Assessment
Aromatawai
How can assessments contribute to an understanding of continuity and to the growing strength of learning?
Many of the exemplars in books 11–15 directly document the continuity of learning in some way. A key strategy for mutual understandings about continuity and increasing strength is revisiting the documentation with children and families. Not all revisiting conversations with children and families are documented, but these conversations are also important pedagogical opportunities. Assessment for learning becomes assessment as learning. A teacher comment in the exemplar “O le matamatagā tusi” (Book 13) points to the value of portfolios being accessible for revisiting and reflecting on the learning. Fergus and William revisiting their folders is documented in the exemplar “Fergus and William take their folders outside” (Book 11).
Revisiting invites children to identify their own progress and to develop their own goals. (See Book 4 for a discussion about children contributing to their own assessment.) In Book 13, Amy states that she is “getting better and better … It used to be hard”, and in the same book, children contribute their prior knowledge about camping before going on a camping trip, and a parent documents the value of the camping experience for one of the children. The What next? sections in learning stories provide cues for discussion when a portfolio is revisited as well as being guides for planning.
A common way to represent continuity is to document progress through a series of notes, photographs, and/or learning stories. The sewing project of “The three friends” exemplar was documented in this way. In the exemplar “Jedd’s increasing participation” (Book 11), Jedd’s participation is described as it increases from July through to March of the next year. Layne’s developing curiosity is documented in “The acrobat” (Book 13).
The exemplar “Suelisa’s sense of belonging” (Book 11) is set out in a series of learning stories, and the inclusion of photographs of her family from earlier documentation (two years previously) allowed the assessment folder to become a powerful resource for strengthening Suelisa’s sense of belonging.
The continuity of children’s developing curiosity and working theories in a lengthy project has been documented in the exemplar “What’s over the fence?” (Book 13).
In Book 14, there are three connected series of learning stories in the exemplar “Fuka, Colette and Fea”. The continuity for each child in terms of communication and participation is clearly set out in the stories. In this exemplar, a learning story was turned into a book, which became a mediating resource for social interaction since English was an additional language for this child.
Continuity of a different kind is illustrated in “A budding archaeologist” (Book 13), when a teacher responds to a child’s interest and sets up an exploration of archaeology and history by contributing her photos from China. Similarly, in the exemplar “Te Tuhi a Manawatere” (Book 11), Helen reads the story of Te Tuhi a Manawatere to the children under the pōhutukawa tree where, according to historical records, the event occurred.
Families frequently provide continuity across time and place. The exemplars “Zachary dancing” (Book 15), “Osmana’s view” (Book 15), and “Making a card for Great-grandad” (Book 12) are examples of this. Teachers sometimes invite these connecting comments in the documentation (in “The acrobat” in Book 13, for instance). The families’ responses are, of course, not always recorded; nevertheless, they are of great importance for developing mutual understandings about continuity pathways. The exemplar “Caroline spreads her wings” (Book 12) begins with Caroline’s mother’s comment that she would like Caroline to “have a sense of independence”. The teachers document Caroline’s learning from March to December (interspersed with information from home, for example, when Caroline crawled for the first time), and the parent comments on the difference at the end. (“She is happy, independent, fun, and knows her mind.”) Likewise, a parent adds some detail to the continuity of children coping with a difficult situation in “Fire at the marae” (Book 13), and a teacher adds reflection, too.
Teachers comment on continuity in learning stories or narratives. A good example of this is in “Finn’s dragonfly” (Book 12), where the teacher comments to Finn on the continuity of his capacity to persevere: “This learning story reminds me of two that I have written for you previously … I noticed then your technique … This is exactly what you were doing today when you were drawing your dragonfly.” A home-based carer comments in “Hannah goes without a nappy” (Book 12) that “Today was the second day [without a nappy]” and tells a story about how well the day went.
In “Phoebe’s puzzling morning” (Book 14), a teacher introduces a story about Phoebe by commenting that she “often enjoys setting herself the task of solving puzzles” and then documents observations and discussions with Phoebe that support this statement. In “Alexander and the trees” (Book 12), the teacher records, through comments, photographs, and conversations, how Alexander’s paintings of trees, and his commentaries on them, have become more complex over time.
In “Becoming part of the group” (Book 15), the teacher refers back to the events of the previous two days to highlight the new learning; and in the same book, the teacher documenting the exemplar “Teaching others” comments that “Today, however, was different from the last time.”
Perhaps the last word should go to “Issy’s new role” (Book 15), where continuity is recognised between Eden (a toddler) caring for baby Issy, and then (over a year later), Issy caring in the same way for five-month-old Jimmy The earlier photographs are added to the later learning story for Issy. This exemplar also illustrates some important continuities of practice at the early childhood centre.
Kei Tua o te Pae demonstrates that learning will be strengthened only if the environment can afford its strengthening and if teachers notice, recognise, respond to, record, revisit, and reflect on multiple learning pathways.