GUIDELINES FOR SELF EVALUATION IN PRESCHOOL

INSTITUTIONS

AuthorsMaureen Bennett,

Department of Education, Education and Training Inspectorate

Imelda MadiganHighScope Irl. Ins./Early-Years Organisation for Young Children

Lidija Radulović, Filozofski fakultet Univerzitet u Beogradu

Lidija Miškeljin Filozofski fakultet Univerzitet u Beogradu

ReviewersDoc. dr Vesna Srdić

Biljana Kojović

PublisherMinistry of Education, Science

and Technological Development

PrintDigital Art, Belgrade

Belgrade, 2013

Project funded by the European Union

Improvement of preschool education in Serbia

IMPRESRepublic of Serbia

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, SCIENCEAND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT

Project implemented by SOFRECO

GUIDELINES FOR SELF-EVALUATION

IN PRE-SCHOOLS

To be ready for self-evaluation means to be always ready to learn.

In an environment where the culture of self-evaluation is still not a common feature of the institution or of everyday work of teachers, it means to be willing to learn about one’s own practice and to be ready to learn about self-evaluation.

Keep in mind that self-evaluation cannot be learned until you begin to practice it.

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INTRODUCTION Why we developed this guidance and what it containsThe reasons for developing this guidance can be found in our understanding of the importance of quality in early childhood development and preschool education for children’s development, as well as the understanding that good preschool education is one that is constantly evolving, changing and improving.

Review and development of the preschool practice is also founded in the Law on the Fundamentals of the Education System, the Law on Preschool Education, Quality Standards of Work of Preschool Institutions and Bylaw on Quality Evaluation of the Institutions’ Work.

Practitioners in the centres are key actors in preschool education and potential agents of changes. Although other social and material circumstances can pose difficulties and obstacles in developing a quality of preschool education, it is on the practitioners’ action that will largely determine what will be the practice of pre-school education and whether it will change and develop. Self-evaluation is a process that can help practitioners, starting from their understanding of current practice, to decisions that will help to bring improvement and will develop the practice of pre-school education.Self-evaluation involves and requires a critical approach to practice, review, and is dependent on openness to change. This is what is common to each meaningful self-evaluation, while the rest will depend on the circumstances in centre and the local environment and specific preschool teachers. Therefore, a guide for self-evaluation cannot contain a list of recipes that suits for everything and everyone in the same way. Instead, we hope that this guide will:

• help teachers, professional associates and managers to understand the essence of self-evaluation and its role in the development of practice

• offer them some procedures, processes and resources that might help in the process of self-evaluation, but also encourage them to develop further.

• encourage them to question the normal mode and routines, the way children understand their needs and the context in which they act, their role in kindergarten ... but also his determination to evaluate and modify practice

• contribute to embrace self-evaluation, and through it to observe, understand and develop practice.

In this sense, self-evaluation is not an assessment of whether the teacher’s work (or associate’s, or director’s work) is good or bad, judging by how his work corresponds to some evaluation criteria previously defined regardless of the context. Evaluation is more about how much a practitioner explores, better understands, and develops his activities in the context in which he works and contributes to the development of a preschool. Similarly, a significant feature of a good preschool is that there is a willingness to evolve / change through self-evaluation process and to engage to ensure the conditions for self-evaluation and development.

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What does the Guidance consists of?

Since the foundation for self-evaluation is in the understanding of pre-school education - children, the programme, the role of teachers, Part one of the guidance contains basic assumptions about the quality of preschool education.

The following section explains the concept of self-evaluation and its purpose (Part 2), and then explains in detail the process of self-evaluation, along with suggesting some concrete steps and actions to be taken to implement the process of self-evaluation (Part 3).

At the end there is a worked-out example of the self-evaluation process (Part 4). Annexes contain materials that we believe can assist you in practical work:

• practical examples that illustrate the qualities of self-evaluation, • examples of annual self-evaluation plan, action plans and self-evaluation

reports,• a significant number of tools that can be used in the process of self-evaluation,

parts of documents • as well as the Standards for Quality Evaluation of Preschool Institutions in

Serbia. Parts 3 and 4, with enclosed annexes, we hope, in particular can help in the process of self-evaluation in the areas where it has not yet developed the typical cultural features. The authors’ idea is that enclosed instruments become the starting points for reflection and implementation and for their adjustment and creation of new ones in the self-evaluation process.

The guide contains several different types of text, marked in different colours. In addition to explanations of particular topics and issues related to self-evaluation in the main text, the boxes summarize the main ideas as well as examples from the practice. Questions for reflection and discussion listed in boxes may be used for individual reflections, and are especially useful as an incentive for developing discussions within the small groups. Thinking about and discussing these issues and comparing ideas and experiences of different actors within pre-school education could lead to a better understanding by practitioners of their own actions in context and the development of ideas for further activities. The structure of the guide enables its varied use: it may be read all at once, in order to understand self-evaluation as a complete process and the meaning of that process for the work of the preschool and the practitioners, the reader may spend more time on some sections, which they believe to be relevant at the time, boxes can be reviewed as a reminder or used as a guide for specific activities that lead to self-evaluation (reflective questions, instruments...). We hope that you will find a way that suits you the best.

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How the Guidance was developed

The Guidance was developed within the IMPRES1 project in which was recognized the importance of self-evaluation for improving preschool provision in Serbia. The elaboration of the Guidance has been developed through:

1. analysis of the meaning of the relevant scientific knowledge (about preschool education, evaluation and self-evaluation, teacher) and some European experiences in self-evaluation, on the one hand and

2. analysis of the needs of the practitioners (consultative discussions with representatives of the educational policies, workshops with practitioners – development of the first draft version of the Guidance),

3. process of consultations with the practitioners (from September to December 2011 – updating of the first draft of the Guidance based on the experiences of the practitioners),

4. pilot testing/implementation of the Guidance in 15 preschool institutions - monitoring and analyses of the experiences of the practitioners (from November 2012 to March 2013 – the development of the final version of the Guidance).

The main purpose of listed activities was the construction of common meanings of self-evaluation, understanding what it takes for practitioners in Serbia to self-evaluate, as well as obtaining propositions for guidelines for self-evaluation from practitioners. In addition to the analysis of opinions, experiences and suggestions of practitioners in the process of elaboration of this guide, the opinions and proposals of other stakeholders were also taken into consideration (parents, Ministry of Education and Science, representatives of local self-government and non-governmental organisations).In this way, were also collected examples of self evaluative activities of our practice, which, along with adjustments, were used in the guide.

Conclusions from this pilot exercise have pointed up the need: a) to try to develop some clearer concept of what represents good quality provision and how to recognise it b) to develop a clearer understanding of the purpose of self-evaluation and c) to develop a clearer understanding of the self-evaluation process. There is a danger that practitioners have experienced self-evaluation as an end in itself (as means for fulfilling the requirements of the external evaluation), rather than an ongoing process towards achieving better provision and improvement of the living conditions, development and learning of children. The Guidance for Self-Evaluation is one of the parts of the network system for improvement of quality of preschool education and together with the Standards of Work of Preschool Institutions makes a whole.

* * *The IMPRES project that has inspired this guidance is also evidence of an understanding of the need to review the current pre-school provision to see how well

1 IMPRES – Improvement of pre-school education in Serbia, Project funded by EU.

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it is meeting the needs of today’s children and to make the necessary improvements. All of the stakeholders – including the parents and the teachers and the local community - want reassurance about the things that are going well, what they need to change and whether money and resources are being used appropriately and equitably. Self-evaluation that is systematic and based on an understanding of quality that has evolved from the best of real practice, is not a counsel of perfection but a process of improvement with integrity of purpose.

