Programs & Curriculum

PYRAMID
An Intriguing new learning approach from the Netherlands

Cito, one of the world's largest and most respected testing and measurment companies, introduces PYRAMID, a holistic, balanced approach for all children.

Dr. Jef van Kuyk created Pyramid in the early nineties in response to an unprecedented influx of immigrants in to the Netherlands.

His challenge was to create a holistic, balanced approach to learning that would be highly effective for children fluent in Dutch and those just learning the language and culture.To accomplish this, Dr. van Kuyk combined exciting new brain research with proven early learning theory and practice.

Pyramid is the most widely used early learning approach in the Netherlands–one of the most literate countries in the world.

Pyramids' Theoretical Foundation

John Bowlby (Theory of Attachment)
- Humans are motivated to maintain a dynamic balance between familiarity-preserving, stress-reducing behaviors and the opposing exploratory and information seeking behaviors.

Jean Piaget (Theory of Cognitive Development)
- For a child to know and construct knowledge of the world he must act on objects. This action provides knowledge of those objects. With each interaction between the child and the object, the child’s knowledge of the object becomes altered. Knowing comes not from the object alone nor from the child’s actions alone, but from constructions of the interactions between the child and the object.

Lev Vygotsky (Constructivism Theory)
- Learning impacts development as children construct their own knowledge and teachers help children implement strategies that further their intellectual capacity. Children operate at two levels of development: Independent Performance (lower level) and Assisted Performance (upper level). Between these two levels of performance lies the Zone of Proximal Development. Teachers can scaffold children’s ability to move to the upper level of development.

Irving Sigel (Distancing Theory)
- When teachers combine stimulating environments with learning provocations, children take distance from the here-and-now and begin to represent their world in abstract ways.

Howard Gardner (Theory of Multiple Intelligences)
- The best learning environments for children offer multiple modalities for presenting and representing learning.

Paul van Geert (Dynamic Systems Theory)
- Children learn and re-learn in short and long-term cycles of learning that grow in complexity.

Pyramid at a Glance

• Emotional safety is the first priority for every child.
• Children and teachers take initiative in a dynamic dance of co-creation.
• Projects connect across a three-year span. Children’s learning deepens as they re-encounter familiar skills and concepts and learn at increasingly higher levels.
• Focused planning results in activities that advance children’s thinking through three levels—basic, creative, and metacognative.
• Children’s play is respected, supported, and enriched
• Projects wrap learning in meaningful context.
• Children gain representational competence across all domains of learning.
• Informal and formal assessment tools are used for formative evaluation.
• Authentic parent partnerships are linked to children’s success and well-being.
• Teachers understand their dual roles in creating Emotional and Educational Nearness and Distance. Children feel secure as they move toward increasing autonomy.
• Children always retain the initiative as teachers make learning attractive with engaging activities and infectious enthusiasm.
• Children’s learning is intentionally and appropriately moved from the here and now to the abstract.
• Proactive Tutoring provides advanced, targeted support to ensure feelings of success for all children.

Unique Features of Pyramid

• Dynamic Systems Theory in Action
• Four-Step Distancing Process for Daily Activities
• Fully Developed Projects that Balance the Initiative of the Child and the Initiative of the Teacher
• Pro-Active Tutoring for Children Needing Extra Support

The Four Cornerstones of Pyramid

Pyramid is a carefully crafted construction with a foundation built upon four cornerstones. These cornerstones create a solid, secure base for children and are firmly grounded in theory and research. From this base children’s learning can soar.