Chapter 5: Capturing learning: Assessment in a Conceptual PlayWorld

Introduction

In Chapter 3, you were introduced to the importance of your pedagogical role in Fleer’s Conceptual PlayWorlds. In this chapter, we extend your role in relation to assessment and what this might mean when you engage in imaginary Fleer’s Conceptual PlayWorlds with children.

Your new challenge is to think about intentionally observing children’s play in Fleer’s Conceptual PlayWorlds and, making some judgements about children’s learning. This involves understanding what assessment is. Remember that as a student teacher, you can always check with your mentor teacher (like Yuwen), who has more experience making judgements about children’s learning.

Remember that you are making observations of children’s interests in the flow of play during the Conceptual PlayWorld. We will draw upon the story of Rosie’s Walk (you can use another story you like, too) to reflect on the possibilities for assessing children’s play and learning.

It is important to consider what children learn in Fleer’s Conceptual PlayWorlds – in the different moments of interacting with children, to capture children’s learning. Specifically, we will focus on Fleer’s Conceptual PlayWorld using visuality – visual tools to support you in capturing different perspectives – your personal learning, children’s individual and collective learning, and the conditions that have been jointly created in the flow of playing.

What is Intentional Observation

Observing children in their everyday play is important (Ebbeck, 2016). When observing children’s play, remember the multiple perspectives about play: teacher’s and children’s perspectives. The act of observing involves collaboration with your mentor teacher or peer during placement; they can also add to what you are observing. Before making an assessment, it’s important to ponder what is observed. By observing and wondering during children’s play, you can capture their learning and interests.

 

 

When teachers are intentional, they develop a sensitive awareness of children’s interests and intentions (Ridgway, et al., 2021). These are significant for further observation and reflection of ‘what’ is learned in play. Through your observation, you can identify how children are learning so you can further plan and extend in Fleer’s Conceptual PlayWorlds.

Mutual Dialogue

It is important to remember to continue to discuss these ideas with your mentor teacher, to establish mutual dialogue about what children are playing and learning. For example, what would your role be in Fleer’s Conceptual PlayWorlds (Chapter 3)? Mutual dialogue enriches a teacher’s understanding of children’s play (Ridgway, et al., 2021). In this case, imagine how Charlotte wondered with Yuwen about children’s play. Charlotte had many questions about where to begin to observe, and this conversation followed.

 

Figure 5.1.

Charlotte and Yuwen having a discussion about children’s play.

 

Charlotte: The children are enjoying playing together. What should I do next? I am unsure where to start observing children’s play.

Yuwen: Remember, you’re always observing and thinking about children’s play: at the beginning of the day when they arrive, when we’re joining their play and when children exit the Conceptual PlayWorld.

Charlotte: Thanks, can I ask the children questions while I observe them?

Yuwen: Yes, of course! Like you are having a conversation with me, you can also discuss ideas with the children.

 

Through observing children’s play you can also discuss, clarify and ask questions to children about what they’re playing. In Chapter 2, a discussion of your pedagogical role was discussed and the multiple positions you take when joining children’s play. For instance, when you observe, you are outside the imaginary situation – and inside the imaginary situation taking a role – in both roles, you continue to observe children’s play. This conversation occurred when Charlotte was asking questions to the children and having a mutual dialogue with them.

 

Figure 5.2.

Looking at Rosie’s Walk farm book for tools to use to build a farm.

 

Charlotte: I really like what you are building with your friend.

Child: Yes, thanks.

Charlotte: I wonder if you need my help?

Child: Yes, you can bring more tools to help us build a farm for the chickens.

 

Charlotte smiled and continued to observe children’s play, while they were building a farm together for the chickens. She realised that she could observe from the ‘outside’ and ‘inside’ joining them in their play. She continued reflecting and observing children’s interests in the Conceptual PlayWorld.

