Self Assessment on Child Learning Environment

Self sound judgement on Child Learning EnvironmentPart AReflecting on a kids encyclopaedism and phylogeny as a practician is important in order to gauge an understanding of the claws ability to learn and how it merchantman be continually improved. The National Council for computer programme and Assessment (NCCA) essential a curriculum framework, known as Aistear, which cans practicians in early fryhood business organisation and education (ECCE) settings to reflect, identify and assess childrens eruditeness. Assessment of the childs learning allows the practitioner to gather an understanding rough how the child thinks, their abilities, and interests.For a practitioner to understand and assess a childs thinking, abilities and interests they must interact with the child. Good mind practices depend on listening, empathising, watching and talking with the child (Dunphy, 2008). It is by these types of interactions in everyday activities and experiences with the adult and oth er children that benefactor form a successful learning process for them.In order to mean and take appropriate experiences which the child impart find enjoyable and exciting, it is important that the practitioner has a good assessment process in place in the ECCE setting. Through card the practitioner rotter assess the childs progress and develop a plan to continually raise the childs maturement pull ahead. It is up to the practitioner to interpret the childs learning using the aims and learning goals outlined by Aistear to past form and plan the learning further. The practitioner must observe to tear down childrens progress in all areas of their development including skills, dispositions, attitudes, knowledge and understanding (NCCA, 2009). Development through proviso is done through two assessment approaches defined in Aistear which include the assessment for learning and the assessment of learning. Assessment for learning takes the approach of supporting and planning t he childs learning through reflection and assessment whereas assessment of learning is the approach of measuring, comparing, analysing and reporting (Daly and Forster cited in Mhic Mhathna and Taylor, 2012). These approaches use many antithetic manners of assessment. Each method helps to have portraits of the childrens learning and development.Observation is a key method in assessing a childs learning. Observing a child allows the practitioner to physically see the childs capabilities and document their learning. It allows them to see where the child excels or where they may penury further support. It can in addition show a practitioner how a child interacts in social situations and how they play. While many practitioners use this as their main assessment method it is not the only one. Through the use of different assessment methods the practitioner can form a bigger picture of a childs learning and development. Aistear outlines the five assessment methods self-assessment, conv ersations, observations, setting tasks and testing (NCCA, 2009).Self-assessment consists of the children themselves assessing their own learning and development. The child can bug out to identity their own achievements and progress. It is then up to the practitioner to help guide the child and discuss with them about their experience. Discussing and having conversations with the child allow the practitioner to further assess and gather a better understanding of the childs learning (NCCA, 2009). By using conversation as an assessment method the practitioner can gain a better insight into the childs thinking then they would from just observing, then allowing the practitioner to offer the appropriate support for the child. These assessment methods so far discussed are very child lead assessment. It is the child who shows the practitioner their learning and development with the practitioner acting as an observer.Observation can also be adult lead assessment as well as setting tasks and testing. If the practitioner needs to collect information on certain aspects of the childs learning they may design certain activities to help them do so (NCCA, 2009). Through observing, the adult can design activities which interest and excite the child to help them further gather information they may have set out to obtain. From setting these tasks the practitioner can help explain and encourage the child to further their learning and development. This is similar to the assessment method of testing. The assessment should focus on strengths and also aspects which may need further improvement (Dunphy, 2008). The practitioner complies all they have learned through observing and discussing with the child to test the child on certain aspects of their learning and development, much(prenominal) as social abilities. This can allow the practitioners to compare the outcomes with other children of similar ages whence allowing them to see which children are meeting their milestones and who may need further assistance. there is a huge necessity for these assessment methods because without them the practitioner would not be able to understand or have the information needed to assist the child appropriately to develop into a well-rounded holistic child.While using Aistear as a framework to help with good assessment practices in ECCE settings the total for aboriginal Childhood Development and Education developed the quality framework Solta, which also promotes good assessment practices. Solta was designed to assess and support ECCE settings to continually improve the environment for which the child learns and develops. Solta aids the practitioner to reflect upon their own role assessing themselves to ensure they are providing quality experiences for every child (CECDE, 2006). As well as reflecting upon themselves is allows the practitioner to assess the environment, equipment, curriculum and interactions, all areas which assist in childrens learning and development. W hile assessing the child helps create portraits of their learning and development it is also important to use frameworks, such as Solta, to assess the learning environment. Without an appropriate educational environment which engages, assists, challenges and offers the child different experiences then a child will not learn and develop to their full potential.Part BLesson Plan for SpringMonthFebuary/MarchWeekly ThemePlants Flowerscase of SettingMontessori/AistearRoomPre-SchoolAge of Children3-5Rationale for field of studyA child brought a flower to the setting which prompted the other children to want their own flowers.Lesson Plan 1 Hand Print FlowerDate 27th Febuary Number