Guided Response Criteria (respond to a minimum of 2 classmates):
Locate a reference from our Text that supports a main idea behind the statements posted by your peers.
1. Make a connection from their main content to the reference.
2. Provide an explanation of the connection you made from your peers work to the text.
3. Provide a specific page number where you located the information in the text.
Developmentally Appropriate Assessment Practices
Now that I know how to observe and implement my primary tool of observation for the young children such as the usage of my Daily Log, then how do you think I would go about making sure the implementation appropriately matches the developmental needs and interests of the young children I will soon be assisting? Well, according to NAEYCs (2009)guidelines for developmentally appropriate practices, The job of an educator has five connected components including: 1. Creating a community of learners, 2. Teaching to enhance learning and development, 3. Planning curriculum to achieve important goals, 4. Assessing childrens learning and development, and 5. Establishing reciprocal relationships with the childrens families. (1) In addition, according to the author, Candace Jaruszewicz (2013) in the text, Curriculum and Methods for Early Childhood Educators, The primary goal of a developmentally appropriate approach toward assessment is to inform my practices in my future assistant classroom, so that the curriculum I implement matches the developmental needs and interests of the children in my care. In fact, assessment of my young students and my program also provides practical information and evidence to guide my decisions regarding the implementation. (12.1) Now in order to implement the first of the appropriate practices, 1. Creating a community of learners, in which I am for. The first reason for this is because, I do agree that parents should be in fact more involved with their young childs education. Parents and young children should also collaborate on what is the most effective curriculum method for their young students. In order to implement the second appropriate guideline in my assistant classroom, 2. Teaching to enhance learning and development; it is crucial to know the five key elements for developing crucial teaching skills in order to know according to Jaruszewicz (2013) in the text, How young children learn and the role of those whom participate in the education of young children, the content of the curriculum and how to implement the curriculum effectively. Teachers also need to learn patients because children will remember you as someone playing an important role in their lives. (12.6) To implement the third appropriate guideline, 3. Planning curriculum to achieve important goals which I agree with, is crucial to know, according to Jaruszewicz (2013) Planning for curriculum should be informed by insights about how the curriculum is experienced by children because the curriculum is at the core of the reflection of my teaching. (12.6) Also, in addition to planning the curriculum, adaptation of the curriculum is also critical because, according to Jaruszewicz (2013) As us assistant teachers and educators alike compose our assessment data, we then make decisions about how to alter the curriculum and choose materials and strategies used for instruction to meet the needs and interest of the young children. (12.3) For the fourth appropriate guideline, 4. Assessing childrens learning and development, we as educators may need to understand that you cannot according to Jaruszewicz (2013) expect to go fourth with a successful curriculum without assessing it first because it is in fact crucial for optimal instruction. (20) To define, Assessment is, according to Rencken (1996) in the article, Observation: The Primary Tool in Assessment, the process of observing, recording, analyzing and documenting the work children do and how they do it regarding their current goals and learning processes. (10) The fifth and final appropriate guideline, Establishing reciprocal relationships with families, should be implemented as, open and frequent communication with the young students families because I believe childrens overall success in their primary school years depends upon frequent communication and positive feedback between the young childs teacher and parents.
References
Jaruszewicz, Candace (2013) Curriculum and Methods for Early Childhood Educators, San Diego, C.A. (Bridgepoint, Edu. Inc.)
Rencken, S. Kay (1996) Observation: The Primary Tool in Assessment/ Child care Info. Exchange, retrieved from, http://www.childcareexchange.com/
