be warm and loving. It is possible that the child may become forever smarter for having had the experience.

        One of the beautiful things about the school is that it is a social setting. A loving and nurturing social environment by its very nature stimulates language development. Part of social growth and development occur as children interact, communicate, play, talk, and share experiences with one another. In the program the greatest facilitator of speech development is the teacher, herself. The teacher directly working with a child on an individual basis helps stimulate speech. Her talking to and trying get the child to express himself in words produces language development. The teacher being responsive to a child’s oral communication and questions facilitates the development of speech. The teacher asking open ended questions where the answer is not simply “yes” or “no”, or a one word response, helps to stimulate growth in ability of the child to put thoughts into words.

        A group drill time is structured into the program to help facilitate language development. Flash or drill cards are made from the word pictures taken from the Learning Words Books. These same flash cards with word-object are later used for phonetic development have been incorporated into the drill time. For example, later in the program the child will be able to associate the “b” sound of a ball or a bat to that picture image. So that if the child is having difficulty making the consonant or short vowel sound, if he thinks of the word, and says the word, he will have created the sound. There is a great deal of language development tied specifically to objects that are going to be associated with certain sounds such as consonant sounds, long vowels, short vowels, blends, and digraphs. Upon entering the program, children grow at an experiential rate in vocabulary and language development.

Small Motor - Pencil Skill Development

        Like the first, the second fundamental objective is to stimulate small hand/eye motor coordination. As with any skill that involves both hand/eye coordination and small motor skill development, growth is a function of instruction and practice. Two and three year old children are already playing with toys, stringing beads, building with blocks, and feeding themselves with a fork and spoon. The program begins with an introduction of Mr. Pencil video. Mr. Pencil introduces himself, his history, and his use. In the video Mr. Pencil provides instruction on how to hold and use a pencil. The objective is for the child to begin the process of holding a pencil correctly and being able to make a straight line. After each page on learning words, there is a matching exercise page. This exercise teaches the child to draw a straight line between like objects. A dashed blue line is provided making it as easy as possible for the child. Quality video instruction is provided along with value development. It is believed that over the course of the six books, the 120 multiple page lessons, the young child will progressively grow in his ability to correctly hold a pencil and make the required straight lines. Again it should be understood that this is a developed skill that takes practice. Patience, positive reinforcement, and loving atmosphere are required.

        Small hand eye coordination is also developed through the use of blocks and puzzles. These provide a hands-on activity that the child loves, plus it provides the benefit of stimulating small motor development skills. This is the third exercise in the six Learning Words books. The child can choose a puzzle or blocks pattern he wishes to construct or build. Video instructions are provided to introduce the child to the exercise.

The Learning Words Books

        A large part of the program has been designed to structure and create successful experiences for the child. The Beginning Program which is designed for two to three year olds, is composed of six Learning Words Books. Each book is comprised of sixty-five lessons. There are four different types of lessons. The first teaches the child to point to and say each of the four picture words. The second exercise is matching like objects. The child draws a straight line between the like objects. The third exercise allows the child to build designs with blocks or assemble puzzles. The first exercise stimulates language development and the second two foster small hand eye coordination skills. Finally, interrogated within each Learning Words Book are five self-esteem exercises. The exercise consists of a video interactive exercise that asks the child to draw a smile on the child’s face in the framed square. There is a value development description of the picture. The objective is to bring a positive affective experience that the child has had back into consciousness with supporting value development.

Go and Stop Signs

        Mr. Pencil Go and Stop Signs are placed at the bottom of learning exercises at the preschool level. Mr. Pencil Go Sign lets the student know that they can proceed to the next page without teacher involvement. If the learning exercise does not require the teacher to check for student mastery at the moment or that the student has completed a manipulative, the student can move on to the next exercise. The process enables the student to grow in his ability to work longer and more independently from the teacher.

        If the Mr. Pencil Stop Sign is placed on a learning exercise that requires the teacher to drill for concept mastery, the teacher asks the child and drills the child on the skill being developed. Appropriate work unit credit is then given. This is a time of praise and validation for concept mastery.

Teacher Checking-off Student Work

        In the Beginning and Preschool Program, the Kirkwood Program is structured to enable the teacher to praise and validate a child after completion of a learning exercise or work set. When a Mr. Pencil Stop Sign is placed at the bottom right-hand corner of the work page, it means for the child to raise his hand for the teacher to validate the work and give work unit credit. This is a powerful time for the teacher to create positive affective experience in recognizing the effort put forth in working to learn. Structurally, the teacher makes a smiley on the cartoon character at the bottom left-hand corner of the exercise page. She should also date and initial next to the D: and T:. The teacher should then give the appropriate work unit credit. As the teacher does so, Mr. Pencil will place one, two, or three discs or balls in the empty circles in the work production tracking box on the child’s computer. The work units are then stored in the student’s data base. The structure is designed to enable the teacher to create a powerful positive affective experience each time work is checked-off.

Time With My Teacher

        Time With My Teacher is a period of five minutes each day for the teacher or parent to work with each student on a one-on-one basis. At this time the teacher has no other classroom supervisory responsibilities. Procedurally, each of the teachers’ students are listed on the teacher’s computer under students. The teacher selects the student with whom she is meeting. The curriculum areas for checking, instruction, and drill will be listed for the teacher to select from. For each picture – word, the teacher will display a picture for the child to name. The teacher clicks on the happy face icon if correct next to the word. This automatically advances to the next highlighted word. The process continues for each picture – word. Correct responses are stored in the student’s data base.

        The teacher works with the child and models child’s fingers in order to properly hold a pencil. The child learns to make straight lines, curved lines, wave lines, zig-zag lines, a circle, square, triangle, and rectangle.

        Depending upon verbal competency and small motor coordination, the child can move to the Preschool Level without completing all six of the Learning Word series. The following criteria are used to make this judgment: First, the child must actively say words when asked in computer lesson. Second, the child must work consistently in lab and have moved to character level 2. Third, the child must hold a pencil properly and be able to make straight, curved, wave, and zig-zag lines. Finally, the child should be successfully working in the program based upon teacher and parent judgment. The child should experience comfort and a feeling of well-being before moving to the next level.

Three Principals of Motivation

        The most powerful motivating factor for young children is the classroom teacher, herself. Part of the competency of the teacher is defined in terms of her ability to project a positive, powerful image to the child. Much of self-esteem and self-concept is the result of teacher projection. If the teacher believes that the young child has great value and worth, that the child is smart and capable, and that the child can be highly successful, the child will tend to live up to the teacher’s expectation. The teacher’s relationship and expectation for each child as an individual is a powerful motivating factor.

        A second foundational principal of motivation is based upon the belief that any time a person takes upon himself a particular project and completes it, there is an intrinsic sense of satisfaction. If, at the same time, that effort can be recognized and validated by a significant other, i.e. a teacher, we believe that child will have a positive affective experience. He will have an experience that takes place in time and space, and for that moment in time, enables him to feel good, to feel successful. We believe that people tend to do those things that make them feel good, that make them feel successful. The creation of positive affective experiences are the foundational elements that make up self-esteem.

        The third principal of motivation underpinning the program is value development. People tend to do those things that they believe are relevant and important for them and for their success. Therefore, it is critical to teach the child why each curriculum component is relevant and valuable to him and his personal success. Values of work ethics are also taught. Because the child understands the importance of each concept to be mastered, he will invest energy into the task.

        As a result of the interaction between the projection and high expectation of the teacher and the creation of positive affective experiences that occur every time the child puts forth energy into working to learn, coupled with value development, over time the child will slowly, but steadily, increase his investment of energy into working to learn in the program.