 

Digital Technologies: Gaining Children’s Voice and Permission

Digital technologies support teacher’s documentation of children’s play (Ridgway et al., 2015). It is very important that before you decide to record images of children, you ask for permission from parents or guardians. You also need the children’s consent when recording an image. For example, when taking a photo of children’s faces, you need to be sensitive so that children feel comfortable with you. Remember that you are developing a relationship with your mentor and children during placement, so you are building ‘trust’. Children will become more comfortable with you recording images of them if this trust is built.

For example, Charlotte had to learn about the early learning centre’s policy about photographing children. Recording images also involved listening to children’s verbal and non-verbal language (e.g. gestures).

Charlotte discussed digital technologies with her mentor, Yuwen.

 

Figure 5.3.

Charlotte and Yuwen discussing how to use the early learning centre’s iPAD.

 

Charlotte: I wanted to check with you if I can record images of children’s play.

Yuwen: Yes, you can take images of children. As part of our early learning centre’s policy, we have asked families permission to take images using our early learning centre’s iPad.

Charlotte: That’s great, thank you. Can I share them on Facebook or Instagram?

Yuwen: Thanks for asking how you can use children’s images. We exclusively use these images for documenting children’s learning in the early learning centre. We don’t use social media to share children’s images. We are protecting children’s and parent’s privacy. Please remember that we use the early learning centre’s iPad to record images, not personal devices like your mobile phone.

Charlotte: Ok, I will record images using the early learning centre’s iPad. Then, I will share them with you.

Yuwen: Yes, remember, when taking photos, you also have to listen to the children.

Charlotte: Do you mean asking them if I can take their photos?

Yuwen: Yes, you can ask them and check how they provide consent to you to record their image at the moment, observing their non-verbal language, for example, face expressions and body language.

Charlotte: Thanks, this is very helpful. I’ll keep this in mind when observing them.

 

Recording images is important for capturing children’s learning and also for listening to children’s verbal and non-verbal language. As discussed by Charlotte and Yuwen, you might need to check which devices you can use to take photographs or images. In this case, Yuwen told Charlotte to only use the early learning centre’s devices (e.g. iPad). You must make decisions and reflect on your intentions when taking images of children. The images you take of children can support you in ‘capturing’ an important moment of children’s learning. Intentional observation provides a framework for reflecting on your intentions of ‘why’ you (or others in the early learning centre) are capturing a moment in time and ‘why’ it is important in relation to children’s play and learning. Visual images are a resource for teachers to inquire about children’s individual and collective learning.

 

 

What is Assessment?

We have discussed intentional observation as an important tool for reflecting on children’s engagement in Fleer’s Conceptual PlayWorlds. Fleer (2017) discusses assessment practices to implement in your Conceptual PlayWorlds: assessment through play, assessment of play and assessment for play. The following visual model will help you think about the different moments to assess children’s learning (see Figure 5.4).

 

Figure 5.4.

Assessment through, of, and for Fleer’s Conceptual PlayWorlds.

 

A. Assessment THROUGH Play – Focus on What Children Know

Before planning a Conceptual PlayWorld, you must consider children’s interests in play. Once these different interests appear, assessable moments in play occur when children are fully engaged in Conceptual PlayWorlds. According to Fleer (2017), an assessable moment is a layered process. The teacher observes, captures or documents and analyses children’s learning when they are fully engaged in play activities.

The assessment moment can instigate planning for new problems to solve and help you think, with children, about new concepts to be introduced. While children are playing, you will have possibilities for teachable moments. A teachable moment is a moment for timely instruction where you can offer a new provocation for children to engage in Conceptual PlayWorlds.

