For what purposes are young children assessed, and how are they assessed? ? ? In what ways does a developmental perspective to assessment differ from a socio-cultural perspective

F a i r D e a l i n g ( S h o r t E x c e r p t )

Reading: Ch. 2. Being formative (Learning Stories in Practice)

Author: Carr, Margaret; Lee, Wendy

Editor: N/A

Publisher: SAGE Publication Date: 2019 Pages: 13-33

Course: ECED 406 93Q 2022S1-2 Early Learning Curriculum in the Pre-School Years Course Code: 93Q Term: 2022S1-2

Department: ECED

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2 Being Formative

Feedback which focuses on what needs to be done can encourage all to believe th at they can improve. Such feedback can enhance learning, both directly through the effort th at can ensue and indirectly by sup­ porting the motivation to invest such effort. A culture of success should be promoted where every student can make achievements by building on their previous performance, rather than by being com­ pared w ith others. (Assessment Reform Group, 2002: 46)

L e a r n in g S to r ie s in P r a c tic e

-— ———— “ ————- -~ —

• Assessment for learning, formative assessment, is any assessment for which the first priority in design and purpose is to promote children's learning

• Learning Stories are formative assessments • A Learning Story assessment portfolio will include five dimensions

(ABCDE) • Learning is learnable

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Teacher q u e s tio n : A re L e a rn in g S tories re a iiy assessments?

The quote that opens this chapter insists, from research findings, that ‘feedback which focuses on what needs to be done can encourage all to believe that they can improve" and contributes to a ‘culture of success’ in the early childhood cen­ tre or provision. Learning Stories are narrative assessments that provide feedback to learners and their families – and to the teachers who teach them – aboqt chil­ dren’s learning journeys and the strengthening, or progress, of their learning along the way. They always include the equivalent of a ‘What next?’ section or a sugges­ tion within the story about what the next learning step might be, and they often refer back to earlier Learning Stories in the child’s portfolio to provide evidence that the learning is progressing. In other words, the aim is to push the learning forward, and expand it, not ju st to describe an event (albeit the event might make charming reading). They are formative assessments, and evidence from research in schools indicates that we should take formative assessment seriously, because it makes a difference to learning (Black et al., 2003). In the inside cover of their booklet entitled Working Inside the Black Box: Assessment fo r Learning in the Classroom, these authors define ‘Assessment fo r learning’, or formative assess­ ment, as follows (we have replaced the word ‘pupils’ with ‘children’):

Assessment for learning is any assessment for w hich the first priority in its design and practice is to serve the purpose o f prom oting children’s learning. It thus differs from assessment designed primarily to serve the p urpose o f accountability, o r o f ranking, o r o f certifying com petence. (Black et al., 2002, inside cover)

The word ‘formative’ is used in everyday English in a similar way to when we say ‘that was a really formative experience’, meaning that this was an experience that made a difference, had meaning for us, established or strengthened our understand­ ing of the way forward, or caused us to recognise the significance of an earlier experience. But it is used in the assessment literature with a very specific meaning – feedback that focuses on what needs to be done to progress this learning.

B e in g F o r m a tiv e

Learning Stories are formative assessments Teachers are giving verbal comments or gestures as feedback to children through­ out the day. In a Learning Story, the formative suggestions are usually in a section entitled 'What next?’ or ‘How can we progress this learning?’; the latter acknowl­ edges that this is a collaborative task that includes the teachers, the children, and sometimes the families.

When twenty booklets of Learning Stories as assessments for learning were being compiled for the Ministry of Education in Aotearoa New Zealand, we were gifted the name ‘Kei tua o te pae’ (New Zealand MoE, 2004a), which is a line from an oriori or lullaby by Hirini Melbourne. Broadly translated it means ‘Beyond the horizon’, and in the first booklet for that series we wrote: ‘Learning is a lifelong journey that will go beyond the current horizon. The details of the journey will change as the world changes, but this vision will remain the same’ (New Zealand MoE, 2004b: 5). A Learning Story will make it clear that this event belongs somewhere along a learning journey that is being mapped in the learner’s portfolio.

