The Philosophy Behind Tools of the Mind Presentation

• Self-regulated learning is crucial for a child since it shapes his/her success in school and beyond.
• Children, therefore, should learn much more than a set of facts and skills.
• This can be made possible by helping them master a set of mental tools, known as “Tools of the Mind.”
• Tools of the Mind has its origin in Lev Vygotsky, a famous Russian psychologist.
• Vygotsky believed that these tools of the mind extend an individual’s mental abilities to solve problems and creatively formulate solutions in the present world.
• Lev Vygotsky’s theory has been applied to education.
• He argues that failure to use mental tools will result in children’s learning being largely controlled by the environment through conditioning.
• Tools of the mind empower children to master and recall in a highly selective manner.
• It helps in the transformation of children’s cognitive, social, physical, and emotional behaviors.
• Children, with time, will operate at a higher mental state.
• They are allowed to learn using the Vygotskian approach.
• The approach advocates the teaching of children to acquire the tools of their culture.
• The major emphasis of the theory is on helping children master the tools of their culture.
• Vygotsky’s theory emphasizes the mastery of cultural tools by the children.
• The theory advocates for the need of children to acquire the first “tools of the mind” through useful interactions.
• The concept emphasized in the Vygotsky’s approach is the level at which a child performs an activity, either assisted or not. This is known as the Zone of Proximal Development, abbreviated ZPD.
• Of much interest are the child’s skills and understandings contained within a child’s ZPD.
• These could emerge only if the child engages in interactions with other children or in alternative supportive environments.

Tools of the Mind as a Curriculum

• It is designed to provide a strong base for preschool and kindergarten children to succeed in school and beyond.
• The program enhances children’s intentional and self-regulated learning.
• The child is helped by the teacher to make transition from performing with assistance to independent performance at a higher level.
• The children are empowered to regulate their own social, emotional, and cognitive behaviors as well as influence those of others using mental tools as they interact.
• It is the best for teaching early childhood education.