---
title: "Approaches to Learning in Alaska’s Alaska Early Learning Guidelines Framework"
id: "22569"
type: "page"
slug: "approaches-to-learning"
published_at: "2026-05-30T00:30:35+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-05-30T00:30:35+00:00"
url: "https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/early-learning-standards/alaska/approaches-to-learning/"
markdown_url: "https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/early-learning-standards/alaska/approaches-to-learning.md"
excerpt: "Alaska Early Learning Guidelines-alignedNAEYC & Head Start aligned Explore other developmental domains in Alaska Social-Emotional Language & Literacy Mathematics & Reasoning Physical Development Science Social Studies Creative Arts Approaches to Learning Understanding the standard What Alaska’s Alaska Early Learning Guidelines..."
taxonomy_language:
  - "English"
---

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 › Approaches to Learning in Alaska's Alaska Early Learning Guidelines Framework

# Approaches to Learning in Alaska’s Alaska Early Learning Guidelines Framework

## How Alaska defines learning dispositions and approaches to learning for young children — and how Experience Curriculum helps your program meet every standard indicator.

Alaska Early Learning Guidelines-alignedNAEYC & Head Start aligned

Explore other developmental domains in Alaska

[Social-Emotional](https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/early-learning-standards/alaska/social-emotional/)
[Language & Literacy](https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/early-learning-standards/alaska/language-literacy/)
[Mathematics & Reasoning](https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/early-learning-standards/alaska/mathematics-reasoning/)
[Physical Development](https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/early-learning-standards/alaska/physical-development/)
[Science](https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/early-learning-standards/alaska/science/)
[Social Studies](https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/early-learning-standards/alaska/social-studies/)
[Creative Arts](https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/early-learning-standards/alaska/creative-arts/)
[Approaches to Learning](https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/early-learning-standards/alaska/approaches-to-learning/)

Understanding the standard## What Alaska’s Alaska Early Learning Guidelines says about learning dispositions and approaches to learning

Alaska’s early learning framework, the State of Alaska Early Learning Guidelines, is the official standards document used by licensed childcare and development programs across the state. Administered by the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, the Alaska Early Learning Guidelines defines what healthy development looks like for children from birth through kindergarten entry — and learning dispositions and approaches to learning is a core domain of that framework.

The Alaska Early Learning Guidelines addresses learning dispositions and approaches to learning through a set of standards and indicators that capture children’s developmental progress from infancy through kindergarten entry. These indicators are organized to help educators observe, document, and support children’s growth in learning dispositions and approaches to learning through intentional, play-based curriculum experiences.

Alaska requires licensed childcare programs to use a curriculum aligned to the Alaska Early Learning Guidelines and to document children’s developmental progress across all domains. This documentation informs individualized curriculum planning and is evaluated as part of the Alaska’s SEED (Supporting Early Education and Development) quality system.

Why it matters

Approaches to Learning may be the most predictive domain for long-term academic success. Research from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and the Head Start Research and Evaluation Project shows that children’s curiosity, persistence, and attentiveness at kindergarten entry predict academic achievement at least as strongly as specific academic skills.

4Measure areas assess learning dispositions and engagement

Birth–5Age range covered by approaches to learning standards

73Skills tracked in the Experience Assessment across all domains

Developmental milestones## Approaches to Learning milestones by age group

Understanding where children are developmentally helps educators plan meaningful activities and document progress accurately. These milestones align with Alaska’s Alaska Early Learning Guidelines indicators and nationally recognized frameworks including NAEYC’s Developmentally Appropriate Practice and the CDC’s Milestone Moments.

| Age group | Key Alaska Early Learning Guidelines milestones | What educators can do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| InfantsBirth–18 months | Sustained attention on interesting objects and people; repeating actions to explore effects; beginning goal-directed behavior; expressing interest and preference; imitating caregivers to learn | Follow infant’s lead and attention; provide interesting objects that invite repeated exploration; narrate what infants are attending to; support sustained play without interruption |
| Toddlers18–36 months | Initiating self-chosen activities; returning to preferred activities over multiple days; beginning to express plans; showing frustration but continuing to try; parallel play with growing interest in peers’ activities | Offer choice in activities; allow extended time for self-chosen projects; validate persistence; provide open-ended materials that invite repeated and extended engagement |
| Preschool3–5 years | Setting goals and pursuing them across multiple sessions; seeking information to solve problems; flexible thinking when initial approaches fail; sustained collaborative projects; reflecting on their own learning | Long-cycle projects across multiple days; problem-solving provocations; reflection conversations; learning documentation walls; flexible scheduling to allow sustained engagement |

Curriculum alignment## How Experience Curriculum supports Alaska’s Alaska Early Learning Guidelines Approaches to Learning standards

Experience Curriculum builds learning dispositions and approaches to learning into every monthly theme through intentional, play-based activities aligned to the Alaska Early Learning Guidelines. Rather than treating learning dispositions and approaches to learning as a separate subject, the curriculum embeds relevant skills into daily activities across every age band — so children are developing across all Alaska Early Learning Guidelines indicators throughout the day.

Every Experience Curriculum kit ships with a verified alignment to state early learning standards. The downloadable [Experience Curriculum Alignment PDF](https://www.mothergoosetime.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/MGT_California_DRDP_Align.pdf)
 maps each curriculum activity and skill to the specific standard indicator and developmental level it targets — saving teachers significant documentation time.

