Involvement and Wellbeing as a measure of quality learning

processes and provision

SICS

Aims

To discuss how well-being and involvement scales can be used to help evaluate the quality of the processes of learning and the environment

To think about how as LPAs you could take forward the scales in your centre and incorporate the findings as part of your project as a quantitative and qualitative measure (of improvement)

Centre for Experiential Education, 2015

That is what experiential education is about: mobilising and enhancing the energy in people and drawing them into a positive spiral which engenders deep level learning. Only this way can we make settings…more effective and strong enough to meet the challenge of education: the development of (future) adults who are self-confident and mentally healthy, curious and exploratory, expressive and communicative, imaginative and creative, full of initiative, well-organised, with developed intuitions about the social and physical world and with a feeling of belonging and connectedness to the universe and all its creatures.

Lead Practitioners: Mobilisers of Positive Spirals?

Building the Ambition

‘We know from research that the level of involvement a child shows in their play and learning can be a key sign of the quality and effectiveness of what is being provided and tells us a great deal’

Ferre Laevers

• Emeritus Professor of Education

• Head of Experiential Education Dept at the University of Leuven, Belgium

• Developed an approach to process orientated monitoring and evaluation commonly known as the Leuven Scale - captured in a manual known as SICS

• The scales are based on well-being and involvement levels

• These levels are viewed as fundamental to human learning, flourishing and creativity

• Also a strong emphasis on relationship between human and environment (the world) – connectedness – not standing apart from environment but at one with it

• Wellbeing and involvement lead to pro-social being, a desire to protect and nourish the environment that nourishes us (or vice versa)

The approach in a nutshell…

Process Oriented Monitoring and

Observation

Moderation leading to a Shared Understanding All Staff Involved

LPA as coordinator and lead

See The Sics Manual, 2005, p. 6

Well-Being and Involvement

•Children have to feel safe, well and involved to take

their thinking deeper. •Observations should encourage us to question why

well being and involvement are at a certain level and what we can do to improve them. •The scales are a tool to help us do this. •They provide a score; if consistently applied can

provide quantitative data over time

The Centre for Experiential Education led by Prof Ferre Laevers have developed a tool for assessing well being and involvement which is known as:

‘Well-being and involvement in care: A process- oriented Self evaluation Instrument for Care Settings

or SICS

CONTEXT FACTORS

FACTORS IN THE CHILD

CIRCUMSTANTIAL FACTORS

frightened lively dejected

happy angry

relaxed sad involved

motivated withdrawn

self-confident absorbed anxious

spontaneous satisfied

expressive uncomfortable

Which feelings promote and which inhibit deeper levels of thinking..?

SICS

Well-being SIGNALS

Extremely low-The child clearly shows signals of discomfort: • whines, sobs, cries, screams; • looks dejected, sad or frightened, is in panic; • is angry or furious; • wriggles, throws objects, hurts others; • sucks its thumb, rubs its eyes; • doesn’t respond to the environment, avoids contact, withdraws; • hurts him/herself: bangs its head, throws him/herself on the floor..

Low-The posture, facial expression and actions indicate that the child does not feel at ease. However, the signals are less explicit than under level 1 or the sense of discomfort is not expressed the whole time.

Moderate-The child has a neutral posture. Facial expression and posture show little or no emotion. There are no signals indicating sadness or pleasure, com- fort or discomfort.

High-The child shows obvious signs of satisfaction (as listed under level 5). However, these signals are not constantly present with the same intensity.

Extremely high-During the observation episode, the child feels well in their skin: • looks happy and cheerful, smiles, beams, cries out of fun; • is spontaneous, expressive and is really him/herself; • talks to itself, plays with sounds, hums sings; • is relaxed, does not show any signs of stress or tension; • is open and accessible to the environment; • is lively, full of energy, radiates; • expresses self-confidence and self-assurance

Lead Practitioners should always have their antennae twitching for the level of well-being an environment affords…

See The Sics Manual, p. 13

Activity

Involvement Level Examples

Extremely low-The child hardly shows any activity: • no concentration: staring, daydreaming; • an absent, passive attitude; • no goal-oriented activity, aimless actions, not producing anything; • no signs of exploration and interest; • not taking anything in, no mental activity.

Low-The child shows some degree of activity but which is often interrupted: • limited concentration: looks away during the activity, fiddles, dreams; • is easily distracted; • action only leads to limited results.

Moderate-The child is busy the whole time, but without real concentration: • routine actions, attention is superfi cial; • is not absorbed in the activity, activities are short lived; • limited motivation, no real dedication, does not feel challenged; • the child does not gain deep-level experiences; • does not use his/her capabilities to full extent; • the activity does not address the child’s imagination.

High-There are clear signs of involvement, but these are not always present to their full extent: • the child is engaged in the activity without interruption; • most of the time there is real concentration, but during some brief moments the attention is more superfi cial; • the child feels challenged, there is a certain degree of motivation; • the child’s capabilities and its imagination to a certain extent are addressed in the activity.

Extremely high-During the episode of observation the child is continuously engaged in the activity and completely absorbed in it: • is absolutely focussed, concentrated without interruption; • is highly motivated, feels strongly appealed by the activity, perseveres; • even strong stimuli cannot distract him/her; • is alert, has attention for details, shows precision; • its mental activity and experience are intense; • the child constantly addresses all its capabilities: imagination and mental capacity are in top gear; • obviously enjoys being engrossed in the activity.

Lead Practitioners should always have their antennae twitching for the level of involvement an environment affords…

See The Sics Manual, p. 14

Signals of Involvement

• Concentration

• Energy

• Complexity and creativity

• Facial expression and posture

• Persistence

• Precision

• Reaction time

• Verbal utterances

• Satisfaction

Getting Started with SICS

See The Sics Checklist, 2005, p.2

• 2 sets of observations per child

• No more than 10 children at a time

• Observations to last 2 minutes for each child

See The Sics Manual, 2005, p. 3

Step One – Form A

See The Sics Manual, 2005, p. 12

See The Sics Checklist, 2005, p .8

Step Two – Form B

See The Sics Manual, 2005, p. 16

See The Sics Checklist, 2005, p9

Step Three – Form C & D

• A rich environment • Infrastructure • Material and Activities

• Room for Initiative • Freedom Of Choice • Participation

• The Guidance Style • Stimulating Interventions • Sensitivity • Autonomy

• The Group Climate • Atmosphere and relations • Initiatives

• The Organisation • Course of the day • Division of supervising tasks • Forms of grouping

See The Sics Manual, 2005, p5

See The Sics Checklist, 2005, p. 10-20

See The Sics Checklist, 2005, p. 21

The Research Centre for Experiential Education (RCEE)

1. Rearrange the classroom in appealing corners or areas. 2. Check the content of the areas and make them more challenging. 3. Introduce new and unconventional materials and activities. 4. Identify children’s interests and offer activities that meet these. 5. Support activities by stimulating inputs. 6. Widen the possibilities for free initiative and support them with sound agreements. 7. Improve the quality of the relations amongst children and between children and teacher(s). 8. Introduce activities that help children to explore the world of behaviour, feelings and values. 9. Identify children with emotional problems and work out sustaining interventions. 10. Identify children with developmental needs and work out interventions that engender involvement.

See www.earlylearninghq.org.uk

See The Sics Manual, 2005, p. 20