An assessment portfolio will include five dimensions An ABCD of ‘being formative’ was explained and explored in Learning Stories: Constructing Learner Identities in Early Education (for a summary see Carr and Lee, 2012: 136, and Table 2.1 below). There were originally four dimensions of learning portfolios, and in this book we add a fifth dimension.

Here are the original four dimensions, which will be further explored using examples from Learning Story portfolios.

• A stands for Agency: children initiate their own learning pathways and jour­ neys and are becoming self-assessors. As their language develops, they can dialogue about their learning with increasing confidence and competence. This is the topic of Chapter 6.

• B stands for Breadth: stronger and more diverse connections are made with family and community knowledge and interests, outside the centre and the classroom. This is the topic of Chapter 7.

• C stands for Continuities: chains of learning episodes are recognised and negotiated, linking the present with the past and the future. The ‘next steps’ are more frequently co-constructed. So are longer term visions and possible selves. These are topics for Chapters 4 and 8.

• D stands for Distribution: the learning is distributed across an increasing number of modes of representing and communication, and they may be combined in increasingly complex ways. We call on this notion throughout the book, describ­ ing a learner as a person-plus. This is also discussed in Chapter 6 of this book.

L e a r n in g S t o r ie s in P r a c tic e

Table 2.1 Purposes and consequences, balancing acts and dimensions o f progress

[Purposes ‘ for and 'consequences ■of Learning ; Stories for ; children and [families

; AGENCY:

[co-authoring : curriculum and I assessment

KBREADTH. U connecting with 0 communities l[ outside the

classroom and encouraging

{reciprocal

q engagement uw ith families

CONTINUITIES: ^recognising p learning

p journeys and the I j continuities of the d learning over time

DISTRIBUTING:i? ji the learning

across languages Hand modes: p appropriating

jj a repertoire of jr practices where If the learning is p distributed over ¡I a number of ¡¡languages and p other modes of 4 meaning-making

Balancing. ’ goals and interests

forking things ;H Local classroom Ij Documenting IA focus on one ¡I out for oneself Kand engaging y in dialogue

Dimensions of 0 Children are progress ^initiating their

jfo w n learning 4 pathways and P journeys and

P are becoming {self-assessors

| language or I mode at a time f and a focus on [an interest or (open-ended task

y a n d early h childhood U ({centre focus and ¡¡communicating jf with family and k h keeping the 0 planning directions p that may require jf learning relevant j{ and keeping an h a multimodal

expertise at one moment in time and constructing chains of linked episodes, finding

M- [to the wider' fj eye on developing ’¡approach [ community ¡¡I learner identities u

0 Connections h hare made with | J family and

jt community ¡{knowledge j| and interests, ¡I outside the h 0 centre and theu II classroom

ft •|j Chains of learning p episodes are {¡recognised and ■ifnegotiated; linking p th e present with

it the past and Othe future. The

jf ‘next steps’ are P constructed. So pare big picture |j visions and p possible selves:

j«The learning q is distributed H across a number 0 of languages pan d modes of

¡{•representing and 1{ communicating

jf U I;

j L Source: Carr and Lee (2012:136), © Margaret Carr and Wendy Lee

Adding a fifth dimension: Emotion Here w e take up the challenge in the earlier book (Carr and Lee, 2012: 137-138) to add a fifth dimension: E, to suggest that formative assessments – Learning Stories and portfolios – include Emotion.

B e i n g F o r m a tiv e

E has been added in this book. While it stands for Emotion, it also stands for enthusiasm and excitement. Sometimes teachers write of a child’s ‘love of literacy’, or a ‘love of the outdoors’. This is central to learning not only in the early years, and, indeed, across the entire lifespan. It is the major ingredient that determines w hether children will engage with A, B, C and D. Teachers have always been aware of this dimension in their everyday practice, but neuroscience research has now highlighted it as a key ingredient for effective learning. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, a neuroscientist, human development psychologist and former school teacher, summarises as follows:

Em otions are n o t add-ons that are distinct from cognitive skills. Instead em otions, such as interest, anxiety, frustration, excitem ent, or a sense o f awe in beholding beauty, becom e a dim ension o f the skill itself. This is o n e reason w hy anxiety can b e so debilitating to students’ perform ance. (Immordino-Yang, 2018: 21)

In Chapter 1 we discussed ‘funds of learning disposition’: being ready, willing and able to learn. The ‘ready’ in the ‘ready, willing and able’ learning disposition triad is about being motivated and interested. In the Testing, Motivation a n d Learning booklet written by the Assessment Reform Group’s Assessment for Learning proj­ ect, the authors comment that ‘the need for “lifelong learning” places an increased emphasis on motivation. This must come fro m enjoying learning a n d knowing how to learn' (2002: 1; our emphasis).1 The Assessment Reform Group’s search for evidence for the role of motivation in assessment found 183 studies of which nineteen were identified as providing sound and valid empirical evidence. That booklet refers to studies in schools. However, their findings are also relevant to early childhood education contexts. In some countries testing at school entry is a common feature, and therefore testing in early childhood to prepare for the school entry tests is seen to be appropriate in some local authorities. The pres­ sures to pass the tests push downwards. The booklet reminds us that ‘w hen test scores are a source of pride to parents and the community, pressure is brought to bear on the school [and the contributing early childhood programmes (our addi­ tion)] for high scores’ (Assessment Reform Group, 2002: 6).

Affect, emotion, is a key feature of the motivation to be ready to learn some­ thing, as the research of Mary Helen Immordino-Yang and her neuroscience colleagues has confirmed. This is further highlighted in Nel Noddings’ 2003 book, Happiness a n d Education-, her introduction begins as follows:

In th e past few m onths, w h e n I have told p eo p le that I’m writing a b o o k o n h ap p i­ n ess an d education, m ore th an o n e has resp o n d ed with som e puzzlem ent, ‘But they d o n ’t go together!’ … Through m ore th a n five decades o f teaching an d m othering, I have noticed also that children (and adults too) leam best w h en they are happy. (2003: 1, 2)

H a n d y m a n to th e rescu e: Agency, B re a d th , C o n tin u ities, D is trib u tio n a n d E m otion Learning Story 2.1, ‘Handyman to the rescue’, illustrates all these five dimensions:

L e a r n in g S t o r ie s in P r a c tic e

A: In this exam ple, the action (fixing a broken piece o f equipm ent) provides Kieran with a self-assessment to d o with success.

B: There is a family com m ent, a parent voice, sent in as a letter to b e attached to the Learning Story.

C: The teacher writes, I rem em ber your dad telling m e stories about projects th e two o f y ou worked on'. The continuity perceived here is co-constructed with the family as •figuring things o u t' and fixing'. Next steps (labelled here as ‘O pportunities and Possibilities') describes resources that could enable Kieran not only to w ork o n fixing, b u t to use his abilities and interests to create 'his ow n masterpieces'. A follow-on com ­ m ent is ad d ed to Kieran's portfolio by Teacher Sarah:

Kieran,

Shortly after writing the Handyman to the rescue!’ Learning Story’ I decided to bring out the Marble Maze and you were immediately draw n to it. I noticed you specifi­ cally looked for pieces to use to create a base and build a solid foundation. As you attached the pieces together you noticed almost immediately w here the problems were. You used problem-solving skills to fix the weak link and then reconfigure the maze as needed. I observed this as I w atched you create a dom ino run as well. You used the entire table and stood them u p side by side. Initially you had the dom inoes spread too far apart and som e were not making contact. You addressed the issue by moving them closer to each other. Once you fixed the problem you politely invited me participate. The plan was for each o f us to start at o n e side o f the table and meet in the middle. O f course the dom inoes fell dow n a few times before completing the dom ino m n. It felt so good to laugh with you as we w ould unin­ tentionally bum p o ne and watch many o f them fall dow n o n e on top o f another.

