Project objectives

The objectives of the DECODE project are:

1. To contribute to high quality and relevant ECEC through introducing a whole approach to boosting children’s cognitive development where kindergartens and families collaborate in a synchronized manner to tackle learning disadvantage, and low proficiency in basic skills by making success possible for all children.

2. To support the continuing professional development of ECEC staff by building kindergarten teachers’ knowledge and skills on how to boost all children’s cognitive development through innovative competence-based methods, targeted training and suitable resources.

3. To nurture preschool children’s key competences from an early age (with particular focus on laying the foundations for literacy, personal, social and learning to learn competences) through the development and validation of open access free innovative learning resources to be used in the kindergarten and at home, thus also directly affecting 300 children in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia and many more after the end of the project.

4. To promote the importance and benefits from boosting all children’s cognitive development at ECEC level as the most effective approach to tackle learning disadvantage and low proficiency in basic skills and to raise the awareness among key stakeholders on the necessity to bring kindergartens and families together as partners in this process.

PROJECT RESULTS:

• Methodology for KIGA Teachers
• Learning Resources for KIGA
• Manual for Parents
• Learning Resources for HOME
• Cognitive Development Digital Repository
• Training Course for KIGA Teachers
• Handbook for KIGA Teachers on how to conduct workshops with parents

Methodology for KIGA Teachers

Theory of cognitive development and didactics (teaching methods and techniques), information on age group specifics, the 7 areas explained, guidelines on how to use the learning resources in KIGA.

Learning resources for KIGA

96 practical structured activities to be performed as part of the formal education offer (by applying specific methods and curriculum) to include: theme, specific competence to be developed, age group, instructions for conducting the activity, vocabulary to be apprehended, questions for the child, questions for group reflection, recommendations for interdisciplinary links, annexes with pictures, infographics, work sheets, etc.

Manual for parents

with recommendation for working with children at home (cognitive development, its importance and ways to nurture simply explained).

Learning resources for HOME

320 practical immersive game-based activities to be used at home to build competences through non-formal learning to include: real-life situations presented as a quest that needs to be solved by the child in a relaxed and playful manner;

Digital repository

Multilingual platform accessible online and containing the digitalised version of the learning resources for KIGAs and HOME:
– Guidelines and framework for the development of the practical activities;
– Teachers exposed to the learning resources;

Training Course for KIGA Teachers

Theory of cognitive development, Stages of cognitive development, Competence-based learning at preschool level, Sensory Perception (visual, auditory, tactile, taste and olfactory), Imagination and Fantasy, Memory and Reasoning, Communication Skills, How to use the learning resources in practice, How to collaborate with parents. Successful completion of the training will be formally validated with certificate.

Handbook for conducting workshops with parents

step-by-step guide for kindergarten teachers on how to conduct workshops for parents to involve them in the process of their children cognitive development, to cover the following indicative topics: strategies to engage the family in the learning process; planning the workshop – thematic focus, logistics, feedback mechanisms; marketing the workshop – how to effectively inform parents of the opportunity, how to develop a short presentation of the workshop objectives that will convince parents to participate, admin and other aspects; presentation skills and engagement techniques; activities during the workshop; follow-up, etc.