How Young Children Learn

1. How Young Children Learn Classroom Observation Record (COR) September 12, 2011

2. Early Learning Strategy/Project Division Structures for Data Collection • Child Observation Record (COR) – PreK • Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale – ECERS (PreK & K) • Reading Assessment District (RAD) - Grades 1 -3

3. Assessment Definition • What is assessment? • Why do we assess?

4. Assessment • An assessment clarifies the learning destinations. • It clarifies how evidence of learning will be collected – through products, observations and conversations. • An assessment is realized over the course of an entire unit and, ultimately, over the course of a year. • It aims to provide multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning. • It clarifies how students will be assessed formatively and summatively, how they will be offered feedback and how their progress will be reported.

5. North East School Division Perspective • The purpose of collecting data from the division perspective is to provide a “snapshot” of how children are doing in order to focus on what we do as a system to improve learner outcomes. The data is used for the following: • Plan for professional development • Guides division learning communities • Purchase resources • Allows a common framework as a starting point for discussions • Shares responsibility for learning outcomes

6. School Perspective • PLC/LC planning – common assessment • Inform school goals and learning improvement plans • Helps inform development of individual and classroom programming needs for students (i.e. team meetings/ DI & Diversity) • Formalized transition from grade to grade • School profile

7. Classroom Teacher Perspective • To address students individual needs • Focus instruction • Provides a structured and specific information about each student • Monitor growth • Parent teacher interviews • Provides an enriched understanding and process for: • Miscue analysis • Strategy approach • Higher levels of thinking

8. Purpose for coming together To explore and reflect on being an Early Learning Teacher To examine Early Literacy To introduce additional support materials for unit and year planning To provide time to plan and design an emergent curriculum and assessments To reflect on and respond to data

9. Our day Child Observation Record Why COR? Online COR How do I effectively gather, record, and input documentation?

10. Child Observation Record Why COR?

11. So, Why COR? Discuss your neighbor why we are doing COR? Be prepared to reply one reason to the group.

12. Why COR? So we can … Authentically assess that children can demonstrate the capacity to learn new skills within a period of time. Actively observe the work children do and how they do it. Inform educational decisions that affect the child. Observe to help build relationship by revealing the uniqueness of every child.

13. COR Digging deeper into the COR

14. Child Observation Record (COR) The Child Observation Record is an authentic assessment tool designed to measure individual and group progress in early childhood programs. It assesses children in their natural learning environment through observation in six categories.

15. Preschool COR Categories • Initiative • Social Relations • Creative Representation • Movement & Music • Language & Literacy • Mathematics & Science

17. Sticky Note Brainstorm 1. Review and write down your observations, comments, or questions. 2. Discuss

18. Sample Anecdotes • An anecdote is a brief, objective statement about a child in his or her natural environment. Here are two examples: • Mallory used the dry erase markers. She said, “Look , I made a blue horse.” • Leo ran with his arms out in front of him, pretending to be an elephant.

19. Anecdotal Note Sort • Look at the observations and place them under the appropriate item. (A. Making choices and plan; B. Solving problems with materials, etc). • After 5 minutes of discussion, check the observation Items book to read more about the expectations for the category.

20. Blocks in the Mirror Video Five year old Ria is building with blocks on a mirror. Her teacher, Mary Beth, asks her a question to further her thinking.

21. Breaking to Build – Boys and Blocks Dusk and his friends are interested in building a track for their racecars. As a provocation some of the chairs are lined up in the classroom. The children see this line of chairs as a good location for their track.

22. What do we do with the data? Ask yourself these three questions: What did we see children doing today? What do their actions tell us about them? How can we provide materials and interact with children to support their play and learning tomorrow?

23. What’s Next? • Knowing the observation items, what implications may this have for your programs?

24. OnlineCOR makes your job easier and saves you time by… • Helping you plan activities COR Scores are aligned with appropriate activities designed to support and scaffold children at their current level of development.

25. How OnlineCOR Works… Sign on to access OnlineCOR.net Teachers use their secure username and password to access their class information online.

26. Simple 3-Step Process ─ Step One Observe/Record─ Teachers make several observations per week, per child, writing anecdotal notes on what they see.

27. Step Two Score ─ Teachers enter their notes into OnlineCOR and determine the score based on the category and observation items.

29. Anecdote List Score 2 Unscored 4 Unscored 3 3

30. Step Three Report ─ Reports are printed to inform administrators and parents. These reports are also used in lesson planning to support and extend children’s learning.

31. Jane David, Sam, Melissa, Sheila, Eric Katie

32. OnlineCOR provides user-friendly technology that connects… Assessment → Planning → Reporting

33. OnlineCOR makes your job easier and saves you time by… • Managing anecdotes You will be able to enter, score and track your anecdotes online.

37. OnlineCOR makes your job easier and saves you time by… • Reporting on individual children Using information from the COR, Family Reports and Growth Profiles are automatically created for each child.

38. Why are we collecting this data? • To ensure teachers are evolving in the role of an “Early Learning” teacher, where they allow play to be children’s work and that they begin to follow the principles of early learning in their daily practices.

39. What will the data tell us? • It will tell us what children are doing. • It will tell us more about them. • It will guide us in the types of materials, interactions, and experiences we need to provide to assist in their development.

40. How will this data impact Prekindergarten teachers?

41. Early Learning Teachers will need to allow their students to play. Early Learning Teachers will need to become observers, listeners, and documenters. Early Learning Teachers will need to become reflective and prepare environments, materials, conversations, invitations, so children can further develop their learning.

42. Online COR How do I effectively gather, record, and input documentation?

43. ONLINE COR • Ethics of Video recording • Electronically uploading documentation

44. OnlineCOR provides… Technology which enables you to link children’s art, writing, photos, videos, and more, directly to your anecdotes.

45. OnlineCOR technology supports… Teachers Children Administrators Parents

46. http://www.onlinecor.net/ or https://app.redesetgrow.com/OnlineCOR/Main.jsp?288168=2881685716621183

47. Managing Documentation With your colleagues, share your management techniques.

48. Writing Anecdotal Notes Date your entries When? Where? With Whom? Include specific details

49. Example Note: 20/09/10 During work time [when], Hannah [who] plays with the magnet board in the toy area [where]. First she lines up all the squares in order, from largest to smallest. She then lines up all the circles, directly under the squares, in the same manner [what she did].

50. Writing Anecdotal Notes Date your entries When? Where? With Whom? Include specific details Stick to the facts. Keep the entries short. Be realistic.