Implementing a new classroom curriculum can be overwhelming and is often met with resistance from educators who fear it will stifle their creativity and teaching freedom. That is precisely how Nichole Landino and her colleagues at the Wyoming Early Childhood Center in Michigan felt when the Kent County Intermediate School District proposed a plan to switch to the Connect4Learning® Pre-K Curriculum, a comprehensive, interdisciplinary curriculum that takes a project-based approach to learning.
However, with low test scores and 11 years of witnessing disparities in classroom teaching styles, Nichole was willing to give the new curriculum a chance. In March 2019, Kent County adopted the new curriculum and almost immediately saw an improvement in academic outcomes and test scores. This article shares the story of this curriculum adoption, Nichole's experience using it in the classroom, and some of the amazing outcomes for the children of Wyoming Early Childhood Center.
The previous pre-k curriculum.
"Before switching to Connect4Learning, our school was using Creative Curriculum," says Nichole. "We didn't have the full Creative Curriculum kit, just the documentation book. In my opinion, the curriculum was a homegrown mashup of little pieces from every curriculum out there."
Without appropriate materials and support to help teachers implement the lessons and activities with fidelity, disparities in the classroom resulted. Nichole remembers the differences between her teaching style at the time and those of her colleagues.
"What was frustrating for me is knowing that some teachers were not doing what they should for students," states Nichole. "In those classrooms, children spent 90% of their day in free-play and not enough time working on academics or social-emotional skills."
One of Nichole's favorite subjects growing up was math, and it was important for her that the children in her classroom have some exposure to mathematics concepts. She knew that to be successful in this subject, children would need to do more than learn to count objects or make patterns with rainbow bear counters. However, she knew that in some classrooms, children were only exposed to basic math concepts during small group time, if that.
"The children in our school district didn't get enough exposure to math and literacy concepts at an early age," Nichole says. "Our test scores in the six years before switching to Connect4Learning were really low in those subjects as a result."
What led to a change in curriculum?
In 2019, Kent County, Michigan, decided to adopt a new pre-K curriculum as part of a county-wide movement to improve academic success. Some of the coaches on the county's curriculum team saw Dr. Nell Duke, one of the experts behind Connect4Learning's creation, speak at a conference about math and literacy development. They loved everything Nell said and decided to research the Connect4Learning curriculum more in-depth.
After speaking with a Kaplan Early Learning Company representative to learn more about the exclusive curriculum and how it might meet their needs, Kent County went all in with the pre-K curriculum. The county funded the switch to a new curriculum with a grant they received from Michigan.
Deciding to switch to the Connect4Learning curriculum.
While adopting a new curriculum is exciting, it can often be met with resistance. Many of the teachers in Kent County, Nichole included, feared that a new curriculum would mean losing their creativity in the classroom, growing bored after teaching the same lessons year after year, and that the children wouldn't hit academic benchmarks due to the structure of classroom learning.
"I was fearful about how this switch would go," explains Nichole. "When I found out there were puppets in the curriculum, I knew some of my colleagues would have a problem. As a teacher, it's common to want to be perfect, and some people struggle with being silly like that."
Despite their reservations about adopting a new curriculum, Nichole and her colleagues did everything they could to make switching to Connect4Learning effective for the children in their care.
"During my first year using Connect4Learning, I made a pact with myself," Nichole states. "I can either choose to be negative, not teach all the lessons, not implement the curriculum well, and not know the true outcome of this adoption. Or I can do everything with authenticity, implement the curriculum how it is meant to be, and form an honest opinion at the end."
Adopting the Connect4Learning curriculum.
"It was really exciting opening the curriculum kits when we got them," says Nichole. "With other curriculum kits, you don't always have additional materials like books and classroom manipulatives to accompany the lessons. Connect4Learning includes everything!"
A ready-to-implement curriculum kit that includes books, visual aids, and classroom manipulatives takes the pressure off educators. They no longer need to worry about where to get materials as they plan weekly and daily activities. The scripted lessons ensure concepts are introduced and expanded upon appropriately so children can meet their developmental and academic benchmarks.
With any curriculum that includes scripted lessons, educators worry that they will grow bored from one year to the next. For them, it's important to bring the same excitement and engagement to every lesson as they do the first time they implement the curriculum. While Nichole felt this same way, her worries quickly vanished.
"One thing I didn't think about with Connect4Learning is how much individuality the students bring into it," says Nichole. "This year, our museum project was very dinosaur-focused, whereas last year, our museum was very sculpture-focused. The children bring their interests, knowledge, and new research to every project and lesson. Even though the lessons are the same, we're always doing and learning something new."
When adopting a new curriculum, implementation training sessions ensure the adoption of the new curriculum goes well. Kaplan offers these training sessions, at an additional cost, for all Connect4Learning users. In the case of Kent County’s adoption, they chose some of their coaches to attend a training provided by Kaplan Early Learning Company, and then hosted a training for the teachers themselves. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, it could affect the implementation of the new curriculum.
“The implementation training gives teachers the opportunity to ask questions and hear information directly,” states Nichole. “I think it would be beneficial for our new teachers to receive the Kaplan training, because even this week it came up that our program coaches gave incorrect information regarding Connect4Learning implementation.”
Incorporating Connect4Learning kit materials into classroom learning centers.
The Connect4Learning kit includes: - Two tubs of classroom materials such as pocket charts, math manipulatives, felt sets, and more
- Over 100 trade book titles
- Consumables
- Other items that you can seamlessly add to your current classroom learning centers
These items support the learning and activities that will take place throughout the 32 weeks of curriculum lessons inside Connect4Learning.