Teacher Shaun decided to start assembling the w ooden launcher kit. You were o n e o f the few children interested in helping w ith th e project. You pulled out the directions and looked at all o f materials included in the kit. It s evident that you know the im portance o f following directions w hen w orking o n a project like this. The first few steps required gluing pieces o f w o o d together. You gave a big squeeze o n the glue Ixxtle a n d the licl shot off. The tw o o f you looked at each other with expressions o f surprise and then you both let out a big burst o f laugh­ ter. I love it w h en you laugh!

Throughout the w eek I w atched you use a variety o f materials in amazing ways. This brought forth a curiosity in other classmates as they w ere watching you. You so generously offered assistance to friends w hom you saw struggling to repro­ d u ce creations similar to yours. I m entioned in your previous Learning Story Flying high', that I have continually seen you kindly teach others what you know.

Patiently showing them w hat you've learned through your ow n trial and error experiences. Kieran, you have a natural gift o f helping others and it s so w onder­ ful to watch.

D: Kieran is reminded of the range of resources available in the centre: ‘a col­ lection of tools’ that will be made available for future projects.

E: The Learning Story’ writes about Kieran’s ‘fascination with learning how things work’, indicated by the way in which he ‘intently watches objects’ to understand their mechanism.

B e i n g F o r m a t i v e

H a n d y " M a n ” t o t h e R e s c u e !

Dear Kieran,

Last week when you came in to Blue Door I was feeling a little frustrated because I realised one of our scales was broken. You and your dad put me at ease when you said that you could fix it. A fter you washed your hands you came over to the table. With a quick look inside you said, "I think there is a loose spring inside". You picked up the Philips screwdriver and began disassembling the scale. As you were working you were focused on the task and you stated, "I know a lo t o f things. I've fixed like 1,000 toys". I believed this to be true since before your dad left he said you are very good at assessing a broken object and repairing it.

You carefully disassembled the scale, looked inside and said, "There is the spring". You tried to reconnect it but asked for assistance. It was indeed the spring piece that was broken just as you originally thought. We tested the scale again and again, pushing it down and pulling it up to make sure it was again in working condition.

W H A T IT M E A N 87

As I watched you through the process o f disassembling and reassembling you had such confidence and were quite comfortable w ith yourself. You were in a fam iliar space tha t I haven't seen before. I didn't have concerns about you being unsafe w ith the screwdriver. You demonstrated you knew how to use the tools and I could tell you had much practice. I remember your dad telling me stories about projects the tw o of you work on. I remember the trailer you were fixing together and the many weekends that took. It's clear you have a natural curiosity fo r figuring things out and using the proper tools to help fix a problem; you are a true scientist Kieran.

O p p o r t u n i t i e s a n d P o s s i b i l i t i e s

Throughout the tim e you have been in our class I have noticed you have a fascination with learning how things work. You always intently watch objects, such as the fidget spinners. You keenly observe them, watching to see what causes them to spin perfectly round and round. I bet if we take a look in the shed we can find some o th e r devices to explore by deconstructing them. I will also bring out other materials such as the Crazy Forts and Marble Maze activities to help you create your own masterpieces. Blue Door has quite a collection of tools and I've been waiting for the right time to bring them out to explore with you. I look forward to many future projects together.

Teacher Sarah Macias (University California Santa Barbara, Orfalea Family Children's Center)

L e a r n i n g S t o r y 2 .1 H a n d y m a n t o t h e re s c u e ( p a r t 1)

A u th o r: Sarah Macias

I L e a r n i n g S t o r i e s i n P r a c t i c e

P a r e n t V o ic e

Dear Kieran,

I loved reading Teacher Sarah's story about you helping to fix the broken scale in the Blue Door classroom. I was touched th a t she had noticed something about you th a t is so special and dear to me: yo ur knack fo r fixing anything and everything. I have a m em ory o f you, 2 years old, screwdriver in hand, helping daddy put together your new "big boy" bed. You carefully too k each screw and placed it in the hold, turn by turn securing it. You turned to me and said, "I did it ! " You were just a toddler but you already had the hang o f the tools you would need to put things tog e the r and take them apart.