Improving includes understanding and change of existing practices and ourselves because we are the actors in those specific practices.

Change is a journey and we learn from engaging with others on the job. The participation of those in the pilot has already stimulated professional thinking and reflection. The journey has begun.

Thank you note

We thank the directors, teachers and professional associates working in the preschool institutions in Pozarevac, Arandjelovac, Petrovac na Mlavi, Beocin, Ruma, Mali Zvornik, Sabac, Uzice, Tutin, Leskovac, Surdulica, Krusevac, Razanj, Bela Palanka and Gadzin Han for their readiness to share their experience, participate in discussions, provide examples and instruments they use in their practice as well as for their direct proposals on what the Guidance for Self-Evaluation should contain, and who through their commitment and effort all contributed to the development of this guide.

In addition, we thank for the support provided by the Group for preschool education and educational advisers of the school administrations of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development in Novi Sad, Pozarevac, Kragujevac, Krusevac, Leskovac, Sabac, Uzice and Nis.

We also thank the Institute for Education Quality and Evaluation for the provided support and direct involvement and work on the improvement of the Guidance for self-evaluation.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 3

PART ONE: PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION - ITS VALUE AND PURPOSE 9

1.1. What is preschool education and why is it important 10

1.2. Key Values and Principles 11

PART TWO: SELF-EVALUATION - WHAT IS AND WHY

IS IT IMPORTANT 14

2.1. The purpose of self-evaluation 15

2.2 Self-evaluation: what it involves 17

2.3. Self-evaluation: the cyclical process of reviewing, developing

and improving 21

2.4. The process in more detail: Seeing the big picture 23

PART THREE: SELF-EVALUATION – HOW IS IT CARRIED OUT 25

3.1. Getting the climate right 26

3.2. Starting with the end in mind: choosing the focus 30

3.3. Establishing the criteria 33

3.4. Developing the approach and the tools to use 36

3.5. The value of a critical friend 38

3.6. A word about evidence gathering 41

3.7. How do we use data? 42

PART FOUR: ILLUSTRATION OF HOW THE PROCESS MIGHT WORK 44

4.1. Reviewing and evaluating the quality of the children’s learning 44

4.2. What are the elements that impact most on children’s learning? 46

4.3. Starting with the curriculum: the teachers’ planning 48

4.4. Recording the findings /Recording the process 49

4.5. Evaluating the children’s responses –using a questionnaire 50

4.6. Evaluating the children’s responses – through observations. 51

4.7. Bringing it all together 53

PART FIVE: APENDIX 54

Appendix No 1: Examples of self-evaluative cycle 54

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Appendix No 2: Different values in the evaluation of the

same field of work - example 56

Appendix No 3: The quality framework 57

QUALITY STANDARDS OF WORK OF PRESCHOOL

INSTITUTIONS – Serbia 2012 57

HMIE, Scotland (2007) Self-evaluation in the Early Years 66

Appendix no. 4: Annual Self-Evaluation Plan 67

Appendix No 5: Observation Record for Pre-school Settings 68

Guidelines for observing children in the group 68

Anecdotal record 69

0bservation Record from Pre-school Settings 1 70

0bservation Record from Pre-school Settings 2: The realization

of the educational process 71

Observation Record from Pre-school Settings 3: six mirrors

model for a group 72

0bservation Record: Monitoring of social relationships 73

Observation record no. 5: Observation and evaluation of physical,

social and programmatic aspects of learning environment 76

Observation record no. 6: Observation of child in centres 79

Observation record no. 7: Monitoring of children’s interest in

particular centres of interests - Example of protocol 80

Observation record no. 8: Parent’s questionnaire 83

Appendix No 6 Action planning 83

Appendix no. 7 Action plan “Hot seats 87

Appendix no. 9: The self-evaluation report 92

LITERATURE: 99

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PART ONE: PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION - ITS VALUE AND PURPOSE

The child is made of one hundred. The child has A hundred languages A hundred hands A hundred thoughts A hundred ways of thinking Of playing, of speaking. A hundred always a hundred Ways of listening of marveling of loving A hundred joys For singing and understanding A hundred worlds To discover A hundred worlds To invent A hundred worlds To dream The child has A hundred languages (and a hundred hundred hundred more) But they steal ninety-nine.

The school and the culture Separate the head from the body.They tell the child; To think without hands To do without head To listen and not to speak To understand without joy To love and to marvel Only at Easter and Christmas They tell the child: To discover the world already there And of the hundred They steal ninety-nine. They tell the child: That work and play Reality and fantasy Science and imagination Sky and earth Reason and dream Are things That do not belong together And thus they tell the child That the hundred is not there The child says: NO WAY the hundred is there.

Loris Malaguzzi Founder of the Reggio Approach

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1.1. What is preschool education and why is it important

Internationally, early years is generally recognized as a distinct phase of education for children up to six years of age.

At this stage children are active and eager to learn. They are interested in themselves and the world around them. They are naturally curious and like to explore, investigate and be creative. They have a sense of wonder and amazement and also enjoy stories, rhymes and music, as well as physical play and becoming physically independent. Children at this age are developing their own confidence, self-esteem and self-control and enjoy playing and co-operating in groups (with other children and with adults) as well as on their own.

Good pre-school or early year’s education can and should nurture these developments. These are the years when the foundations of learning are laid down and in which children develop good dispositions for learning, and skills such as observing, making decisions, tackling problems and of course, communicating. Learning experiences that foster such development are not just about the future. Pre-school should be enjoyable, a place where children enjoy learning opportunities and feel safe to explore and do new things while supported by adults they know.

There is much evidence to support the argument that good early childhood education is good for children’s development. Recent longitudinal research in a UK project entitled, ‘Effective Provision of Pre-School Education’ (EPPE - Sylva et al 2003) concluded:

• pre-school experience, compared to none, enhances children’s development;• quality was higher overall in centres integrating care and education; • disadvantaged children benefit significantly from good quality pre-school

experiences especially where there is a mix of children from different social backgrounds;

• high quality pre-school education is related to better intellectual and social/behavioural development for children;

• in settings where staff have higher qualifications, the children make more progress; and

• where settings view educational and social developments complementary and of equal importance, children make better all-round progress.

There are significant differences between individual pre-school settings in their impact on children. It also, of course, has to be pointed out that the sustaining of the benefits of good pre-school experience is dependent on the opportunities in preschool.

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1.2. Key Values and Principles Holistic approach

A holistic approach to educating children starts from the child as a unique and integral personality. Although the format and level of detail of some curricula could cover six broad areas which are then separately described (social and emotional; cultural, aesthetic and creative; physical; environmental and language, literacy and numeracy), in good practice they are integrated in a way that ensures that the child has a coherent and holistic learning experience.

Child-centeredness

In any sector of education, the learner should always be at the centre. The child’s individuality, experience, strengths, rights, and needs are central in the provision of quality early childhood experience. This means understanding the childhood/child and his or her interests and then providing appropriate experiences through supportive relationships, a secure but ‘curiosity-rousing’ environment and stimulating activities. When teachers have all this in mind in their preparation of a caring education, learning will be a natural outcome.

In the Scottish government’s Insight 28 publication, ‘Early Years Education: Perspectives from a Review of International Literature,’ Dr Christine Stephen (Stephen, 2006) comments that ‘a cluster of values and principles underlie early years education in Europe and North America, regardless of the particular curriculum or pedagogy:

• a balance between children’s self-initiated learning and practitioner guidance;• opportunities for children to make meaningful choices between activities

offered;• scope to explore through active involvement;• a mix of small group, whole group and independent activities;• play as a primary (but not the exclusive) medium for learning;• adults who demonstrate, question, model, suggest alternatives and prompt

reflection;• systematic observation of children’s learning and behaviour;• active or experiential learning;• respect for children’s ability to be self-motivating and directing; and• the value placed on responsive interactions between children and adults as

crucial for learning.