"I didn't focus enough on learning centers in the first two years," says Nichole. "I didn't realize how important they were and wasn't intentional enough about going into the learning centers with the children to show them what to do with the materials."
Curriculum materials alone will not carry themselves. Going into your classroom learning centers to help children use the materials will deepen their comprehension of the lessons and concepts you teach. The Connect4Learning curriculum follows an interdisciplinary approach, seamlessly weaving learning and teaching across the four domains: literacy, mathematics, science, and social-emotional development. Your classroom learning centers add to this interdisciplinary learning and allow you to incorporate materials that support children's unique learning styles.
"When planning lessons for the week, I try to think about the skills the children are working on," says Nichole. "Then, I look at my learning centers to see which items are needed to support that level of skill development."
Following scripted lessons and activities in the Connect4Learning curriculum.
"It's important that any teacher using Connect4Learning read over the lesson plans ahead of time," states Nichole. "You might see things in the curriculum that look difficult or seem redundant, but don't skip lessons."
Each component of Connect4Learning supports and builds on the children's understanding of key concepts and topics. The first time you introduce a topic, think of it as exposure. The second time you introduce that topic, the children start to understand it. By the third time the children hear about a topic, they can comprehend and connect it to larger ideas. If you skip lessons, the children miss out on this foundational academic and developmental growth.
"Remember to respect children and allow them to try new things," Nichole says. "Education is not about perfection and children getting the answer right the moment you teach a concept; it's about exposure."
A typical day in a Connect4Learning classroom.
You can tailor the lessons in the Connect4Learning curriculum to fit your schedule and the requirements of your classroom setting. For example, Nichole likes to transition from long periods of sitting to something freer and more active, so the children are not as quick to lose interest in her lessons. By doing so, she creates a schedule that gives the children in her care exactly what they need for optimal learning throughout the day.
"I start my day with welcome and read-aloud," says Nichole. This is a good transition from home to school, especially for those who have a harder time at drop-off. Our morning song signals the start of the day and lets the children know we're all a part of the classroom community."
Nichole does not want the children to sit for too long, so she moves to breakfast, where they can engage in social talk and simple movements. After breakfast, the children move to the rug for Connect activities that introduce or revisit topics that are the day's focus. After this connection, the children head outdoors for gross motor play on the playground and other outdoor learning spaces.
"After outdoor recess, we come back inside to start small group activities and learning center free play," says Nichole. "Sometimes, I'll only open certain learning centers at a time or do one small group lesson per day, depending on the abilities of the children we have in our classroom at the time."
Once this portion of the day is over, it is time for the children to transition to lunch, followed by rest time. After rising from their restful state, the children move into free-choice play to help their bodies and minds warm up for additional learning. The day ends with Fast Focus Time, which uses songs, fingerplays, or other activities to reinforce the day's learning.
Supporting children with special needs using the Connect4Learning curriculum.
"With this curriculum, the children are not all getting the same learning out of the activities. They get exactly what they need, and you can see that throughout the projects," says Nichole. "One year, I had a non-verbal student who had a tough time communicating with us. By the end of the year, he could say two words at a time and could even write the first letter of his name. This curriculum did that!"
Connect4Learing is a curriculum that can support the growth and development of every child, no matter their abilities.
"In my inclusion classroom, I had a child with behavior issues," shares Nichole. "He struggled to play with others, hit to get his way, and would even break his glasses in half when frustrated. With the help of solution suitcases and Tucker Turtle, this child could solve problems on his own – or with the help of peers – and had better control of his emotions."
After implementing the Connect4Learning curriculum.
Along with the ready-to-implement kit, Connect4Learning also includes a secure online portal that educators can use to track children's progress, perform academic assessments, and share student data with parents and families. Kent County received one free year of portal access after initially purchasing the curriculum, however it is not approved by the state of Michigan at this time, and they must use another tool to track child progress.
“I would often use the portal for lesson planning, and found it to be so helpful,” says Nichole. “I really like how parent-friendly the pie charts were for conferences and showing child progress toward learning trajectory growth. I wish the portal was approved by our state.”
The best part of any curriculum adoption is watching academic and developmental growth soar. That’s exactly what Nichole say happening in her classroom during the first year of using the new curriculum.
"Looking at the previous six years of test scores, I had it in my head that our scores would always be low," says Nichole. "The first year after using Connect4Learning, our scores skyrocketed."
The Wyoming Early Childhood Center, where Nichole teaches, is in a high-poverty area, along with the majority of other schools in Kent County. However, one school is in an affluent area, and this school is the only one that decided not to adopt the Connect4Learning curriculum.
"The first year with Connect4Learning, our scores were on par with those of the affluent school. I knew then that we could never go back to anything else," states Nichole. "Our students lack resources compared to those in the affluent school. To see our scores change like that, I knew we had to do the right thing for them and continue this curriculum!"
Even more exciting changes took place in Nichole's classroom after implementing the Connect4Learning curriculum.
"One thing I noticed about myself is that before implementing this curriculum, I didn't know enough about how to help children with challenging behaviors," says Nichole. "Connect4Learning gives me the tools I need to help in the moment, and it gives the children the power to make decisions and solve problems for themselves, meaning I spend less time managing behavior challenges throughout the day."
Are you thinking of adopting a new curriculum?
Your curriculum has the power to close academic gaps and give every child access to a quality education. If you realize your current curriculum is no longer meeting the needs of the children in your classroom, school, or district, it may be time for a change.
As you saw from Nichole's experience, adopting a new curriculum is sure to come with reservations, hesitations, and oh-so-many rewards. To explore the Connect4Learning curriculum, the kit inclusions, and how it emphasizes math, literacy, science, and social-emotional learning, click here to read the Complete Guide to the Connect4Learning Curriculum article.