Through mutual dialogue with your mentor, discuss the following questions to guide your thinking:

• what do children know and can do in play? (intentional observation)
• what is being captured or documented in order to make judgements about children’s play? (assessment moment)
• what new provocations can I introduce to engage in children’s play? (teachable moments)

 

B. Assessment OF Play – Focus on Children’s Play and Learning

 

In relation to the assessment of play, the focus is on what children are playing, therefore, there is a need to pay attention to children’s individual and collective imaginary situations. You will need to focus awareness on different groups of children, and the resources needed for their play. While doing this, you will also focus on their learning, taking into consideration the following:

• A detailed account of how children are conceptualising a play problem.
• How children determine how to solve the play problem and the content of the problem in Fleer’s Conceptual PlayWorld.
• The relationships occurring between peers while children are engaging socially with others.

In the following chapters, you will learn how children can be introduced to different concepts, such as mathematical concepts (Chapter 7). In assessing children’s play and learning, you will need to explain and describe how you capture children’s play in your observations. We now focus on how you assess children’s cognitive-creative and socio-emotional knowledge (Fleer, 2017). A detailed account is explained below.

• Cognitive-creative knowledge involves:
  • children’s learning of complex and richer vocabulary
  • children’s play involvement with peers
  • children’s longer attention span, being more engrossed in their play
  • children creating imaginary situations, which leads to greater creativity
  • children demonstrating more curiosity and asking more questions and information about something in particular
  • children’s ability to take on another person’s perspective (empathy), for example, on new characters
  • children’s higher forms of problem-solving, providing creative solutions to problems.
• Socio-emotional knowledge involves:
  • children demonstrating higher levels of cooperation
  • children managing emotions by communicating how they feel in a positive way
  • children communicating effectively their dislikes, leading to reducing aggression
  • more effective teacher management of the group and time runs smoothly.

 

C. Assessment FOR play – Framing, Extending and Supporting Children’s Play

Charlotte has made notes of children’s interests (assessment through play) and shares them with Yuwen and they discuss these together. Then, Charlotte made some notes on the assessment of children’s play in relation to their cognitive-creative and socio-emotional learning. She was surprised about how much she has learned about children’s learning in Fleer’s Conceptual PlayWorlds. For example, children’s knowledge about chickens

Next, she focuses on the assessment for play – to think further about how she can extend children’s learning.

In the assessment for play, you will be thinking of continuous assessment of children’s learning to frame, extend and further support children. You will enter and exit children’s imaginary situations in Fleer’s Conceptual PlayWorlds. For this, you will need to consider ‘what is going on’ at the moment of play, during and at the end of the Conceptual PlayWorlds.

Assessment for play involves:

• building play complexity and entering children’s play
• teachers assessing what is going on in children’s play (formative assessment) as well at the end of the Fleer’s Conceptual PlayWorlds (summative assessment).

In Conceptual PlayWorlds, children’s and teacher’s interests and ideas are developed, and you will need to see the possibilities and potential of children’s play. Formative assessment is a continuous process occurring through and of play assessment, while summative assessment assesses play at the end of a Conceptual PlayWorld, for example, how children are problem-solving ideas and learning new concepts. Summative assessment celebrates children’s achievements and success in Conceptual PlayWorlds.

Through mutual dialogue with your mentor, discuss the following questions to guide your thinking:

• what is going on during children’s play that you can further support or extend for children’s learning (think of their cognitive-creative and socio-emotional knowledge)?
• describe the different problems children are trying to solve in the Conceptual PlayWorld and describe their learning (remember you can use images to support your ideas).
• in terms of problem-solving, think about the complexity of children creating new problems or if they need your support in creating new problems.
• celebrate children’s new learning and friendships.
• think about what other Conceptual PlayWorlds you can think about to support children’s newly developed ideas.

 

 

 

 

References

Ebbeck, M. (2017). Assessing children’s learning through play. In M. Ebbeck and M. Waniganayake (Eds.), Play in early childhood education learning in diverse contexts, (pp. 42 –59). Oxford University Press.

Fleer, M. (2017). Play in the early years. Cambridge University Press.

Ridgway, A., Quinones, G., & Li, L. (2020). Visual methodology processing relational pedagogy. In E. J. White (Ed.), Seeing the world through children’s eyes (pp. 177- 192). Brill.