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The dynamism and progressivism

A preschool education programme (which may be in the form of a framework or curricula or guidance material), with its philosophical ideas about the education of children at early age, provides necessary support for the provision of pre-school education. By using the real contexts and starting points that are known to children, with the assistance from the self-evaluation and evaluation processes we provide for dynamic and developmental education.

By continuous monitoring, observation and evaluation of children’s learning and behaviour, teachers recognize children’s experience, needs and interests, and use them as starting points for learning and to ensure that their teaching builds from the capacities that their children demonstrate. Close and systematic monitoring, observation and evaluation of whole process of learning and teaching also enables appropriate support to be given to those children who require it, so that for as much of the time as possible, the provision in the pre-school can motivate and challenge each of the children.

In the process of evaluation and self-evaluation teachers also reflect on and critique their own practice to ensure that what they plan and provide is appropriate for their particular children in their context and at any given time. In this manner, a kindergarten develops as an open system.

1. The best way to prepare children for their adult life is to give them what they need as children2. Children are whole people who have feelings, ideas and relationships with oth ers, and who need to be physically, mentally, morally and spiritually healthy.3. Subjects such as mathematics and art cannot be separated; young children learn in an integrated way and not in neat, tidy compartments.4. Children learn best when they are given appropriate responsibility, allowed to make errors, decisions and choices, and respected as autonomous learners.5. Self-discipline is emphasized. Indeed, this is the only kind of discipline worth having. Reward systems are very short-term and do not work in the long-term. Children need their efforts to be valued.6. There are times when children are especially able to learn particular things.7. What children can do (rather that what they cannot do) is the starting point of a child’s education.8. Imagination, creativity and all kinds of symbolic behaviour (reading, writing, drawing, dancing, music, mathematical numbers, algebra, role play and talking) develop and emerge when conditions are favourable.9. Relationships with other people (both adults and children) are of central impor tance in a child’s life.10. Quality education is about three things: the child, the context in which learning takes place, and the knowledge and understanding which the child develops and learns.

‘Learning through play in the early years’ by Tina Bruce (Bruce, 2001)

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AVAILABILITY: the equal right and access to all forms of preschool education, without discrimination and separation based on gender, social, cultural, ethnic, religious or other affiliation, place of residence or domicile, financial or health status, difficulties and obstacles in development

DEMOCRACY: appreciation of the needs and rights of children and families, including the right to the opinion appreciation, right for active participation, right to participate in decision making process and right for accountability

TRANSPARENCY: building relationships with family, other parts of the educational system (schools), community (institutions of culture, health care and social protection), local government and the broader community;

AUTHENTICITY: a holistic approach toward a child, appreciation of developmental characteristics of preschool children, diversity and uniqueness, fostering playing as an authentic way of expression and learning of a preschool child, in regard to cultural specificities

DEVELOPMENT: developing various forms and programs in the framework of preschool activities in accordance with the needs of children and families, and opportunities of local communities, continuous improvement through evaluation and self-evaluation, openness to educational innovation.

Law of Pre-school education in Serbia (Official Gazette, No 18/10.)

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION 1

Reflect on the principles set out in the boxes above. Choose one or other set and consider how far they apply to your practice?

What did you want to evaluate and why?

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PART TWO: SELF-EVALUATION - WHAT IS AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT

The evaluation of schools and educational institutions is not something new. In much of the recent international climate, evaluation has focused strongly on accountability and the effectiveness of educational establishments in relation to output measures and returns on public investment. Increasingly, however, evaluation has been promoted as a mechanism to promote accountability and improvement. There is an emerging consensus that stresses the wisdom of organisations taking more responsibility for the quality of their own provision and improvement. In a sound system of evaluation, schools and pre-school centres are helped to maintain and develop their own well-being through critical self-reflection and self-evaluation. It is concerned (as is this guidance) with encouraging teachers to question what constitutes quality in preschool education and their role individually and collectively, in achieving quality. It is also concerned with helping teachers to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills to review their provision within their own context, to evaluate it and to take the necessary steps to make it even better (and that particularly with regard to children’s learning and the relationship the teacher’s planned intentions and the effectiveness of their implementation). Teachers who are reflective practitioners welcome an external perspective to enhance and strengthen their good practice.

In the opening chapter of ‘Schools Must Speak for Themselves’, Professor John Macbeath (MacBeath, 1998.) states that is important that school communities have a “high level of intelligence” about themselves and know how to use the tools of self-evaluation and self-improvement. In these communities, the sharing and networking of good practice within and among schools exists on a collegial basis. In other words, good educational organisations have a high degree of self-confidence and self-awareness - and ultimately are deserving of greater autonomy: they know what they do well; they also know and acknowledge what they do less well; they put steps in place to address their shortcomings, and they engage continually in the process of reflecting, reviewing, refining, developing and improving their practice.

The hallmark of the good practitioner is that he or she is continually learning and continually developing his or her practice. To be static is to be regressing: pre-schools should be learning communities where everyone is learning! That is not to say, that there is no place for external evaluation. In the best systems there is bottom–up or internal evaluation and development, which is endorsed externally or from the top-down.

As a teacher or pre-school leader you may often have reflected on why you do what you do or why you engage in certain activities with your children, or why you use certain resources and not others or whether or not your approaches work as well as they might or whether they are even the best ones to use. Your professional instincts and experience might well give you confidence that your provision is satisfactory or even good but how do you really know that your judgements are correct? How

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can you be sure that all of the children are developing and learning in a way that is best for them and meets their individual needs? How do you make decisions on further actions? Good practitioners are continually reflecting on their practice, and have developed professional confidence simply because they never stop learning, extending and refining their skills. In this way they also ensure that their practice meets the needs of the particular children with whom they are currently working.

It is worth thinking about how you would answer the questions posed in the paragraph above. Before too long, you might well be telling yourself that your answers could change from month to month or from one group of children to the next....and you would be correct. Self-evaluation is an ongoing process and complex process, not least because the many variables that come into play. In broad terms, the process helps an individual practitioner and/or the management and leadership of an organisation to reflect on the clarity of what the organisation is aiming to achieve both in the present and over time, how successful it is, and what adjustments might need to be made to particular practice or to its overall provision within the current context or set of circumstances. In many ways self-evaluation is more than a process in that it really never ends. It is rather a continual reflecting on and evolving of one’s practice to match the learning needs of each child, and to hone and develop accordingly the skills of the practitioners.

Self-evaluation, as the name suggests, is completed by the teachers and the staff themselves in that they know their children and context best. However, self-evaluation needs to be completed within a quality framework (that is, a set of statements that help to illustrate what quality looks like).In that way it helps to avoid the possible distortion of subjective introspection or valuing what can be easily measured rather than measuring what is valuable and significant.

2.1. The purpose of self-evaluation

The ultimate purpose of self-evaluation then, is to ensure that the children in the centre are provided with the best possible quality of education and care; that good foundations for learning are laid down and in an environment that is secure, stimulating and addresses the well-being of the child in an holistic way.

A precondition for that is to ensure that the staffs continue to learn and to develop and improve their practice and professional skills. Without self-evaluation, routines and habitual ways of working could be developed but with limited cognisance of their effectiveness; without systematic self-evaluation one cannot gain insight into one’s own practice, understand the scope of ones’ own actions and really improve one’s the practice.

“Although every practitioner inevitably evaluates children’s learning and his own work, those spontaneous evaluations need not be (and usually are not) always reliable, accurate and secure, nor do they automatically lead to the awareness

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raising and self correction in accordance with the insights “ (BPPE, 1996)2. Therefore a serious approach to self-evaluation is necessary.

Self-evaluation is the basis for the adoption of development plans (that is the development plan of a preschool institutions, as well as an individual professional development plan) on which changes are based.

Self-evaluation in pre-schools has the quality of learning (process) at its centre for that is what pre-schools are about. Self-evaluation should, therefore, be a positive process for the children but also bring benefits for the staff through endorsing good practice, helping the staff to recognise their own skills and expertise, and enabling shared learning and professional development.

The very process of self-evaluation also helps us to understand better the values that we want to achieve in practice, and in turn, to clarify and redefine the criteria of evaluation. Monitoring the process of self-evaluation can provide critical insights that are essential not only for improvement of educational practice, but also for the improvement of the self-evaluation process itself.

Cowie and Carr (Cowie and Carr, 2003) in the article “The consequences of sociocultural assessment in early childhood settings “ point out that self-evaluation:

• contributes to the building of a learning community (that is bringing together learners, teachers and families to develop a community of learners and promote interactions about learning)

• can help to construct competence and competent learners (learners are everyone who learn: children, teachers, professional associates, managers...)

• illustrates and supports continuity in learning, and supports a view of learning as a work in progress.

For the process to be successful in an organisation it has to be systematic; it has to involve all of the staff as well as the children, the parents and the local community. The process also requires the staff to have a shared understanding of the institution’s expectations and future direction and to be open and honest in their review of their work. Where self-evaluation is successful, it will be penetrating in its focus and in its observation, monitoring and review of the quality of what is provided, and it will inform future practice and decision-making. Although the time frame can be flexible to suit the needs of the centre, it is of paramount importance that the process becomes an integral part of the work of the centre. To re-iterate a key principle stated earlier, all the key elements in education need to demonstrate the impact they have on children.

The key role of self-evaluation is formative.It leads to a change / development of practice.

2 Basics of Program for Preschool Education

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QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

WHY SHOULD YOU EVALUATE YOUR PRACTICE?

Below are some possible reasons for self-evaluation. Discuss how you relate to them. How strongly do they motivate you to evaluate your own practice? What other reasons would you offer?

I use self-evaluation to better understand my practice: What are the needs and interests of the children with whom I work – all of the

children? Groups of children? Individual children? How does my current group of children differ from the last and how does this

alter how I plan for their learning? Consider how my children have responded to recent (be specific) learning

experiences; what did the children actually learn and how was this related to what we intended and planned?

Do I need to understand better how my children are progressing and learning over time?

Based on my experience of actual situations in preschool, what surprises me, what makes me happy, what concerns me, with what I am not satisfied and what should I learn from this ...?

How is my practice seen by parents and family members, or by those in the local environs or stakeholders in the wider community...?

I use self-evaluation to develop / improve practice: I can ensure a diversity of experience and adequate opportunities for the

holistic development of all children (by reviewing the decisions I make on the approaches, activities, changes in the environment, materials, etc.)

My practice responds to the needs and interests of all of the children, the parents, and those in the local and wider social environment.

I can develop through professional practice and contribute further to the centre to improve or move forward

2.2 Self-evaluation: what it involves

Ideally at centre level, the process of self-evaluation will focus on the quality of the current practice, celebrate what is good, identify shortcomings or practices to be developed, and will put in place a plan to address the priorities for development that have been identified. Self-evaluation will also involve shared and personal staff development and ultimately help the centre to improve or move forward.

Self-evaluation can be performed at the centre/preschool institution level, kindergarten

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(particular preschool) level or the teacher’s work with a particular group of children and the work of some of the staff (for example a particular teacher or professional associate).

Review, monitoring and evaluation are parts of the annual and development plan of the institution. At the level of institution or kindergarten, it can be agreed to include a systematic but more focused review of an aspect of the provision. For example, some aspect of the provision and its results can be evaluated, how much does the institution correspond to needs of the children and families in a particular local environment, how inclusive it is, what the management is in the institution like... Any aspect of the provision can be evaluated – ideas can be found in the document Standards for quality evaluation of preschool institutions, in previous development plans of the institution, or starting from the problems observed in work within a concrete context (reactions from parents and environment, observations made by staff, changes in the number of the enrolled children...). The manager of the preschool institution, a team of professional associates or a group of teachers can initiate such self-evaluation. It’s good for the institution to have an established team for self-evaluation, whose main role is to initiate and lead the self-evaluation activities in the institution /kindergarten. At the meetings of the self-evaluation team or other regular staff meetings, besides the object of the self-evaluation, other important elements of self-evaluation will be discussed and decided upon: the self-evaluation plan and time table, organisation, participants, methods... By keeping a note of their discussions and the evidence collected, managers and their staff gradually build up a body of evidence, which they can then analyse and use to arrive at a more in-depth evaluation using some benchmarks or quality indicators from a wider range of professionals, to validate the process.

An individual teacher or a group of teachers will participate in such self-evaluation depending on the self-evaluation plan of the institution and the degree of their engagement within the teams at the institution level. But, besides that, they can self-evaluate some aspect of their provision independently from the self-evaluation organised at the institution level. For example, they can monitor how appropriate the planned educational activities for children in their group are, acceptance of the particular children in the group, the manner the premises and materials are used in the room, verbal and non-verbal communication between children and themselves... Sources providing ideas for self-evaluation are diverse in this case as well (documents on quality standards, experiences and observations in every day work, reactions from children and parents...). Self-evaluation of the practice of the individual teacher is also performed in a systematic manner and with the participation of others, hence is not the same as the individual reflection about own work.

It is often useful in an explanation of a process or concept to explain what it is not or how it is different from other related processes. Self-evaluation is a systematic and on-going process of critical reflection that leads to decisions and improvement. Self-evaluation is therefore, about making qualitative judgements and monitoring and reviewing over time the efficacy of learning opportunities and experiences.

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It is not a one-off assessment like a test to be passed or failed nor is it simply a prospectus of what the centre does or has to offer.

Although inevitably self-evaluation will involve reflecting on data where that is available, it is not simply an audit of what can be measured quantifiably; nor is it a checklist of what is or is not in place. Such an audit might give an explanation of how things are but it would not provide the interpretation that comes from the insights of the staff, the children and the whole school community.

Self-evaluation differs from research which aims are to investigate and describe, but not necessarily result in action. Self-evaluation, by contrast is a continually revealing process that leads to understanding and actions to improve practice.

Self-evaluation is more than... Self-evaluation is characterized by:

describing the quality of the current practice

understanding of practice both present and past and where possible set within a professional community

having suitably high expectations

analysing and then celebrating what is good

identifying and analysing shortcomings or practices to be developed,

setting a plan to address the priorities for development that have been identified

research as the latter explores an hypothesis and presents findings based on data; it is also more than checklist of what is or is not in place and more than that which is measured quantifiably

reflecting on data where that is available and analysing and interpreting what the data is telling us

processes that lead to interpretation, making decisions and actions to improve

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an appraisal of individual teachers’ work

an individual practitioner and / or the management and leadership of an organisation together reflecting on the quality of the provision made for children’s education and development

one-off assessment like a test to be passed or failed

a systematic and on-going process of critical reflection that leads to decisions and improvement

making qualitative judgements and monitoring and reviewing over time

continuous work on development of practice and professional skills

individual subjective introspection

joint review and reconsideration with colleagues, as well as the children, the parents and the local community

developing of a shared understanding of the expectations and future direction

an understanding of the particular contextual factors

the collective wisdom and good practice of professionals across a country or internationally

valuing what can be easily measured

monitoring, understanding and reviewing what is valuable and significant

fulfilling an obligation to write a report

a way of working, that is of benefit to the children and brings about the professional development of the staff

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2.3. Self-evaluation: the cyclical process of reviewing, developing and improving

The diagram below illustrates the self-evaluation and improvement process as a whole. This process begins with identifying an area of provision to be evaluated – it may be a ‘problem area’ or it may be a new area for provision or a new approach that has been introduced, or it may be a strength; the next step in the process is composed of systematic monitoring and data collection, followed by an analysis of these data based on an understanding of practice and an understanding of the key characteristics of quality practice. From that analysis, decisions can be made about future work, as well as on what might be changed; these conclusions can then inform future planning. The ensuing activities and their results will be the subject of a new evaluation.

Diagram 1: Cyclical nature of the self-evaluation process

The cyclical nature of this process means that:• self-evaluation is one element of a comprehensive on-going process that

consists of both planning and implementation activities, rather than separate independent activity;

• when we systematically monitor, we perform self-evaluation of some aspect of work (through observations, notes on the work, analysing the results of activities);

• in the process of interpreting data and making decisions on further work, there is room for analysis of practice and its comparison with existing documents, theoretical knowledge and our plans or intentions, and for the synthesis of data from various sources;

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2.3. Self-evaluation: the cyclical process of reviewing, developing and improving

The diagram below illustrates the self-evaluation and improvement process as a whole. This process begins with identifying an area of provision to be evaluated – it may be a ‘problem area’ or it may be a new area for provision or a new approach that has been introduced, or it may be a strength; the next step in the process is composed of systematic monitoring and data collection, followed by an analysis of these data based on an understanding of practice and an understanding of the key characteristics of quality practice. From that analysis, decisions can be made about future work, as well as on what might be changed; these conclusions can then inform future planning. The ensuing activities and their results will be the subject of a new evaluation.

Diagram 1: Cyclical nature of the self-evaluation process

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• change, and the development of practice are fundamental and critical to this process; and

• the cycle of planning, implementation and evaluation is continuous, thus the end of one cycle is at the same time the beginning of a new one (part of a continuous spiral), which allows the constant development of practice.

Such a cycle should be a feature of the work of each individual teacher, other employees, and each individual preschool and preschool institution in general. Below is a description of one examples of an evaluative activity which emphasizes the cyclical nature of this process.

An example of an individual self-evaluation cycle3

Through observing the children in their free play sessions the teacher notices that some of the play areas are less popular and less attractive to the children than others. Starting from this informal observation, he plans over the next few days to monitor systematically the children’s choices – how many use each of the play areas, how long they remain in each, what activities they undertake; what resources they use and what they don’t use He also focuses in on the less popular area and makes some more detailed observation notes on the behaviours of the children in that area including the level of challenge in the resources, at what points they interest wanes and the sorts of interventions that help to extend their play. He also notes how far the experiences he wants the children to have in that areas are being provided in some of the other play areas. Based on is systematic analysis of the data collected, he makes some decisions about the usefulness of the ‘problematic’ area – for example, whether the activity needs to be removed because the skill and understanding involved are too easy or too difficult, or re-presented with different supporting resources to catch the children’s imagination, or whether he needs to let some children demonstrate to the others what they have discovered or been able to do or whether the activity simply needs to be replaced. He determines on the changes to be made in the light of the learning experiences he deems appropriate for his children, bearing in mind their different levels of ability and the progress they have made to date. Once he has made the changes that his analysis highlighted as necessary, he evaluates the new or represented play area to assess how each of the children has responded and the suitability of what has been provided.

A considerable number of examples of self-evaluation cycle at different levels is provided in Appendix No 1. Appendix No 1 contains examples of the self-evaluation cycles within the work processes of teachers, professional associates and kindergartens/institutions included in the IMPRES Project.

• Self-evaluation leads to action.• The process can be triggered from any of the steps in the cycle.• Self-evaluation can operate at any level and on any scale; it should be a feature

3 Provided example represents the description of the self-evaluation process in one of the 15 kindergartens included in the IMPRES Project

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of the individual work of the staff and of the work of the centre in the round.• The process will involve collecting evidence from a variety of sources

including documentation; ultimately what is important is the progress made by the children.

• The end of one cycle is the beginning of another – the process is continuous.

2.4. The process in more detail: Seeing the big picture

When embarking on self-evaluation at the level of the centre and involving all of the staff, it is worth taking time to prepare the ground and to reflect on the beliefs and values (go back to the first group of questions for reflection and discussion) of the centre in a collective manner.

Self-evaluation is not a “do-it-yourself kit” in which you assemble a set of tools and follow given instructions. Pre-school centres are about people, relationships and motivation and fundamentally, they are about learning. We know that learning itself is multi-faceted and it is best when mediated through people. It is about social and emotional growth as well as intellectual, and flourishes in a climate where there is interaction with other human beings that is both supportive and challenging.

Pre-schools, like all educational institutions, do not exist in isolation from the past or the present or the future; nor do they exist only to promote the achievements of the particular cohort of children currently enrolled. They recognise and build on what has gone before, they contribute to the longer term aims and expectations of the children who are enrolled at any one time, and they are centres of learning where teachers and staff are honing and developing their competencies. Pre-school centres also exist in community and are both resources for the community and influenced by the community. They also are part of a wider system and have a role in the development of policy and practice and new ideas. In all of this, they need the support of a system of professional advisers and administrators local, national and international, which can support and challenge. Self-evaluation, therefore, is an evolutionary process, which taps into all of these systems; it is about harnessing and managing change to ensure growth and development. As human beings (of whatever age) we are natural learners; our most significant learning is motivated from within but needs the critical appreciation of others to grow and develop, and that in turn, involves trust, shared values and professional openness.

The process of learning is facilitated if learners monitor their own learning process, and a culture of mutual helping and problem-solving between children and adults is nurtured. Kindergarten, as a community, includes and builds a network of activities and relationships in real time and space, with the programme that occurs between teacher and the child, teachers themselves, the child and the group of their peers. Such a kindergarten is characterised by the balance between: the programme (which by promoting the particular concept of childhood affects the relationships that are built between teachers, children, parents), rules, set quality standards, teachers’ roles,

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parents and external quality evaluators. Therefore, in the self-evaluation process we mustn’t forget that the child exists in a real life context – cultural, social, family, and that the process of education itself directly depends on this context.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

Think about and discuss with colleagues how you understand the features of self-evaluation:

How you understand the features of self-evaluation set out (listed in the table provided on page 20-21, left or right-hand column)?

How it is reflected in your practice? Which features of self-evaluation already operate in your preschool? How you could implement in practice more of the self-evaluation features?

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PART THREE: SELF-EVALUATION – HOW IS IT CARRIED OUT

The cyclical process of monitoring, analysing and development (page 25) can be broken down into steps. Within each phase of the cycle, people included in the process should be sure that the steps they undertake are in accordance with their needs, so the provided steps serve only as guidelines. This means that steps are not necessarily linear and sometimes it will be required to go back to some of the previous ones. Within this process, agreement and joint decision making of the self-evaluation team has a very important role.

Steps within a self-evaluation process

Reach consensus on the value of the systematic and regular evaluation.↓

Secure the atmosphere that enables readiness for self-evaluation.↓

Establish the self-evaluation team.↓

Choose the self-evaluation focus:Determine a special area that you will monitor OR start with general observation of

educational work at the level of the institution4 .Depending on the chosen focus, decide which aspects of provision you will monitor

during the self-evaluation and according to which criteria.↓

Develop the self-evaluation plan:Agree on distribution of roles and responsibilities

Determine the deadlines and timelines, establish the timetable.Agree on the size and nature of the samples you will explore.

Ensure the evidence/data exist.Establish and agree on the activities and instruments you will use and engage in

research.↓

Implement the self-evaluation plan.Ensure active role of a critical friend

Ensure that the evidence is validated through several sources.↓

Start the analyses of the results; consider :-What do we do well?

-What is working well?-In which areas do we have the greatest expertise?

-What can we do better?↓

4 Guidelines can be Quality Standards of Work of Preschool Institutions NEC 2012, and Bylaw on Quality Evaluation of the Institutions’ Work, Official Gazette issue 9/2012.

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Develop the self-evaluation report5 and make decision on key areas for improvement.

Decide on whether you have the required expertise in order to act for the purpose of improvement; divide the responsibilities accordingly.

Develop a feasible plan and time table; include your goals/criteria of success and the manner to learn whether they are achieved.

Procure or plan the procurement of resources you need.↓

Implement the improvement plan.6

3.1. Getting the climate right

When self-evaluation, and the reflective mind-set that goes with it, have become embedded within the decision making processes that will be evident at the level of the individual staff, at the level of the centre itself and at the level of the wider institution or educational system. The process will strengthen the confidence of the practitioners in sharing their learning with one another both within and without their own centers and in taking measured risks in trying new approaches.

- In order to build a professional culture suitable for self-evaluation it is necessary to: - develop an understanding of a preschool as a learning community and to develop

the competencies of self-evaluation through initial education and the professional development of all the relevant staff;

- that leaders and professional associates ensure that employees’ timetables and priorities enable joint working, and that there is appropriate space and resources for meetings;

- that all staff, and especially leaders and professional associates foster collaboration, enhance effective communication, develop structures that reduce isolation and create conditions in which all can participate in decision making and the development of improvement strategies;

- ensure that the autonomy of the preschool and the teachers is respected, that teachers are not constantly supervised, controlled and criticized, but that they enjoy trust in their professional activities, that they have opportunities to express their opinions and to participate in decision making on all questions relevant to their practice;

- that there are coordinated activities and consistent approach toward self-evaluation by all relevant players (teachers, professional associates and directors of preschool institutions, staff i professional centres, relevant ministries and universities.

5 After the implementation of self-evaluation, the self-evaluation team compiles the self-evaluation report. The principal submits the self-evaluation report to the educational, teachers, pedagogical, parents council and the managing body of the institution. » (Bylaw on Quality Evaluation of the Institutions’ Work, Official Gazette issue 9/2012). The example of the Report on the Implemented Self-Evaluation Process can be found in the Annex no. 9.6 The self evaluation report contains a description and an assessment of the compliance with Quality standards of work of an institution, recommendations for measures for improvement of work quality of the institution and the method of monitoring the implementation of the recommended measures. » (Bylaw on Quality Evaluation of the Institutions’ Work, Official Gazette issue 9/2012)

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In order for self-evaluation to be seen as a common part of the daily work in preschools and as integral to forward planning, decision making, staff development and centre development, it is necessary that all stakeholders in preschool education (at the level of the educational system, individual preschool institutions and by the employees themselves) support and understand the process of self-evaluation as an act by autonomous professionals.

Self-evaluation is not a separate and formal obligation, which is often reduced to occasional reporting. It can hardly be performed behind the closed doors of the working room, but represents the functioning of the preschool institution as a community of learners - researchers of their own practice. Such kindergarten/preschool institutions should demonstrate the following characteristics:

• First of all, such kindergartens/preschool institutions nurture responsibility toward work and are open to review and change. This means that the climate in the preschool is such that employees do not try to “hide mistakes”, but discuss them openly to learn from them, from the responses of their colleagues and to determine what actions are needed. Equally, they share their successes; learn from them and what aspects of them might be implemented more widely (individual level).

• In such preschools, employees exchange experiences, discuss and evolve a shared understanding of, for example, education and its aims, child development and how children learn. Staff members recognize the value of their own respective professional roles and experience. They come together to assess the strengths, needs and gaps in their work; discover what they want to change; they plan together (Annex no, 4)7, recognizing the strengths that each brings, the roles that they each have and how they can learn from one another. In other words, they work as a team and have a shared vision that is consistently articulated and a reference point for the staff’s work. Team work requires certain staff competencies but also implies their continuous development (at the group/kindergarten level). 8.

• Teachers and other employees in a self-evaluating pre-school have developed mutual trust; they feel secure and valued and each respects the individual

7 The annual self evaluation working plan is prepared by the self evaluation team. The annual self evaluation working plan is based on the assessment of the conditions in the institution and is a part of the Annual working plan of the institution. The self evaluation plan contains a defined subject of the self evaluation process, which represents one or more areas of evaluation as defined by the Quality standards of work of an institution (hereinafter: self evaluation subject), foreseen activities, timeframes, participants and outcomes, tools and methods of self evaluation. » (Bylaw on Quality Evaluation of the Institutions’ Work, Official Gazette issue 9/2012). 8 The Bylaw on Quality Evaluation of the Institutions’ Work, stipulates that: «  The self evaluation team has at least five members, namely: a representative from the expert bodies, parents’ council, pupils’ parliament and management body of the institution. The team leader of the self evaluation team is chosen by the members of the team amongst themselves, and the director of the institution is obliged to participate in the work performed by the self evaluation team. The self evaluation team provides the conditions for the execution of the self evaluation... » (Bylaw on Quality Evaluation of the Institutions’ Work, Official Gazette issue 9/2012). It should be highlighted how it’s very important that team members provide different perspectives, and people who are ready and can stimulate others to reflect too, foster the climate of security and trust and provide other conditions significant for the self-evaluation process are part of the team.

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strengths and opinions of the other. Such understanding and respect are of paramount importance in order to be open to different views and ways of doing things, and to be able to offer an honest critique of one’s own and one another’s contribution to the provision. Such activity will also help to foster teachers’ confidence in providing mutual support and joint learning. Confidence and an appropriate (critical) relationship toward own practice can be nurtured through smaller groups for joint learning and mutual support (at the preschool institution level).

Sometimes a teacher finds himself in a situation where the climate is not yet ripe for self-evaluation. If this is the case, the individual teacher should not wait to be provided with the education or social system in which his position is highly valued and the climate around is conducive to self-evaluation).

Some recommendations for development of climate for self-evaluation:• Find someone (at least one person) who is ready to start the “adventure” with

you, work together and support each other,• Start questioning your own practice and role (learn what others think about

your practice, collect relevant data, analyse the activities and the products of children’s work …),

• Be open to see the strong and weak sides of your own practice,• Answer to question how happy you are with your own practice, which values

are the basis of your understanding of the quality provision,• Initiate and foster the development of your own practice and to contribute to

the building of an appropriate context (context for this reflective mindset to take root in others around you),

• Share some of your observations with others.It’s good that fostering the climate of trust and readiness for self-reflection is not left to spontaneous efforts by individuals and becomes the subject of systematic action at the level of kindergarten. When a teacher starts to empower himself, he himself will see the need for further review, education and teamwork (Annex no. 7)

And a final word, to leaders: • where there is confidentiality and trust, people feel freer to voice honestly

their opinions and comments about aspects of the provision that are important to them.

• The participants need to feel safe and to trust each other, so it’s the manager’s task to assess whether they will disclose the exact source of the information.

• There is value in setting ground rules in such a way as to keep the focus on issues rather than individuals, on what can be changed and how, and on taking responsibility rather than apportioning blame.

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QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTIONAND DISCUSSION

Consider the following questions9 to help you estimate how much you and your preschool are really ready for self-evaluation. Then talk about what actions you could take in order to make circumstances better.

How easily do you embrace change? Where do you see recent examples of things having changed for the better in your centre? What about your own practice? Are there routines that have been established for many years and that no-one (including you) dare to change?

In what ways have your approaches and the work of the centre changed to reflect the changes in the country and wider society or in the local community over the last decade?

What values do you consider really important for preschool education? How much do you know about the values of your colleagues? When did you talk about this? How willing are you to talk about it when you know that your values do not match completely with those in official circles?

How do you feel when someone visits your preschool? What would you like him to observe and what would you not want him to notice?

How welcome do parents feel in your pre-school? Are they invited to share their views and experiences of your pre-school and are you ready to listen?

How do you collaborate with colleagues? How often do you plan to work together to understand better the needs and interests of children or to decide on programmes for your professional development? Do you make decisions about the plan of activities or the learning environment and use of space, for example, on the basis of systematic monitoring?

Is there a regular time and place to discuss professional matters with colleagues? How common is it to teamwork on something? Who is a part of your team? Are there other people whom you should incorporate into your team?

How satisfied are you with your position, the respect that you enjoy or trust af-forded to you in your work? How do you express respect for colleagues, parents and children? What do you know about how they perceive your work?

How do you decide what you personally need to learn in the next few months? What have you researched about good practice in pre-school education? Have you dis-cussed your findings with colleagues? Have made any changes to your practice as a result? What difficulties have you faced? Where do you go for help?

How do you contribute to changes in your preschool? How did you contribute to the development plan of your preschool?

When did you last initiate or managed the implementation of a change? How 9 Provided questions may be used in various ways. One of the proposals of the IMPRES kindergarten team is that members of the self-evaluation team make a self-assessment questionnaire from the provided questions.

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/ where do you normally present your opinions about activities at preschool to others? When did you last learn or benefit from a discussion with a colleague? What decisions have been made without your involvement, and which ones have you influenced and how?

Who provides you with support at work? With whom do you feel confident to share dilemmas and difficulties? How could you build a support team?

Some More Questions for Leaders or Pedagogues or Psychologists:

What self-evaluation processes already exist? How do employees understand self-evaluation? Are all employees (leaders, professional associates, and teachers) ready to review critically their own practice? If not, how might you encourage the practice? How will you help in making self-evaluation a common aspect of preschool work? How will you involve as many employees as possible?

Does the organisation of time and space promote cooperation and team work? Are there regular and systematically planned opportunities for the exchange of experience and for shared learning among the staff? How do you inspire confidence and trust? How do you motivate and promote self-esteem?

How readily can you identify for example, the best practitioners, the creative thinkers, the encouragers and motivators and the complacent on your staff?

How do you motivate and inspire confidence and trust? Handle poor practice? What new competencies do employees need if they are to become more critically

reflective of their own practice and that of the pre-school as a whole? What is their motivation for self-evaluation and professional development? Which programmes of professional development would be helpful to bring improvement? What kind of support is needed and how can it be sourced?

3.2. Starting with the end in mind: choosing the focus

The way you decide what to self-evaluate, determines the process of self-evaluation you will follow and how purposeful your efforts will be. It is very important; therefore, that you have a clear idea of what you want to review and improve, and what the outcome might be for your future work.

The direct reasons for engaging in self-evaluation, aside from legal obligation, may be different: it could be prompted by:

your own impressions, observations and desire to improve your workthe need to create a new pre-school development plan or a new

approach to how teachers plan their work;pragmatic reasons such as the results of the previous external

evaluation or preparations for the upcoming external evaluation. 10 10 Self-evaluation is performed based on the analyses of the following items: 1) Records and pedagogical documentation of the institution, education curricula, annual working plan and developmental working plan of the institution;2) Data bases within the standardized information system of education and other sources;3) Monitoring different activities;4) Collecting data acquired through the research performed in the institution;

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However, whether it is initiated by an external demand or by your own needs, it should also be driven by an expectation of the benefits it will bring for both children and staff.

When coming to the self-evaluation process for the first time, it is probably useful to reflect on the three questions: 1. What is my practice like (What am I good at? What can I get better at?2. How and based on what do I know that?3. What should I do to improve my practice? (Who and what can help me, who can I ask for advice and what can I do in the given circumstances?)

A true self-evaluation begins with: • critical questions to which you want to know the answer, • a practical problem that you would like to understand and address or • by viewing your provision through the lens of a quality framework document

that poses questions for you to consider; You should enter the cyclical process of self-evaluation (see diagram on page 15 starting with the issue that really interests you. Therefore, you need to clarify first what that is and why it interests you. The question that you will ask should not be the one that is easily answered with a yes or no, or by a simple description of the practice as good or bad.

As a start and where self-evaluation is new, you can choose questions that are relevant, but are less stressful and easier for improvement.

For example, questions such as - how conducive to learning is the environment of the room/kindergarten, or how well organized is the time and space available and alike, can assist you in the observation and research of indicators provided in the section Educational Work, Standard 1 – Physical environment stimulates learning and development, in the document Standards for quality evaluation of preschool institutions. Later on, as your confidence and experience develop, you can tackle more in-depth issues, including those aspects of your work with which you are dissatisfied and issues that you consider particularly difficult.

In the process of focusing on the topic for self-evaluation the following things might be of help:

• comments from colleagues, children, parents or local community representatives;

5) Impact of the activities executed through the projects;6) Talks, expert discussions, meetings, results of the performed surveys and information collected in other ways.The self evaluation team collects and processes information related to the subject of self evaluation and performs the analyses of the quality of the subject of self evaluation based on the processed information. (Bylaw on Quality Evaluation of the Institutions’ Work, Official Gazette issue 9/2012).

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• your notes on your work and observations on the results of children’s activities over time;

• new views on preschool education obtained from seminars, from the manuals, from national and international documents that regulate pre-school education; and

• ideas and new approaches stimulated by your everyday experience.

In order to stimulate this process, existing forms of cooperation among colleagues may be used, but also special meetings on which they could exchange observations about the practice, discuss problems, values, and analyze documentation to reveal questions and share observations. Leaders and professional associates can play an important role in ensuring such forms of cooperation, but they could be initiated by teachers themselves.

Different understandings of children, preschool education, role of teachers and parents, lead to different questions that we will answer, to different ways of self-evaluation and conclusions to which we will come in this process (Appendix No 2).

It is very important to carefully select and focus on a specific aspect of work/issue and plan self-evaluation related to it. Since we cannot monitor and change many things at the same time, let’s focus on an aspect that will really lead to qualitative changes. For example, select one key area from the Standards for quality evaluation of preschool institutions. After that, set one standard within that key area that you wish to achieve. That may be a good start.

An example of the activity that can help you in this process is the Tree of Life.

Make a tree that will represent your preschool institution.

Pick something in your pre-school institution that you do best ----write on red leaves,

Pick something you do very well-----write green leaves,

Pick something you could change----write on Yellow Leaves,

Pick something you must change-----write on –orange leaves.

How does your preschool institution/tree of life look like? What would you like to review in more detail?

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QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

Here are some questions from which a pre-school teacher might start when evaluat-ing his work. Think about them and discuss with your colleagues how they apply to your everyday work? Try to provide evidence to substantiate your responses.

- What interests and needs do your children generally express? How does that relate to their previous experiences in kindergarten and what does that say about the practice? How do these needs inform the plans for future work? - Think of some of the activities that you have planned. Consider how they are relevant for different sets of children in your group. Identify how the activity can or will contribute to the holistic development of these different sets of children. What specific learning do you expect the child to gain from the activity and how? Have you provided any opportunities for the child to recognise and talk about what he might have learnt or experienced? - What are the differences among the children ... in terms of their past experience, actual knowledge and abilities, and what they soon might be able to develop; their habits, feelings, attitude towards other children and towards the preschool itself ... How are these differences respected in practice? Does each of the children have an equal chance to learn and develop?

3.3. Establishing the criteria

In the self-evaluation process it is necessary at first to become aware of, clarifies and then reviews the criteria which you will use to assess your provision. Such criteria should be based on a sound understanding of child development and how children learn, preschool education, the role of teachers and of broader social values.

Many countries and professional organisations have produced such frameworks and guidelines and have made them publically available. These documents should stimulate understanding and review of practice: the degree to which certain quality characteristics are evident, the evidence for that and what that in turn, reveals about how consistent the quality of the provision is. Various documents use standards and indicators for that purpose, or questions that support reflection and review of practice or descriptions which are the starting points for discussion and decision making.

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These criteria can provide a starting point for planning self-evaluation. It’s important not to use documents, provided questions/indicators/descriptions as check lists, but as instruments to stimulate review and analyses.

Document Standards for quality evaluation of preschool institutions (NPS, 2012 – annex no. 3) provides a framework from which to begin, especially when set alongside the curriculum. For example, within a key section Educational work, the third standard that directly relates to the connection between programme and programming, is set through the following indicators:

2.3. The plan for the educational work of the group is the basis for the optimal advancement in learning and development of a child.

2.3.1 The goals and tasks are set in line with the results of systematic monitoring, observed interests and needs of children and evaluation of educational process.2.3.2. The planned tasks and activities include various styles and forms of children’s learning.2.1.3. The preschool teacher plans the learning environment taking into account various types of activities and sources of content using the resources of the local community.2.3.4. The preschool teacher plans the achievement of goals of educational work based on the principles of integrated learning throughout all day.2.3.5. In cooperation with children and parents various smaller projects are planned, at the level of the educational group and kindergarten.2.3.6. Programming of the educational work is documented – documentation is available and is used.2.3.7. Language and cultural specificities of children in the group are integrated in the plan.2.3.8. An individual educational plan is integrated in the working plan of the group.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

Analyze the documents that are relevant to the practice of preschool education in Serbia (Basics of Program for Preschool Education, Standards for quality evaluation of preschool institutions). We suggest that in the process of better understanding the criteria for evaluation of your practice or indeed a starting point for an in-depth evaluation you might begin with a discussion about:

How do you understand the ideas and which values can you recognize in those documents?

What is your response to them? Which ideas cause your doubts? Which are different from what you experienced as a child? Which ones are different from what informs your work as a teacher? Which of them are you eager to adopt in

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your own practice? Why? How? Based on the identified values, defines the criteria for evaluation only topic

that you have chosen. (Which indicators provide the sense of empowerment (of children, teachers)? How much do they stimulate critical reflection and programme preparation and how can that be reflected in the practice? How do they influence the creation of practice? How much do they acknowledge real participation of children and parents in designing programmes/projects?

How do they acknowledge and support the goals and the main principles of preschool education?

How can they be identified in practice? How do you know whether you are successful in achieving them or not?

Be honest and critically reflective. Keep in mind that sometimes our formal knowledge and explicit intentions are different from what we believe in and from what we really do. Try to challenge and understand your attitudes ... be-cause it is the only way to understand and develop your practice.

In the following part are the examples of framework documents you can also use as means to understand own relationship towards quality and to initiate self-evaluation process.

In ‘The Child at the Centre’ (HMIE, 2007), a quality framework produced for quality assurance purposes among pre-schools in Scotland (see appendix 3), the areas for review are arranged under six key questions which can form the basis of an internal or self-evaluation and are also used as the basis of external inspection. None of them can be answered by ‘yes’ or ‘no’ or by a set of statistics; each requires a qualitative response.• What outcomes have we achieved? • How well do we meet the needs of our centre community? • How good is the education we provide? • How good is our management? • How good is our leadership? • What is our capacity for improvement? These questions are further refined in the detail of the document in ways that encourage the users of them to probe further (see Appendix No 3). The document goes on to explain that assessing a centre’s success in relation to these questions will require consideration of the key factors which influence them (some of the worked examples in section 3 of this document will illustrate that process).

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In the “National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education” (Siolta, 2006) produced by The Centre for Early Childhood Development & Education, Dublin), the following statements are offered against which centres can assess the quality of their own provision. Again the statements are not intended to evoke a simple agree or disagree response the response but rather one that explains the degree to which the statements are true of your provision. For example:

- The child is an active agent in her/his own development through her/his interactions with the world.

- Teachers provide opportunities for play as an important context for learning and development, and as a source of joy and fulfilment for the child.

- Early childhood education value and support the role of parents.- Positive relationships are secure, responsive and respectful and

provide consistency and continuity over time.- The individual needs and abilities of each child are recognised

and supported from birth towards the realisation of her/his unique potential; preschool centres provide possibilities to all children to gain access to, participate in, and benefit from early years services on an equal basis.

- The environment demonstrates respect for diversity through promoting a sense of belonging for all children; it provides rich and varied experiences which are supporting children’s ability to value social and cultural diversity.

- The environment extends and enriches the child’s development and learning, stimulates curiosity, fosters independence.

- The environment promotes child welfare, opportunity to form trusting relationships with adults and other children.

- Teachers are competent, qualified, and ready for reflection upon their role.

Teachers share knowledge and understanding, clearly communicate among the team, with and among other professionals involved with the child, and with the parents.

3.4. Developing the approach and the tools to use

Depending on the topic and criteria for self-evaluation - the upcoming process itself is then planned. The preschool should develop procedures through which decisions should be made about priorities, topic focus and activities for self-evaluation. Part of

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this process is the establishment and strengthening of teams for self-evaluation. It is good that members of these teams are not only from different categories of staff in preschool, but also parents and local environment representatives. It is not enough to establish formally such teams; they need to work regularly on the monitoring and analysis of the work in preschool and their members need to express their own perspectives and ideas regarding the work of preschool.

A team approach to the planning of the evaluation will help to ascertain what is realistic and manageable, what evidence is needed and what level of collaboration. This means that decisions need to be made on which data is to be collected and how (methods and monitoring procedures), who will participate, who will be involved in the evaluation and what will be the roles of the various participants, and how the work will be organised, searching for existing resources and making of instruments to be used in collecting data.

If the process is to be taken seriously, quality time needs to be made available. The staff’s time is the most precious resource in the pre-school, so it is advisable to make this self-evaluation process a priority, and to plan in advance; it will also be important to ensure that the time is sufficient to allow for discussion (in small and larger groups) for this will be the foundation of ownership by the staff and the basis for their growth and development.

Simultaneously with the self-evaluation at the level of a preschool, some teachers or small groups of teachers should start from monitoring and analysing their own current practices and decision making about them (how to organize space, which materials to ensure, which activities with individual children or groups of children to plan, what should they learn next and how ...).

When planning the methods of evaluation it is necessary to:• plan the process to be simple and easy to implement, but to remain relevant

and comprehensive enough for what is desired to be found out,• search for an evaluation method that best meets the specific context and

participants,• ensure the participation of all relevant players: that they all have an

opportunity to participate in decision making about the process, understand the purpose of evaluative activities, are informed about the planned process as a whole,

• design evaluation so that its outcome ensures obtaining data from which to make judgments about the practice and make decisions on future activities, changes in work, further learning ... so that it leads to quality preschool education for all children.

It will also be important to make full use of the expertise, skills and experience of those in the centre and its community. There will be teachers with significant experience but also some whose experience may be less but who have energy and creativity and

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an eagerness to learn. Others will be good at stimulating discussion or managing a project, while others associated with the centre will have the capacity to bring skills from other professions or areas of work. The process should not be limited to those in management or leadership positions. Within the self-evaluation team it will also be important to have someone who can manage keeping a record of the decisions reached, the tasks to be completed and the resources that may be required.

Finding or developing