As
early childhood professionals we have a responsibility to support families’
efforts and connect to them to valuable resources. For many parents, we are the only link to
this information. I spent time this
module with several parents of students entering kindergarten in the fall. The site where I am doing my field work has a
large private kindergarten and receives the majority of its students from its
own pre-k program. This means that most
of the families have a history with the center and are familiar with its
philosophies. The families I observed
and spoke to were attending a kindergarten sign-up night. This gave the parents an opportunity to meet
the teachers, see the center-based classroom environment, and ask any questions
they may have. This large kindergarten
has three teachers and the capacity for forty students spilt into two
classrooms. I observed one teacher that
appeared to be uncomfortable when speaking with a family about the early
entrance into kindergarten that their child would be participating in this
fall. The parent wanted to discuss the
specifics of the child’s (outside) assessment that showed she was cognitively,
physically, and socially on level with peers in kindergarten. They
had some concerns about one of the areas assessed and wanted the teacher’s
input. This interaction showed me just
how valuable my advocacy efforts with regard to assessment could be for this
center and the children and families that attend.
Another insight I have gained is the staff’s lack of comfort with assessment. They are not required to utilize any
assessment in their classrooms and therefore many are unfamiliar with even the
basics of assessment in early childhood education. I am sure that my
efforts here will assist both staff and families in forming better
relationships and understanding the students’ individual development, leading
to increased quality experiences for all students. I am truly excited by what lies ahead.
Assessment can be a difficult thing. I know where I work we use an assessment system that is fairly complicated and it takes an intensive training to learn how to use it and then when we only use it twice a year we forget a lot of the stuff that we are supposed to do. Assessment can also be difficult because there can so many variables that can affect the outcome. If a child is tired, hungry or uncomfortable with the assessor they may not demonstrate the developmental level that they are actually at. Assessments are so important though. We need them so that teachers can better individualize the education for the students and so that we can detect any possible delays early on so that we can prevent them from becoming a major problem. It can be very difficult for parents a lot of the time because they see their child more outside of the school setting and may see different skills that we do not reflect on our assessments. It can be a very touchy subject for both parents and teachers.
ReplyDeleteChristie,
ReplyDeleteI think assessment is very difficult if you have no knowledge or training on the subject. At the job where I previously worked, the director sent us to trainings and workshops to enhance our skills on assessments as well as many of us still attending school. I think we all have to be ready to face our parents and be ready to support whatever they may need. Sometimes we may be the only people in their corner and we have to show them that we will have their backs every step of the way. I think if those teachers at that center you are doing your field work at do some trainings and workshops on assessment, then it will be a piece of cake afterwards. Assessment helps the teachers understand what the child's learning styles are as well as how to step up your environment for their learning experiences.
Christie,
ReplyDeleteI like how you stated that "as early childhood professionals we have a responsibility to support families’ efforts and connect to them to valuable resources". We really do need to get to know each family, learn about their concerns, and connect them to resources based on their specific needs. Regarding assessments, I can understand why teachers might feel uncomfortable performing assessments. The majority of assessments done during the preschool years are informal assessments. Therefore, early childhood teachers need to be trained on how to perform more formal assessments.
I commend you with your enthusiastic attitude towards wanting to work with the teachers of creating ways to help build support for them and the families that they serve. Assessments are never easy but with the proper training and comprehension of what is to be learned would help out a lot, I know we all learn at different levels of development just like the children we serve and we also owe it to ourselves to fine tune or learning skills. I am a strong believer in if we want to know the parents we need to know our selves just as much as a whole. Keep up the good work
ReplyDeleteChristie
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that we, as teachers, are the only link between the assessment process and outcome. It is a difficult time for parents as no parent wants their child to have academic/social/emotional issues.