Early Childhood - Connecticut State Department of Education

Assessment Chapter 4
time a child will devote to experiences initiated by the
teacher or those that are self-chosen. A time/activity
sample is found on pages 59-61. Within the daily
experiences of the classroom, the teacher keeps track of
specific times when a child begins and finishes a specific
task or experience. Although time consuming, this type
of observation tool can generate useful information for
the classroom teacher. Most often, patterns will emerge
indicating a child’s difficult moments in the daily routine,
her or his ability to stay focused on a task, and how she
or he approaches daily work and interactions.
Documentation Panels
Documentation panels are like small bulletin boards,
but the purpose is more than decoration or the
presentation of children’s products. The intention is to
provide a history of a project or study undertaken by
the class. Such panels enable the teacher to reflect on
what teaching strategies are most effective. Teachers
find them more helpful in reflecting on instruction
than in marking the progress of individual children.
Photographs, interviews, representational drawings and
designs show how a unit of study evolved over time.
Panels also present the curriculum in action.
They can be made available to parents, guests, teachers
and children, and can be especially useful if a group of
children becomes interested in a topic of study that was
previously undertaken by others. The newest group of
child researchers is then able to benefit from the work of
the first group by referring to their process and results.
Over time a collection of panels documents the history
of the program for all to admire.
“The passage from display to documentation
travels from informing to educating and
thereby changes the teacher’s perspective
from observing children to studying
children. …[D]isplays should be converted to
documentation by adding interpretation and
explanation to the graphics. The panels need
commentary to qualify as documentation.
Documentation tries to raise questions about
children’s thinking and teaching strategies
rather than to mark the progress of all
individual children” (Edwards, Gandini
and Forman, 1998).
Videotaping And Audio Recording
The daily life of a teacher is filled with frequent changes,
decisions and interactions, sometimes limiting time for
reflection. Equipment, such as a video camera or tape
51
recorder, allows the teacher to revisit classroom activities
at leisure. Once these tools become part of the daily life
of the classroom, children move about in their activities
and pursuits without any recognition that they are being
recorded. A wealth of information becomes available
for the teacher to play and replay to examine children’s
styles, reasoning behavior, developing abilities and
interactions with others and the environment. Many
teachers transcribe small- and large-group discussions,
using this information to strategically plan their next
activity.
Interviews
Interviewing a child at play or during an activity helps
teachers to further understand the child’s thinking and
reacting. Experienced teachers will not interrogate or
request specific answers. Rather, conversing comfortably
with the child, the teacher finds ways to encourage
explanation and elaboration on thoughts and actions.
Reflection on information gathered during an interview
can suggest new materials that might interest a child, or
a different approach that may be more successful.
Finding The Right Formal Instrument
More formal assessment is often necessary to understand
language delays, difficulty with motor skills, inability
to self-monitor behavior, or if development overall is
slower than expected. If, despite collecting significant
data over time, and trying various approaches and
modifications, teachers are unsuccessful in prompting
growth, then teachers and administrators must
determine the best instrument for the particular child.
The appropriate professional, e.g., speech/language
pathologist, audiologist, occupational therapist or
school psychologist, must then administer formal tools.
The following considerations may help administrators
and teachers make these decisions.
• Carefully review the manual accompanying
any formal instrument.
• Examine information on validity and reliability.
• The instrument should reflect diversity in
culture, language and families.
• Consider how the instrument is administered,
and how much time is needed.
• The tool should allow children to be active
and task oriented, rather than taking a paper-and-pencil
approach.
• Concrete materials and pictures should be
prominently used to elicit language and responses
from the child.