The innovative early literacy project for preschool children, "Skuteczne zdziwienie – wyzwalamy myślenie" was developed by a team of University of Lodz staff members: dr hab. Monika Wiśniewska-Kin, Associate Professor at the University of Lodz, and mgr Weronika Kisiel.
The implementation package was reviewed by the distinguished expert in early childhood education, Prof. Dorota Klus-Stańska.
According to Prof. Klus-Stańska:
The innovative nature of the package is unquestionable. Its underlying assumptions, together with the linguistic, visual and structural materials developed on their basis, align perfectly with the most cutting-edge solutions designed for children and provide an excellent response to the findings of research conducted in Poland and internationally. The entire package is coherent, consistent, exceptionally well thought out, and adapted to the realities of institutional education.
The project "Skuteczne zdziwienie – wyzwalamy myślenie" has received awards twice at INTARG, the International Fair of Inventions and Innovations. It was awarded a Gold Medal at the International Invention and Innovation Show and received the World Invention Intellectual Property Associations (WIIPA) Award. The project was also nominated and received a distinction in the Polish Section of IBBY's Book of the Year 2020 competition.
The solution is an original and unique nationwide proposal for a holistic approach to teaching reading and writing to preschool children. Reading instruction is no longer treated as a formal process. Instead, children's reading becomes a form of expression and artistic creativity. The approach assigns fundamental importance to the concept of effective surprise (J. Bruner, 1965) in learning through speaking, acting and perceptual experience.
Social Impact
- Increased interest in reading, writing and communication both in the classroom and beyond school.
- Reduced risk of functional illiteracy and complete illiteracy.
- Creation of an alternative to communication via electronic media, thereby minimising the effects of dependence on tablets and smartphones.