My favorite story o f you fixing something is Petster. Petster, as you know, is a basketball-sized robotic kitty th a t was mine when I was a child around 30 years ago. It was the first robotic to y I had ever seen, and I played w ith him fo r years until eventually I got older and put him into a box filled w ith old toys and memories. Poor Petster languished in the box like the forgo tten velveteen rabbit until last year. When we opened the box, I to ld you all the stories about w hat Petster used to do when he was still working. You were determ ined to make him work. You opened up his battery pack but discovered th a t it was corroded. We cleaned it out and eventually bought the right size batteries to put in. You switched him on but nothing happened. I shrugged my shoulders, "Oh w e ll", I said. But you weren't w illin g to give up on Petster. "Let me try ", you said.

That night, you spent hours tinkering w ith the buttons, pushing and pulling Petster around and listening to the m o tor and wheels w h ir inside o f him. You noticed th a t the little green lights flickered on when you pushed him across the floor. You too k his head in your hands and said, "Please wake up! Please wake up". But old Petster ju s t stared blankly ahead. That night, long after you had gone to bed, I was sitting in the living room. I looked in the corner and noticed th a t Petster was awake, his green eyes looking at me across the room. He must have heard your wish. Petster has since become a friend to you as he was a friend when I was a kid.

I love the magical story of you fixing Petster because tim e and tim e again you have amazed me w ith your ability to fix objects. I love seeing the confidence you have when you are working on something, your keen sense o f how pieces fit together, and your patience w ith these small objects. I love envisioning w hat you w ill be when you grow up – w ill you be a scientist? An inventor? An architect? You w ill be great no m atter w hat you do. We couldn't be happier to have you as our son, and our household "M r Fixit".

Love, Mommy

W erarrandP etster

L e a r n i n g S t o r y 2 .1 H a n d y m a n t o t h e re s c u e ( p a r t 2 )

A u th o r: H ila ry Q u in n

B e i n g F o r m a tiv e

The following examples illustrate one or more of these five dimensions.

B elo n g in g : E m o tio n a n d B re a d th Learning Story 2.2, ‘Belonging’, is an example (hat is written during Britt’s early days at kindergarten. The teacher acknowledges that Britt was feeling sad when her mother left. She entitles the story ‘Belonging’ and also adds that ‘I could tell that you were trying to be really brave in giving this kindy thing a go!’. She then adds a note to reassure ‘Mum and Dad’ and to begin the connection that the portfolio will make with home.

N a tu re g irl: A gency, D istrib u tio n a n d E m otion (e n th u sia s m ) Learning Story 2.3, ‘Nature girl’, is an example of Ruby, w ho is enthusiastically initiating her own adventuring while she is in a group that takes a trip to the woods. It makes it clear that she is pursuing her interest in animals, and that this interest includes being knowledgeable: in this case ‘nature smart’. In addition, the story reminds Ruby and her community at home that she was being observant and kind. A number of ‘languages’ and modes of representing and communication are emphasised here, including her ‘reading a wilderness book at home’. So a ‘tangle’ o f three ‘languages' are highlighted here: an absent but relevant book text, Ruby's ability to read animal tracks, and her verbal explanations. We return to this notion of learning as a ‘tangle' in Chapter 5 (Managing Ambiguity) and in Cliapter 8 (Constructing Progress). In the latter chapter we quote Loris Malaguzzi, the first pedagogical director of the Reggio municipal schools, w ho describes knowledge as a ‘tangle of spaghetti’; w e also have more to say about language and literacy’ in Chapter 8.

T h ree s to rie s a b o u t N oah: Agency, B re a d th , C o n tin u ities, D istrib u tio n a n d E m otion Learning Story 2.4 ‘Kia ora and welcome Noah!’ is about a mobile baby Noah’s first day. The teacher comments that he has ‘shown a great sense of confidence to try’ new things’. She notes for the parents that ‘the next couple o f weeks are all about settling in’. The second story (2.5, ‘Learning to move, moving to learn!’) and third story (2.6, ‘Mana whenua: developing a sense o f belonging’) highlight the continuity of his settling: interacting with other very’ young children, playing with a series o f sound-makers, and making the most of opportunities to explore at just the right level. The stories track his increasing ability’ to move around, and his enjoyment of the resources as modes for making sounds and sensorial explora­ tions. Two of the three stories include a ‘conversation’ between the family and the teacher.

