Tools@Home
An Integrated Supported Learning System to strengthen outcomes for each child
To provide the most cohesive learning experience for children, and to facilitate a powerful, positive feedback loop between teachers and parents, Tools of the Mind has adapted its approach to teaching and learning to include learning at home. This is Tools@Home.
Tools@Home empowers parents and teachers in a partnership supporting strong child outcomes. This is how it works:
Teachers engage students in learning, supported by the digital Tools Integrated Learning System and the PowerTools Literacy Solution, a leading edge technology designed with the latest reading science to amplify Tools’ impact on early reading outcomes;- Parents mirror and engage the child with Tools activities at home, including the use of Tool’s reading and writing apps on PowerTools Literacy Solution;
- Effortless sharing of data between home and school to support on-going learning now, regardless of the model used for returning to school/learning in the midst of the pandemic.
Active Ingredients in the Tools@Home Approach
We believe that these 4 ingredients are key to supporting young children’s learning at home & in school:
- Maintaining emphasis on make-believe play and playful learning in learning at home…not worksheets and drill;
- Supporting social emotional skill development, self-regulation development, learning how to learn as well as core academic skills;
- Leveraging teachers’ knowledge of each child’s developmental trajectories to support learning at home and in school;
- Building powerful relationships between teachers and parents through providing micro-coaching to parents to increase self-efficacy in supporting their child’s development.
Added Value for Tools Teachers & Schools
In Tools@Home, schools receive the existing Tools practice, with additional resources and opportunities to engage parents in a way that supports the teacher’s practice in the classroom to reach each child’s highest potential. This includes:
- Comprehensive guidance and materials (including digital access to Tools Integrated Learning System) to support teachers’ Tools implementation and engagement with parents;
- Live data from children’s at-home progress that can be incorporated into teachers’ practice;
- New Professional Development sessions, adapted for a virtual setting and with additional virtual support, to ensure teacher success and joyful teaching.
“Our virtual training was a big success and we’d really recommend it!”
Early Childhood Administrator, Tulsa, OK
Added Value for Families at Home
Tools families access activities and resources to accelerate their child’s learning progress at home and individual learning to each child’s needs, which in turn enhances the child’s progress at school. This includes:
- Access to PowerTools Literacy Solution‘s reading and writing apps, fluency eGames, as well as offline resources targeted to the child’s developmental progress in school;
- Micro-coaching tips via text messaging for parents, sent directly from their child’s teacher, based on data on child progress at home that is fed back to the teacher in real-time;
- Helpful resources for parents (including teacher:parent handouts, access to virtual classrooms and more!).
And parents are enthusiastic about Tools@Home! Survey data from June 2020’s pilot Tools@Home program found that:
