Chapter 4 – Accessible Content Appendix

This page shares text accessible versions of different interactive elements in the fourth chapter. This includes transcripts for any audio-visual material such as video podcasts and videos that formed part of chapter’s learning.

Introduction to Chapter 4: Different ways of looking at assessment through play-based approaches. Engaging with the chapter. Vodcast content and transcript

Introductory title screens

The short vodcast begins with a Deakin University logo appearing on screen. Followed by the below Acknowledgement of Country:

We acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first sovereign people of this land. As a community of educators we recognise with deep respect their continuing connections to lands, waters, knowledges and cultures. In doing so we pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

An animated title screen appears reading:

ASSESSING PLAY ABILITIES. ENGAGING WITH THE CHAPTER.

Narrated content

The vodcast then has a single narrator sharing with you the following advice:

Chapter 4 looks closely at assessment and assessment potentials that are in play, the lens that is used in this chapter privileges learning outcomes. Then teachers are intentional about the objectives and learning outcomes that they are looking at and that shapes the play that is focused on. Learning objectives enable teachers to engage with the play in a very specific way, in terms of the questions, materials, supports and their own role as players, playing alongside children.

One of the key features of this chapter is that we do spend a little bit of time looking at assessing language and literacy in play, looking at assessing mathematics in play, and looking at assessing social and personal capabilities.

We are also going to ask you as you move through this chapter to really consider your role, the teacher’s role in assessing children as they play and the ways in which this can be done, quite organically. However, in terms of your own practice quite specifically privilege learning outcomes. Keep in mind this key question, what is the learning outcome for this experience and your activity?

It doesn’t mean that it isn’t open ended, and it doesn’t mean that the children can’t extend their play on their own. It does, however, mean that you’re very purposeful in what you’re assessing and what you’re noticing or looking for.

The vodcast finishes with a fade to black screen.

Assessing Language and Literacy

Introductory title screens

The short video begins with a Deakin University logo appearing on screen. Followed by the below Acknowledgement of Country:

We acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first sovereign people of this land. As a community of educators we recognise with deep respect their continuing connections to lands, waters, knowledges and cultures. In doing so we pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

An animated title screen appears reading:

Assessing Language and Literacy.

Narrated content

The video then has Foundation teacher Marie Apostolou, speaking to camera with the following advice:

You know, we have the hospitals, the fire brigade. Lots of language comes out of that as well.

So I get to hear the oral language that children are using – the vocab.

Do we all know what a hospital is?

Why we have fire brigades?

So, lots of playing. Lots of playing, lots of questioning for me.

The felt stories. We’ve been talking a lot about stories at the moment, about what happens at the beginning of a story.

• What happens in the middle of a story?
• What happens at the end of the story?

And I had three little pigs and Little Red Riding Hood there. And I said to them, you can change the end.

Because for me it’s like, okay, let’s see when I come back to you and I ask you, “Is it the end that you changed? Have you understood that that’s the end part of the story?”

So that’s assessing along the way. So there’s always lots of planning that goes into what comes out. And it’s about concepts that they’re learning in the classroom. The other assessment I find really and it’s probably the most authentic assessment is the speaking and listening. Because you’re actually walking around and you’re listening to children speak.

• Can they speak in full sentences?
• Is it grammatically correct?
• Listening to other children ask questions.
• Are they actually answering the question?
• Are they answering correctly?
• Are they answering in full sentences?

So that’s really important in Foundation. I find play-based learning is the most authentic way to find to actually assess that area. So even when we’re reporting for me as a teacher, I always say it’s not just the conversations that I have with the child.

When we’re doing play-based learning:

• How are they communicating?
• How they speaking, what vocab are they using?

We have goals. Every time that we do play-based learning, we have a different goal. And today one of our goals was to create, to create or discover something different. So we had lots of discussions about that. And we talked about that.

Even though you might be doing an activity that you’ve done before, you can still create something different, doesn’t have to be the same creation.
And that you did last time. And what I found really interesting this today, is when I walked around, children use the word create. I am creating. You know, when I was playing with so-and-so, I created this. Whereas I think if we didn’t put that up, there is a goal and we didn’t use the word – create – that vocab, then they won’t use it either.

So I find that the vocab, the communication between themselves, when are going with questions, the assessment I get out of that is authentic.

The video then fades to a black and white image of an school with an animated title that reads:

Vocabulary and Reading

The video then has Play Coordinator Luisa Kalejuk, speaking to camera with the following advice:

I had a conversation with a child a few weeks ago and it was just their vocab. Their vocab about architecture and was – it blew me away. So it’s just knowing that that child has – is so articulate and has such an amazing knowledge.

It’s a great way to support them in their writing to take them further and although he wasn’t able to spell these words, but just to know that he is able to articulate them and therefore encourage him to take his learning to – his writing to that next level.

The video then has Foundation teacher Maria Mandilas, speaking to camera with the following advice:

I have an example of one particular student. I think it was Week 2 or Week 3 of school. And I hadn’t had the opportunity to sit down with any of the children to read a book as such, but due to play-based learning, and during that time, I sat with a little girl and she was reading a book. And if it wasn’t for that – for that time, I wouldn’t have known that she was a reader. So yes, that was… (Yeah, that was a special moment…) That was a very special moment, so I discovered something new about that student, but I wouldn’t have otherwise, have probably picked up until a little bit later on when assessment comes into play.

The video fades to a black screen with a State Government of Victoria Department of Education and Training logo appearing on screen, then finishes with a fade to black screen.

Early Years Foundation Stage: Children play at being travel agents

Introductory title screens

The short video begins by panning down to three primary school students at a desk in a classroom. The are playing in a pretend flight agent office. James has come to the flight agents want to book a trip to Japan. Flight agent Callum and his assistant Eve are there to help organise James’ trip.

Narrated content

The video then has a narrator speaking about the play that is occuring:

Narrator: It’s towards the end of a term during which this class have learnt about Japan. We join three in the travel agent’s role play.

James: Is that… Does that say “open”?

Callum: Yeah.

Narrator: They look to each other for help, like confirming the reading of the sign.

Callum: How do we write your name?

James: OK. J – A –

Callum: Wait a second. J – A –

James: And… And a… And a…

Narrator: Calum is secure to ask for and get support from James to write accurately.

Callum: What day are you going on? Monday.

Narrator: But there is an administrative error.

Callum: That’s Monday. Um, could you change your mind to go on Wednesday? Because I was writing… I was about to write Wednesday.

James: OK, Wednesday.

Narrator: Calum explains naturally and with clear reasons engaging James’ attention with his openness, eye contact, and clear gestures.

Eve: Choose.

Narrator: Eve sifts through the pictures of available excursions.

James: That Mount Fuji.

Eve: In Japan.

Callum: Um, in the afternoon or the morning?

James: In the afternoon, please.

Narrator: The agent progresses the deal skilfully, tying details down. His efficient assistant picks reference material to help James decide on a mode of travel to Mount Fuji.

Eve: You have to say questions.

Narrator: Calum makes appropriate records, reading them back to his customer for affirmation.

Callum: James. Wednesday. In the afternoon. Seeing Japan.

Eve: Look in the book.

Callum: The right one is Mount Fuji.

James: That. I want to go on the bullet train to Mount Fuji.

Callum: Right. OK. Let me just call the coach firm and see if they have a space.

Narrator: James is decisive and communication with the coach firm can be clear, friendly, polite and relevant.

Callum: He wants to go on the coach, to the bullet train and the bullet train wants to take him to Mount Fuji. You think you could do that?

Narrator: His questions clearly summarise the request.

Callum: Is there a lot of space on the coach? Oh, good. There’s two spaces.

Narrator: Calum is obviously delighted that the arrangements are going smoothly for James.

Callum: OK, bye. Wait, I’ve got to call the bullet train man.

Narrator: Sensing completion, Eve writes the ticket for the excursion.

Callum: Oh, hello. Four more customers want to go on the bullet train to Mount Fuji. There’s ten spaces? Oh, good. There’s ten spaces.

Narrator: James is amazed. Even more spaces on the bullet train than on the coach.

James: What… What’s that?

Eve: Mount Fuji’s trip.

Narrator: The ticket is safely with the happy customer and for all three, the fruits of their year together are obvious.

James: So, can I go now or not?

The video finishes with a fade to black screen.

More About Pretend Play Webinar

Introductory title screens

The webinar begins with an animated title screen appears reading:

MORE ABOUT PRETEND PLAY. DIFFERENT WAYS AT LOOKING AT ASSESSMENT THROUGH PLAY-BASED APPROACHES.

Narrated content

The webinar then has a single narrator sharing with you the following:

The back story of the work that I’ve been doing, as I said, with Karen Stagnitti, Andrea Nolan, and also with you Natalie in more recent times, is that we often get approached by schools’ leadership, but also teachers in different professional learning environments. They’re saying and noticing that young children are coming into school with very low levels of language. They have also noticed that these same children are the ones that are also struggling when you see their NAPLAN results Year 3 and again at Year 5.

For many schools, they’re looking for a greater opportunity to support the young children’s learning and have gone specifically through a play-based and inquiry approach to support that. So, our research is actually investigating whether this is actually supporting what we would hope. One of the studies that we did just recently, with 77 foundation children entering Foundation level, we did formal play assessments on these children, as well as their formal language assessment.

What we noticed were that many of these children, in fact, two-thirds in this particular group, were entering schools with very low language levels, both expressive and receptive. So they’re listening, as well as they’re speaking. We also noticed that their levels of play, we’re quite delayed in many aspects. They were below their expected age range if you like.

When we looked closer, we saw that these children had difficulty with elaborating their place. So, making stories, building stories up over time. We also noted that they were not able to self-initiate in their own play. We saw many of these children who were imitating others. They were just watching and what we’re seeing even this year, when we’ve gone into a school with Peter and Elise, is some of these children are doing a lot of imitation. We’re guessing in this project that with many of these children, it’s an impact of COVID.

We’re also seeing that for many of these children, that they are unable to substitute an object for something else. So in other words, a pen could be a person, but even more that the child is able to use this pen in all sorts of different ways. Not just the way it actually looks. They could turn it into a rocket ship. They could turn it into anything to tell their story.

So when we look at this kind of play, we’re also noting that many of these children’s narrative, we’re seeing that they don’t set up with characters and a setting, for example. As you would know, for the genre of narrative, there’s a problem. The problem needs a resolution. For many of these young children, we’re seeing that there were no problems in their story. Therefore, obviously, there was no resolution either.

So, our research then showed that in fact, that those children who could substitute an object where they could use any object for anything, or they could use an object for anything, and actually talk about what it was and the function of that object. So that very high level of object-substitution. That then their language was kicking off, and it was very very high and usually quite complex.

We saw that they had multi-word languages. They had greater complex of grammatical speech as well. We also saw an enormous amount of more complex narratives. Some of these children actually had two problems or three problems in their story that they were then able to resolve throughout the play. This play was also occurring over a period of two to three days. So these children just didn’t come in and play and then start another story 5 minutes later. They didn’t come away and then come back the next day. This play continued on for two to three days. For some children it was carrying over for two to three weeks, which is a really high level of play script.

Yeah, and so some of the other things we saw. When we look at an aspect of language called pragmatics, which is the social use of language:

• How children enter a group?
• How they make friends?
• How they enter with their peers that have already started up a story?

We saw that play provided a really strong way for these children to master emotional ideas, their feelings, and their experiences. It was also a way for facilitating friendships and promoting that pro-social behaviour and attitude.

So, all of these learnings we see from a large number of projects over time with a large number of schools that we’re seeing.

The webinar finishes with a fade to black screen.