### Approaches to Learning skills covered

- Curiosity and initiative in learning
- Attention and persistence on tasks
- Flexibility and creative problem-solving
- Cooperation in group learning contexts
- Reflection on learning processes
- Independence and self-directed learning

### How it’s delivered

- Monthly kits designed for 4-week sustained engagement
- Open-ended provocation activities that invite extended exploration
- Problem-solving challenges embedded in every theme
- Learning documentation templates for observations
- Brightwheel digital documentation tied to state approaches to learning indicators
- Family connection activities to extend learning dispositions at home

Research basis

Experience Curriculum’s approach to learning dispositions and approaches to learning is grounded in peer-reviewed early childhood research and aligns to NAEYC’s Developmentally Appropriate Practice guidelines and the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework. An [independent psychometric evaluation found the linked Experience Assessment](https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/items/0ae3a188-0111-40ab-ae97-bd17126698a6)
 exceeds standards for validity and reliability across all eight developmental domains.

Skills spotlight## Key learning dispositions and approaches to learning skills in the Experience Curriculum framework

Experience Curriculum’s 35-skill framework maps directly to state standard domains. Here are four skills that feature prominently in every age-band kit and align directly to Alaska’s Alaska Early Learning Guidelines indicators.

#### Curiosity

Intrinsic motivation to explore, question, and investigate. Nurtured through open-ended materials, wonder-inducing environments, and educators who honor children’s questions and follow their investigative leads.

#### Persistence

Continuing to engage with challenging tasks even when frustrated. Developed through appropriate challenges, growth mindset language from educators, and structured time for sustained engagement.

#### Initiative

Self-starting and self-directed engagement with the environment. Supported through choice-rich schedules, open-ended learning centers, and responsive educators who follow children’s leads.

#### Flexibility

Adjusting approaches when initial strategies don’t work; trying new solutions. Built through problem-solving provocations, collaborative challenges, and adult modeling of flexible thinking.

Implementation guidance## Practical tips for embedding learning dispositions and approaches to learning into your Alaska program

#### 1. Protect time for sustained, self-directed engagement

Approaches to Learning standards assess children’s ability to initiate, sustain, and return to activities over time — behaviors that require generous, uninterrupted play time. Programs that offer at least 45–60 minutes of uninterrupted choice time daily generate far richer documentation than programs with highly fragmented schedules.

#### 2. Use growth mindset language intentionally

How educators respond to children’s struggles and successes shapes learning dispositions profoundly. Replace “Good job!” with specific process praise: “I noticed you kept trying even when it was hard.” This directly supports the persistence and resilience that approaches to learning standards measure.

#### 3. Design for long-cycle projects

Extended projects — multi-day or multi-week investigations of a question or topic — are the richest context for developing approaches to learning competencies. When children return to the same project across multiple sessions, they naturally demonstrate initiative, persistence, and flexible problem-solving.

#### 4. Make learning processes visible

Documentation walls that capture children’s questions, plans, attempts, and discoveries make the learning process visible — to children, families, and standard observers. When children see their own learning documented and celebrated, their metacognitive awareness grows.

Frequently asked questions## Common questions about Alaska’s Alaska Early Learning Guidelines and learning dispositions and approaches to learning curriculum

What are the early learning standards for Approaches to Learning?

Approaches to Learning is a distinct domain in many state early learning frameworks, covering initiative and curiosity, attentiveness and persistence, cooperation and responsibility, and creativity in learning. Not all state frameworks have this as a separate domain.

Is Experience Curriculum aligned to Approaches to Learning standards?

Yes. Experience Curriculum’s 4-week monthly theme structure is specifically designed to build the learning dispositions that Approaches to Learning standards measure. Alignment PDFs map kit activities to corresponding indicators.

How do childcare programs document Approaches to Learning?

Programs document Approaches to Learning through observation records — brief, evidence-based notes about how children engage with tasks, persist through challenges, and demonstrate curiosity and initiative. Programs using brightwheel can complete this documentation digitally.

How can educators support curiosity and persistence in young children?

Through generous uninterrupted play time, choice-rich environments, growth mindset language, open-ended materials, and extended project-based experiences. Experience Curriculum’s 4-week theme structure is specifically designed to build these dispositions.

Does Experience Curriculum help with quality rating requirements?

Many childcare programs find that Experience Curriculum supports their state QRIS ratings. We recommend confirming specific requirements with your state’s child care resource and referral agency.

## Related resources

[Related pageAlaska Science standardsAlaska’s Alaska Early Learning Guidelines Science domain alignment](https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/early-learning-standards/alaska/science/)
[Related pageAlaska Social-Emotional standardsAlaska’s Alaska Early Learning Guidelines Social-emotional domain alignment](https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/early-learning-standards/alaska/social-emotional/)
[Related pageAlaska early learning standardsOverview of Alaska’s Alaska Early Learning Guidelines framework and all 8 domain alignments](https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/early-learning-standards/alaska/)
[ExternalAlaska Alaska Early Learning Guidelines resource guideOfficial Alaska Early Learning Guidelines resources from the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development](https://education.alaska.gov/earlylearning)
[ProductExperience Curriculum overviewResearch-based, state-aligned curriculum delivered to your door every month](https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/experience-curriculum/)

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