of Children 8Dispostions developed Persistance, responsibilty, investigative, Curiousity, Fun, independence.Rationale for choice of application Allow the children to express themselves creatively through visual arts using paint. Make marks to record their own idea of flowers.Long-term aim To develop their ab ilities to express themselves creatively, express their imagination and to kill fine motor skills. Develop a connection between flowers and spring.Aistear Link CodesWB A3 LG1COM A4 LG2ET A3 LG1Solta Standard Standard 6 Play Component 6.5 encourages him/her to explore, be creative and use previous learning to make new meaning.Material and/or equipment needed White paper, various colour paints, paint brushes.Plan To begin the practitioner will demonstrate how to create a flower using your handprints. The practitioner will paint their hand using a paint brush, depression it in a circular motion around the page then using their fingers to paint the other parts of the flower. Once the practitioner has demonstrated to the children how to create the flower, the children are invited to explore the materials and create their own concept of a flower. Children will be able to choose their own colours and method to create their flower. musing The activity went well as the children actively en gaged with the idea of the activity, each creating and exploring their own idea of a flower. They demonstrated curiosity as they printed their hands on the page at different angles to make marks with the paint. The children each used different methods to paint the flower. Some imitated the practitioner while others just used their fingers or the paintbrush. I then noticed (P) had painted squares at the bottom of the page and asked them what did you make when you did these. (P) told me There flower pots, my mammy has lots of flowers in flower pots. This then got one child particularly curious asking me where do flowers grow and how do you make flowers. I told them how flowers grow from seeds either in the ground or they can be planted in a flower pot. The children then shifted their focus from the moving picture to the discussion and each child shared their idea on how flowers grow.Critique and Evaluate As the children all wanted their own flower, I set them a task to design their o wn. They showed confidence in their ability to individually paint their own hands and design their own flowers with the different methods they those. By setting the children the task they have demonstrated the aim of the activity, to express themselves creatively by making marks to record their ideas. Setting the task enabled the children to choose their own colours acting upon their curiosity to explore different marks and experiment with different colours. During the task the children took the lead during the natural occurring opportunity of one child asking questions about where and how flowers grow. This prompted all the childrens curiosity as they all moved their focus from painting to get involved in the discussion. It is important when using the method of setting tasks outlined in Aistear as an assessment method that going forward I use their questions about the flower to continue their interests in planning the next activity.Lesson Plan 2 Plant Flower SeedsDate 28th Febuar yNumber of children 8 Dispostions developed Responsibilty, Curiousity, independence.Rationale for choice of topic During painting our own flowers the topic of where and how do flowers grow was asked. Planting the seeds and physically watching the flowers will help break dance the children a better understanding of where and how they grow.Long-term aim The children will be able to have a better understanding of working theories of where and how the flowers grow. It will also develop the disposition of responsibility as the children will need to mete out for their flower to help it grow.Aistear Link CodesWB A3 LG5IB A4 LG4ET A2 LG3Solta Standard Standard 7 course Component 7.4.1 What strategies do you use in implementing the curriculum/programme? Example being facilitating the childrens interest.Material and/or equipment needed Flower seeds, flower pots, flaw, gloves, hand shovelful and water system.Plan The practitioner will demonstrate how to plant the flower seed. The childr en will then be given the hand shovel taking it in turns to remove fault into their flower pot. Using their finger they will place a tar in the middle of the soil and place the flower seed into the hole c overing it over. Once the seed is planted, the children will then use a jug to water the seed. While planting the practitioner will discuss how we care for our plant and what it needs to grow.Reflection This activity went really well as the children really engaged and showed interest. They demonstrated great independence and manipulation skills as they spooned the soil into the flower pots with great control. (B) did struggle with spooning to soil into to pot and (S) demonstrated great care Ill help you do it as she assisted (B) to get the soil in his pot. (S) than went on to discuss with the other children what they had to do next assisting each of them. Once the children had planted their seeds I discussed with them what the plant needed in order to grow. I asked I wonder what the seed needs to grow. (B) said you pour water on top of it while (A) contradicted (B) telling them No you just put it in the pot. I then said youre both right the plant needs water and soil to grow but it also needs sun. Where should we put the plants so they can get sun?. The children looked around the room (S) shouted to everyone the sun is at the window look as they decided we would place our pots here. (B) then reminded everyone we forgot the water lets put it on top the children took turns watering their plant. I discussed with them that the plant will grow roots and drink the water in the soil but this seemed to play a trick on them especially (B) who kept telling everyone that you pour the water on top of the plant.Critique and Evaluate The link with Aistears method of assessment using conversations is evident during this activity as the children took turns in talking, listening and discussing their ideas with each other. It is also evident as I responded to the children agreeing with both (A) and (B) as we discussed and I gave feedback about what the plant needed. I also used conversation to prompt the children to share their ideas using an open ended question about where was best to place the flower to get sun therefore aiding the children in expressing their own views and making their own decisions, which Aistears Identity and belonging learning goals