Tuning inTuning into children’s to children’s thinking and thinking and

learninglearning

Tuning inTuning into children’s to children’s thinking and thinking and

learninglearning

Objectives• Assessing children• Observing children• Quality interactions• Quality questioning

AssessmentComes from Latin:

To sit beside and get to know

Why do we assess children?

• To identify and plan for children’s progress

• Highlight strengths and interests• Identify additional/specific needs• Inform families of achievements• Inform transitions• Monitor and evaluate provision

EYFS Statutory Guidance• Assessment should not entail

prolonged breaks from interaction with children, nor require excessive paperwork. Paperwork should be limited to that which is absolutely necessary to promote children’s successful learning and development

Eight principles for early childhood observational assessment

1. Assessment must have a purpose1. Assessment must have a purpose

2. Ongoing observation of children participating in everyday 2. Ongoing observation of children participating in everyday activities is the most reliable way of building up an accurate activities is the most reliable way of building up an accurate picture of what children know, understand, feel, are picture of what children know, understand, feel, are interested in and can do.interested in and can do.

3. Practitioners should both plan observations and be ready 3. Practitioners should both plan observations and be ready to capture the spontaneous but important moments.to capture the spontaneous but important moments.

4. Judgements of children’s development and learning must 4. Judgements of children’s development and learning must be based on skills, knowledge, understanding and be based on skills, knowledge, understanding and behaviour that are demonstrated consistently and behaviour that are demonstrated consistently and independently.independently.

Eight principles for early childhood observational assessment

5. Effective assessment takes equal account of all aspects 5. Effective assessment takes equal account of all aspects of the child’s development and learning.of the child’s development and learning.

6. Accurate assessments are reliant upon taking account of 6. Accurate assessments are reliant upon taking account of contributions from a range of perspectives.contributions from a range of perspectives.

7. Assessments must actively engage parents in 7. Assessments must actively engage parents in developing an accurate picture of the child’s development.developing an accurate picture of the child’s development.

8. Children must be fully involved in their own assessment.8. Children must be fully involved in their own assessment.

Observation Gather evidence over time and in different contexts to provide

a picture of:

• Skills• Understanding• Involvement• Choices• Enjoyment• Relationships• Progress• Behaviour

So what next? Can you identify the learning and

make suggestions for future opportunities and possibilities for

next steps?

A Trap For Baddies

The travel agents

Quality interactions• Tuning in• Showing genuine interest• Respecting children’s own decisions and choices• Recapping• Offering your own experiences• Clarifying ideas• Using encouragement to further thinking• Offering an alternative viewpoint • Speculating • Modelling thinking

Making observation manageable: a mix of

methods• Adult fully involved in activity• Adult fully involved in play• Incidental – ‘catch as you can’

• Conversations• Recordings and samples• Planned focused observations

Enabling EnvironmentsDoes the learning environment suit each child? Do

they feel a sense of belonging?Children learn from everything even things not

planned for.• Plan to observe as part of the daily routine.• Analyse your observations to help you plan ‘what

next?’• Develop records of learning and development.• Ensure that parents have regular opportunities to

add to records.

Challenges and dilemmas:

• Ensuring flexibility in planning for the group while keeping a focus on individual’s present learning needs, interests and achievements.

• Planning time for regular observations of children who attend on an irregular basis.

• Involving parents in the observation, assessment and planning cycle.

• Creating records that are clear and accessible to everybody who needs to refer to them.

Judgements of children’s learning and development must be based on skills, knowledge, understanding and

behaviour that are demonstrated consistently and independently.

• Practitioners make judgements about children’s learning and plan for their next steps after considering a range of evidence across different contexts and areas of learning.

• Children are observed in adult-directed and child-initiated activities.

Effective assessment takes equal account of all aspects of the child’s development and learning.

• Practitioners tune into the different skills children are developing - linguistic, interpersonal, physical, creative etc.

• Assessment opportunities are exploited where these skills overlap eg. Physical, linguistic, interpersonal, creative in role-play.

• Practitioners do not set up assessments that dissect individual skills but instead reflect on all the dimensions revealed by the normal activities in the setting.

Accurate assessments are reliant upon taking account of contributions from a range of

perspectives.

Demonstrated when adults adopt these strategies:

• Understand that all interactions influence development and learning.Respect the range of perspectives that adults in different roles will gain about children.

• Allocate time to discuss what they know about individual children and consider the implications for the child’s development and learning.

Assessments must actively engage parents.

Demonstrated when these strategies are adopted:• Acknowledge parents as prime and first educators• Engage in a two-way flow of information in order to

meet children’s needs and agree next steps• Support parents in describing their children’s

attainment• Involve parents in reviews of children’s

achievements, including those demonstrated at home.

Children must be fully involved in their own assessment.

Demonstrated when these criteria are observed:• Practitioners and children conversing about learning

whilst engaged in an activity, as well as reviewing outcomes together.

• Adults model ways of working and discuss what they are trying to do

• Children ask their own questions, talk about their thoughts and how they want to tackle a problem.

• Practitioners ask questions that encourage children to consider quality and processes of work and what to do next.

Question Time!• Closed questions

– Specific focus– Usually only one correct answer– Establish what children understand– Encourage less confident children to

respond– Often questioner already knows the

answer or unrelated to the learning

• Open questionsEncourage children to describe their

thinkingHow can you tell…?What do you think…?How did you…?What do you think would happen if…?

I wonder…I wonder what would happen if…

Maybe next time you might…

Have you thought about…

Let me show you…