Transcript Refining Assessment

Refining Assessment
PREKINDERGARTEN
OCTOBER 19, 2011
Our Day
Ministry Discussions
Learning Plans, Invitations & Provocations
Language, Literacy & Powerful Interactions
Refining Our Assessment
Student-led Conferences
Printing COR Progress Reports
Ministry Discussions
 Drafting an Essential Learning Experiences for
Prekindergarten


Language & Emergent Literacy
Social Emotional Development
 Resources to Support Educators’ Understanding of
Developmentally Appropriate Practices
 Develop PD on Emergent Curriculum
 Family Engagement Policy & Expectations
How has your Prekindergarten evolved?
5 Years Ago
Today
We are making the shift....
 Our view of what the curriculum really is
 Our advanced skills in observing children
 Our ability to analyze children’s thinking and
development to see new levels of complexity
 Our ability to practice new skills and try new ideas
 Our experience that leads us to trusting children
and oneself to co-creating the curriculum.
Co-Creating the Curriculum
Child centred curriculum requires a much more
complex view of teaching and learning than a
traditional one. An emergent curriculum has as
much structure as a teacher-directed approach.
The difference is that the source of the structure is
the teacher’s understanding and responsiveness to
the children, rather than a curriculum recipe or set
plan. The teacher and children create the structure
and curriculum together.
- Curtis & Carter, 1996
Analyzing Learning Plans
Review the two learning
plans of these 2
prekindergarten
teachers.
Analyzing Learning Plans
 What goals do these learning plans suggest?
 How does the teacher think the children will learn?
 What are the sensory aspects of this learning plan?
 What values are promoted (consider religious,
commercial, diversity)?
 How do these learning plans draw on the children's
daily lives and experiences?
 How do the learning plans reflect the documentation
evidence?
Learning Plans
 Share each other’s
Learning Plans
Transformation of our Roles
Observer
Documenter
Researcher
Reflector
Facilitator
Journal Entry of a Prekindergarten Teacher
Read the script. Are you prepared to take the next
steps in your role?
Do you ever ask yourself, what other materials might
extend children’s experiences or help them represent
their ideas and feelings?
Video: Setting Sail
An Emergent Curriculum Project
Stacking blocks and mixing sand and water
encourages logical- mathematical thinking,
scientific reasoning and cognitive problem
solving…..the learning that occurs is a byproduct of
play.
Paul Cappon (2006), Canadian Council on Learning
Provocations and Invitations
Definition:
 Listening closely to the children and devising a
means for provoking further thought and action.
 An invitation might be an intriguing set of materials
that tie into the children’s interest, something new in
a learning centre, a display that invites hands-on
exploration, or perhaps library books on a topic.
A provocation is “something that must be responded
to, that we cannot ignore.”
Carol Anne Wien
Let’s Play
There are various invitations or provocations set up in
the room.
Find a partner. One person will engage with the
invitation the way a child would – ‘as if for the first
time’. The other partner will observe and take note
of the learning.
So what are we looking for?
How do children use their senses?
How do children explore, invent & construct?
How do children connect with the natural world?
How do children seek power, drama, and adventure?
How do children’s stories become a part of representation
and literacy?
How do children form relationships?
How do children face barriers and negotiate change?
How do children provoke wonder, curiosity, and intellectual
engagement?
Creating Invitations
 ECERS: Center and Materials List
 COR – What’s Next?
 The Art of Awareness: How Observations Can
Transform Your Teaching
 Designs for Living and Learning: Transforming
Early Childhood Environments
Language & Literacy
Key Experiences in Language & Literacy
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Talking with others about personally meaningful
experiences
Describing objects, events, and relations
Having fun with language: listening to stories and poems,
making up stories and rhymes
Writing in various ways: drawing, scribbling, letter-like
forms, invented spelling, conventional forms
Reading in various ways: reading storybooks, signs, and
symbols, one’s own writing
Dictating stories
Video: Going to a Wedding
 How does literacy and language enhance as we play
with children?
Powerful Interactions
Interactions are the
exchanges in words and
gestures that you have
with others – in
particular, the exchange
that you as a teacher
have with young
children.
Giving your interactions some careful thinking is
important because research shows that who you are,
and how and what you say and do as you engage with
children, makes a difference in what they learn about
themselves, others, and the world.
Hamre & Pianta, 2005
What does a Powerful Interaction look like?
Think of a time when you had genuine conversation
with a friend or family member. What did this look
like? Reflect and write down characteristics of this
powerful interaction.
What is a “Powerful Interaction”?
Every day interactions – spontaneous, rushed, little
thought about purpose. Children may or may not
learn from this interaction.
Powerful interaction – very intentional and purposeful
exchanges between a teacher and child that can have
a significant and highly positive impact on learning.
You launch a Powerful Interaction when you make a
conscious decision to say or do something that
conveys to the child, “I notice you, I’m interested in
you, and I want to know you better.” This moment
of personal connection builds upon the trust and
security that exists between the two of you. Within a
trusting and secure relationship, a child is more open
to learn from guidance and instruction you offer.
Step 1: Being Present
When you are “present” you are in the moment and
self-aware, and therefore you can be more open to
the interesting and significant things that children
do.
Step 2: Connect
You acknowledge and validate children by letting
them know you see them, are interested in them,
and want to spend time with them. Connecting in
this way awakens the sense of trust and security
that creates positive interactions and learning.
Step 3: Extend Learning
When you extend a child’s knowledge and understanding
hand-in-hand with nurturing a positive relationship
with that child, you create the optimal condition for
you to teach and the child to learn.
Have genuine conversations with children. Your role as a
facilitator changes from a “telling” role to that of
“exchanger of knowledge and ideas”. (pg. 58 ELPG)
Conversations reveal and stimulate children’s thinking.
Refining Our Assessment
HOW DOES YOUR
DOCUMENTATION
CORRESPOND TO COR
CATEGORIES AND ITEMS?
DO YOU SEE TRENDS? DO
YOU SEE GAPS?
Assessment
Instruction Activity
 How does your instruction change tomorrow
based on the information you have gathered?
How does your documentation evidence
(assessment) drive your learning plan?
 Now what? What do you do? What
invitations, props, events, and conversations
do you need to facilitate? How does your
learning plan change? How do you look at
today so that it becomes meaningful
tomorrow?
Now what?...Reflective Lens
 Using your documentation thus far, what props,
materials, conversations, questions, activities will be
presented tomorrow for these children?
 Learning Plan
Environment/Invitations
Conversations/Essential
Questions
Play/Activity
Putting It All
Together
Student-led Conferences
Ideas:
 Open House
 Documentation
 Environment
 Discussion about COR
Share:
Central Park’s Student-led
Conference Plan – Andrea
& Nicole
Printing COR Progress Reports
1.
Family Report
1.
New
1.
Period 1
1.
Next
1.
2.
3.
Select all --determine the
data you want
or don’t want
included in the
report
Complete
Report
Print
Work Time
 Documentation and COR
 Preparing for Student-led Conferences
 Reflecting on Documentation and Determining
Learning Plan




Invitations and/or Provocations
Environment
Essential Questions/Powerful Interactions
Play Activities
Professional Resources
WWW.NAEYC.ORG/STORE
HTTP://WWW.EDUCATION.GOV.SK.CA/A
DX/ASPX/ADXGETMEDIA.ASPX?DOCID=9
8FC9CAE-9093-47A7-8B23-4A385A060F5F