outlines. Through conversing with the children it has given them the opportunity to expand on their own knowledge about how to care for materials in their environment and what they need to survive.Lesson Plan 3 Experiment How plants drink water using food colouring.Date 1st March-3rd March (observed the flowers over a hardly a(prenominal) days.)Number of Children 8Dispostions developed Investigative, Curiousity, Fun.Rationale for choice of activity The children will be able to see the food colouring skank the flowers as it absorbs the water helping them develop thinking skills as they can come to an understanding of plants absorbing water.Long-term aim To continue their intrests about flowers and give the children a better understanding about how the plants absorb water.Aistear Link CodesWB A3 LG 1ET A1 LG4Solta Standard Standard 8 Planning and Evaluation Enriching and making known all aspects of practice within the setting requires cycles of observation, planning, action and evaluation, undertaken on a regular basis- the activity planned is from observing and evaluating the childrens interests and taking action to plan check to their needs and interests.Material needed Food colouring, flowers, jug, and water.Plan Under the guidance of the practitioner,the childrenwill fill a jug with water and place some flowers in the jug. They will then add food colouring into the water and place the flowers in an area of sunlight. With this activity the flowers need to be observed over a few days to observe the flower changing colour from absorbing the stained water.Reflection The in itial activity was short and prompted many curious questions from the children such as why is the water green how will they drink that how will it multifariousness colour. After discussing and answering their questions the children were eager to move on and conduct the experiment. They demonstrated their independence as once provided with the materials and instructions about what and how we were going to do the experiment, they supported and enabled each other to carry it out. I then observed the children as they continually went back to the flowers that day watching to see if they had changed colours. The following day, upon arrival the children raced to the flowers screaming with excitement to see that one of the leaves had green spots on it. (B) look everybody its at peace(p) green (S) the plant drank the green water (P) it drinks it from the bottom. Over the next few days the children still continued to have interest over the experiment as I observed them going over to look sh aring it with the other children and even their parents.Critique and Evaluate From watching and listening to the children I observed how harebrained and involved they all got while discussing and carrying out the experiment. Using observation as an assessment method has allowed me to see how the children express their excitement and awe using their language, gestures and nervus facialis expressions. From taking a step back and observing the children I could see how the children expressed their feeling and thoughts with each other and their excitement to involve their parents. Using observation as an assessment method has shown me that building on the child interests to help them make sense of the world truly excites them.(See appendices for photographs of the activities.)Part CUsing the topic of spring, the assessment of the activities helped to plan further activities based on the childs interests. Aistears outlines the features of good assessment practices which involve collecti ng, documenting, reflecting and using the information (NCCA, 2009). In each activity, the assessment of the activity benefited the child as it built on the childs past experiences which they shared to support the development of new learning. From collecting and documenting the childs interests, it allowed a portrait of the childs interests, abilities and knowledge to be assessed and used to plan further experiences which would help the child/children develop. From using the different methods of assessment such as setting a task, conversations and observation it allowed for appropriate activities to be planned harmonize to the stage of development and interests the child/children were at. Observing over a period of time during the how plants drink water experiment highlighted how excited the children got from watching the plant change colour sharing the information with parents. This allows the parent to gain an insight into what the child is interested in which can be further develo ped outside the classroom. In each activity the children developed the disposition of curiosity. Their curious nature engaged the children to get involved in the painting, planting and experimenting. The activities also showed evidence of the childrens knowledge evolution as while planting the children believed that pouring water on the top of the flower helped it to grow were it then became clear during the experiment that they absorbed water from the bottom. From planning the activities, to observing the children while implementing them and using Aistears different assessment methods to record and reflect on the experience, it gives a portrait of the child/children which helps the practitioner to continually provide and enhance future experiences to help develop a holistic child.ReferencesCentre for Early Childhood Development and Education (CECDE). (2006), Solta The National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education. capital of Ireland Centre for Early Childhood Developmen t and Education.Daly, M and Forster, A. (2012). Aistear the early childhood curriculum framework. In Mhic Mhathna, M. and Taylor, M., eds., Early childhood education and care an introduction for students in Ireland. Dublin 12 Gill Macmillan.Dunphy, E. (2008). Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment a search paper. Dublin 2, National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) Aistear the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework.Dunphy, E. (2008). Supporting early learning and development through formative assessment a research paper executive Summary. Dublin 2, National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) Aistear the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework.National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). (2009) Aistear The Early Childhood Curriculum Framework supporting learning and development through assessment. Dublin NCCA.National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). (2009) Aistear The Early Childhood Curriculum Framework princi ples and themes. Dublin NCCA.