Assessing early learning through formative assessment: key issues and considerations

At all levels of education the assessment of learning is generally regarded as an integral part of teachers’ work. For early childhood teachers, i.e., those who work with children in the age-range birth to six years, there are very particular considerations arising from the characteristics of young learners and the nature of early learning. This paper reviews the research on formative assessment of early learning and development. In doing so, it explores important theoretical constructs related to early learning and synthesises research related to key aspects of young children’s learning. It discusses the methods that are most useful for developing rich pictures of early learning and development. Some of the challenges inherent in formative assessment in early childhood settings are also outlined and discussed

Children’s participation rights in early childhood education and care: the case of early literacy learning and pedagogy

This position article argues that educators’ knowledge of young children’s perspectives on aspects of early learning, including literacy learning, and subsequent interpretations of the ways that these perspectives can inform and shape pedagogy are key to promoting children’s participation rights in early childhood education and care. Drawing on ideas such as guided participation and Bruner’s notion of a pedagogy of mutuality, it is argued that pedagogy, as it is now understood, implies that children’s participation is central to the task of teaching. It is also argued that explicit articulation of the concept of joint participation in relation to literacy curricula and pedagogy in early childhood is warranted. The latter part of the article raises the issue of the diversity of children’s perspectives of literacy learning and pedagogy. There follows a discussion of some of the issues related to working with young children’s perspectives on literacy

Early childhood mathematics teaching: challenges, difficulties and priorities of teachers of young children in primary schools in Ireland

Issues of pedagogy are critical in all aspects of early childhood education. Early childhood mathematics is no exception. There is now a great deal of guidance available to teachers in terms of high-quality early childhood mathematics teaching. Consequently, the characteristics of high-quality early childhood mathematics education are clearly identifiable. Issues such as building on young children’s prior-to-school knowledge; engaging children in general mathematical processes; and assessing and documenting children’s learning are some of the key aspects of high-quality early childhood mathematics education. The extent to which teachers of four- and five-year-old children in primary schools in Ireland incorporate current pedagogical guidance in early childhood mathematics education was explored in 2007 in a nationally representative questionnaire survey of teachers of four- and five-year-old children attending primary schools. This paper presents some of the findings of the study in relation to teachers’ selfreported challenges, difficulties and priorities in teaching early childhood mathematics. Implications are drawn for professional development, curriculum guidance and educational policy

An exploration of young children's number sense on entry to primary school in Ireland

The importance of number sense lies in its relationship with mathematical proficiency. Consequently, number sense is increasingly emphasised in curriculum documentation related to mathematics. The Primary School Curriculum: Mathematics (Government of Ireland, 1999b) is no exception. It implicitly stresses the importance of number sense and draws teachers' attention to a range of key aspects. My study is premised on the belief that young children's number sense is developed as a result of their everyday experiences with numbers, and these experiences form the basis on which further development of number sense, both in and out of school, takes place. Two questions are investigated: What number sense do young children demonstrate on entry to school?; What is the congruence between young children's number sense and the curriculum for the first year of primary school? The first question is explored through individual experience-based flexible, focused interviews with fourteen children (eight boys and six girls) early in their first term at primary school. The age-range of the children was 4 years, I month to 5 years, I month. The second question is addressed by means of an analysis of relevant curriculum documentation and then linking that analysis to the data analysis. A framework for exploring number sense in young children was developed. This included four aspects: Pleasure and interest in number; Understandings of the purposes of number; Quantitative thinking; and Awareness/Understanding of numerals. Affective issues emerged as centrally important in the development of children's number sense. Counting purposes were most transparent for children, with generic, communicative and label purposes also identified by them. There were striking differences in the ways in which girls and boys constructed their metacognitive framework in relation to number. Children's responses to quantification tasks provided interesting insights into how children perceived such tasks. The process of estimation appears to be challenging for many four-year-old children. A number of areas of omission were identified in the teacher guidelines that accompany the curriculum documents. Implications were drawn with respect to how aspects of children's number sense, for example estimation, are developed at school. Implications for teacher education are also discussed

The history and work of the Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education (CECDE) (2001-2008)

Growing international interest in ECEC policy in the 1990s resulted in increasing awareness of its significance for education policy in Ireland. Arising from this, in 1999, Ready to Learn: A White Paper for Early Childhood Education was published. This led to the establishment of the Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education (CECDE). This chapter charts in chronological order the history and work of the CECDE from its inception in 2001 until its closure in 2008. It documents the governance, structures, strategic direction and management of the Centre. It foregrounds the outputs of the Centre including research reports, international conferences and its programme of funded Ph.D. studies. A particular focus is the development of Síolta. The National Quality Framework (2006) and its significance and impact on the issue of quality provision of ECEC in Ireland. The authors offer an insider view on the outputs and legacy of the CECDE, while at the same time drawing on key publications of the time to include objective commentary

