The Why Of Early Childhood Education

Goals, Objectives, and Evaluations

Goals & Objectives

Goals provide an overall, general overview of what you expect the chidren to gain from the program. Broad and general covering large areas of curriculum:

“Children will increase their fine motor skills, gaining better control in tasks requiring use of the hands”

Objectives are much more specific, often related to a single activity or a select few activities

“Children will thread one-inch beads on shoelaces”

Types of Objectives

Developmental Objectives Activities that promote specific aspects of physical,

social, emotional, or cognitive developmentContent Objectives

Subject matter of the curriculum. Activities that promote specific content, usually tied to a unit’s topic or theme

Behavioral Objectives Generally used for individual children. Specifies

exactly what the child is expected to master.

What is Observation?

Children are observed for developmental progress through observations. Observations take place primarily through children’s normal daily activities, their use of language, social interactions with others and work samples that demonstrate learning

Four Key Ideas

Observation involves regular intentional watching of children in a wide variety of circumstances that are representative of the child’s behaviors and skills demonstrated over time

Observation of daily, ongoing classroom/home performances and typical activities of the child lead to wealth of reliable information. Valid observations do not place chidlren in artificial situations, interfere or distract children from their natural learning experiences

Observation relies on demonstrated performance during real activities, not actions that are contrived or unnatural

Practitioners need a solid understanding of the meaning and purpose for observation and practice recording children’s behaviors and skills every day

Check Your Lenses!

Practice “Intensive waiting”Become a scientist-separating what you

“think” from what you “see”Observations can never be completely

objective or independent of the observer

Why do we observe?To improve our teaching

understanding our biases and improving our objectivity

To construct theoryTo help parentsTo use as an assessment toolTo wonder why and solve a problemTo communicate with children

Understanding What We ObserveThe goal of observation is understanding-we can

use the information in many different ways to help us in many different areas

Children as individuals-individualized curriculum Children in general-developmental norms Developmental relationships-how the “whole child” is

developing Influences on behavior-environment, adult behavior,

children’s behaviors Understanding of self-observe yourself

Common Elements of Observations

Focus• What do you want to know?• Whom/what do you want to observe?• What aspects of behavior do you want to

know about?• What is your purpose?

Common Elements

Systems What will you do? How will you record information? How detailed will you be? How long will you record?

Common Elements

Tools What will you need for your observation? How will you record what you want to know?

Common Elements

Environment Where will you watch? What restraints are inherent in the

setting

Types of Observations

Narratives-The most valuable, but also the most difficult. Running records: keeping track of everything that happens in a

specified time period Anecdotal records: a brief description or “word picture”

Time Sampling-The measuring of a behavior over time. A quantitative method where you count the number of times a behavior occurs at uniform time intervals

Event Sampling-where the observer records a specific behavior only when it occurs. Often used for recording less frequent behavior

Types of Observations

Teacher-Designed Instruments Checklists Rating Scales Shadow studies

Standardized tests Screening tests Developmental tests Intelligence tests Readiness tests

Evaluating For EffectivenessAn evaluation is at once a definition, an

assessment, a plan.In education we evaluate:

curriculum materials & equipment the environment children’s behavior teacher effectiveness

Why do we evaluate?

Evaluations monitor growth, progress, and planning

Evaluations provide information by which to rate performance, define areas of difficulty, and look for possible solutions

It helps in goal setting

Components of a Good Evaluation

Select who or what will be evaluatedHave a clear purpose or motiveDecide how data will be collectedKnow what you will use the information forState goals clearly

Concerns of Evaluations

Unfair comparisonsBiasOveremphasis on normsInterpretationToo narrow a perspectiveToo wide of a range of informationToo little or too much time

The Early Childhood SettingEvaluation is a broad concept often times

confused with testing and measurement.Through evaluation, teachers link specific goals

to larger, more encompassing objectives that focus on the relationship between teaching in the classroom and the overriding educational objectives

The teacher sees the “big picture” and keeps perspective on education that includes the children, the program and the teaching staff

Assessment Systems

Authentic assessmentsWork-samplingPortfolios

work Sample, anecdotal, notes, photos, videos, frequency counts, class logs, time samples

Desired Results

The Children-WHY?

To establish a baseline and monitor children’s progress

To plan for guidance, interventions, curriculum

To communicate with parentsTo make administrative decisions

The Teachers-WHY?

To describe job responsibilitiesTo monitor job effectivenessTo clarify strengths and weaknessesTo set professional growth goalsTo determine employment

The Program-WHY?

To gain an overview-Is this a good place for children? Would you want your child there?

To establish accountabilityTo make improvementsTo acquire accreditation

Summary

Curriculum goals are realistic and attainable for most chidlren in the designated age range for which they are designed. Assessment of individual children's development and learning is essential for planning and implementing appropriate curriculum. Assessment and curriculum should be integrated, with teachers continually engaging in observation for the purpose of improving teaching and learning.