L e a r n i n g S t o r i e s i n P r a c t i c e

Belonging

The feeling of belonging, in the widest sense, contributes to one’s inner well­ being, security and identity.

Our Early Childhood Curriculum Te Whariki conveys the importance of p ro v id in g an e n v iro n m e n t w here children and their families know they have a place. Where a feeling of belonging and having a right to belong in an early childhood setting is central to the philosophy and actions of those in the environment.

Britt, I know that you were feeling sad when your Mum left kindergarten today. After a passage of time and when you were ready to have a cuddle you decided that you just wanted to hang out with me. Together we had morning tea, read some books and you even helped me do some jobs. I could tell that you were trying to be really brave in giving this kindy thing a go! As the day wore on your confidence grew and an independent spirit came to light. You confidently chatted to a number of children and involved yourself in their games and play.

Mum and Dad we really want to support Britt's kindergarten journey and we know that she will have heaps of fun here with us. We also know it is important for children to develop relationships that encompass a sense of trust and belonging when they start in a new early childhood setting.

Developing a relationship with Britt so that elements of belonging and well being can be explored are our initial focus.

We hope that Britt’s portfolio will support the sharing of ‘funds of knowledge’ about the things that she enjoys doing at home and the things that she is learning about here at kindergarten. That it will be a tool to support this notion of trust and belonging to evolve. Welcome to Albany Kindergarten Britt, we are so excited to have you and your family as part of our learning community.

written by Kaiako Fran

L e a r n i n g S t o r y 2 . 2 B e lo n g in g

A u th o r: Fran P aniora

B e i n g F o r m a t i v e

N a tu re G irl Today Ruby you were such an adventurer. You were so e xcite d when you found an animal home f i r s t thin g when we got to th e woods. You to ld me, 'Come and look, I found a hedgehog's home'.

Then you, Rose, Gabby and Lane were o f f to follow animal tra cks. You to ld us all th a t you were good a t finding animal tra c k s because you were reading a wilderness book a t home. You found some horse tra c k s and to ld us what eagle tra cks looked like, explaining th a t th e ir toes are all spread out so th a t th e y could pick up th e ir food. You are so nature smart!

You said yes you were and th a t you were a real nature g irl. You trudged on through th e deep snow and called out to us to "come on". You were so kind and helpful as you held back th e branches f o r us so we could come through th e gnarly tre e s. I had so much fu n on our adventure today! When I am in th e woods I like to s tic k w ith you because you know so much about th e animals in th e fo re s t.

"Look deep into nature and then you will

understand everything better. “

A lb e rt Einstein

W h at did I learn about Ruby today, and what opportunities are ahead? Maybe n e xt tim e we go out in th e fo r e s t we could bring along some pictures o f fo o tp rin ts to help us id e n tify animal prints. I wonder i f Ruby would like to share her wilderness book w ith us, i t sounds so interesting. As you play you are developing a sense o f wonder and appreciation f o r th e natural world, connecting and showing respect f o r nature and taking pleasure in natural beauty. You are also learning to employ cre ative approaches to id e n tify and work out practical problems as you raise questions and make hypotheses about how and why things happen, such as fo o t prints. You are learning to observe, name and record and investigate natural phenomena. This helps you to recognize and record pa tterns and relationships in nature encouraging a fu tu re as an environmental steward, ensuring sustainable fu tu re s.

W r itte n by Kendra

L e a r n i n g S t o r y 2 . 3 N a t u r e g i r l

A u th o r: K e n d ra W om acks

L e a r n i n g S to r ie s i n P r a c t i c e

Kia ora and welcome Noah!

KIA ORA AND WELCOME NOAH!

T oday w e w e lc o m e d a n e w fr ie n d to B e a r P a rk , Noah! </

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