The Effects of a Peer Teaching Approach on Urban Community College Students’ Vocabulary Development Using Vocabulary Theatre

The purpose of this study was to replicate the first author’s previous study with more diverse participants including ethnic minority students to investigate the effects of a peer teaching approach on students’ vocabulary development using a treatment entitled Vocabulary Theatre (VT). Literacy professors at an urban community college in the Northeast conducted vocabulary research with their students in their respective classes. A mixed methods quasi - experimental study was conducted to compare the mean gains scores of two different types of vocabulary acquisition. Students in the VT condition were instructed to take ownership of their expressive vocabulary by teaching their assigned target words to peers in a small group. The group was then responsible to create a short skit (vignette) that used all of their assigned words appropriately, and to perform it for the class. This gave students multiple repeated exposures to the target words. This differed from the Teacher Directed Instruction (TDI) in which the students were asked to simply look up definitions of the entire list of target words. Students were given a pre- and posttest to examine their level of vocabulary acquisition in each condition. A gain score was computed subtracting the pretest results from the posttest results. Also, qualitative data was collected in the form of individual interviews, classroom observations, and small group discussions in the classroom. Analysis of qualitative data showed higher levels of motivation and engagement as reported in student interviews. Though limited by a small sample size, quantitative results showed an improvement in scores of post tests regardless of the instruction method

A scoping review of the resources needed to deliver anterior cruciate ligament physiotherapy rehabilitation in randomised controlled trials

Background: The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) stabilises the knee and is commonly injured in sport. Surgical repair and rehabilitation are common. However, rehabilitation randomised controlled trials do not always report the resources used to deliver ACL rehabilitation. This may lead to suboptimal availability of resources for evidence based care. Objective: To identify the resources used to deliver multimodal ACL rehabilitation in randomised controlled trials Methods: Comprehensive searches, combining ‘anterior cruciate ligament’, and ‘rehabilitation’ with the Cochrane RCT filter, were conducted of Medline, Embase, Cinahl, PeDro, Sports Discus and the Cochrane Library. Adults post ACL reconstruction were included. The intervention and comparator were physiotherapy for post-operative rehabilitation. Outcomes were the resources required to deliver rehabilitation, and study type was randomised controlled trials. Papers were screened against the criteria; data were charted and narrative synthesis applied. Results: Fourteen studies reported on 599 patients. The interventions ranged from 4 to 36 weeks. Physiotherapy was typically an hour and ranged from 1 to 5 sessions/week. Resources included a gym environment with rehabilitation equipment such as resistance machines, free weights, cardiovascular and neuromuscular control equipment, and an experienced physiotherapist. Conclusions: Implications for future studies include the need for a more detailed report of the resources used in RCTs. Accurate reporting would help healthcare decision makers to effectively manage resources when implementing evidence based care. Findings can be considered as criteria against which to audit resource provision

Beyond guidelines: a qualitative clinical stakeholder study of optimal management of Anterior Cruciate Ligament rehabilitation

Aims This study gathered expert perspectives in the management of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rehabilitation to explore current practice, variations in care and optimal management strategies. Materials and methods This was a qualitative semi-structured interview study. The participants' experiences were considered in terms of their roles as employees, managers, clinicians and professional gatekeepers. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to recruit physiotherapists and orthopaedic surgeons. Participants were included if they had a proven record in clinical management or research involving ACL patients. Persons were excluded if they could not speak English. Interviews were conducted in person, via skype or over the phone at a time convenient to the participant. Data was analysed using a framework analysis and critical realist approach. Results Results included 24 interviews that were conducted with 19 physiotherapists and 5 surgeons. Themes of variation in current care and optimal care were explored including subthemes of patient centred practice, evidence based medicine, resources, self-management, multidisciplinary teamwork, training and expertise were explored. Participant's perceptions of current care were that it was a location ‘lottery’ that significantly varied for patients across the UK. Conclusions Stakeholders identified that optimal management should be patient centred and incorporate adequate equipment, specific training for physiotherapists and a closely communicating multidisciplinary team. Research is needed to explore cost effective models of optimal rehabilitation that include return to sport strategies