This is me, under construction!

Learning

We agree with the view of Bronfenbrenner that learning and development are facilitated by the participation of the developing person in progressively more complex patterns of reciprocal activity and by gradual shifts in the balance of power from the teacher to the learner.  These shifts reflect children’s increasing ability and inclination to steer their own course, set their own goals, assess their own achievements, and take on some of the responsibility for learning.  Traditionally, the balance of power between teacher and child during assessment has been very one-sided.  The teacher writes the assessment, makes an interpretation, and perhaps discusses it with other teachers and the family, but the child has not usually been part of the process.  In this project we want to find ways to include children’s voices in assessment.

 

We also want to find ways to include parent’s views in the assessment of children´s learning. Families know and understand their children best of all. When this is recognized and valued, they gain confidence in taking part in discussions on their children’s learning and development. Although parents are involved in the assessment of their children through parent/teacher meetings, research indicates that families sometimes feel unqualified to contribute. Writing from a parent’s perspective, Bernadette Macartney argues that parents should be helped to make informed decisions about assessment and support for their children. She notes the importance of emphasizing children’s achievements more than their failures. We are concerned that when people focus on what a child isn’t doing rather than what it is doing, and as a parent, talk that comes from that perspective is deflating. They may feel like the teachers don’t really know or respect my child for who it is and what it has achieved. In Lesley Dunn and Sally Barry’s report, a parent comments on the value of her child’s portfolio in highlighting his achievements: It gives other people, like people who read them, like my family and grandparents and things like that, that don’t see as much of him or only see the bad side of him when he’s home and tired and grumpy – it’s quite neat for them to learn and to read the stories and things [he can do] like that. Often, when they read stories about what the teachers are doing, families feel encouraged to contribute their own knowledge.

 

Activities

 

 

Objective

At the end of this meeting the teachers will be able to include parent's views in the assessment of children's learning with the emphasis on children's talents and strengths. The teachers will also have found ways to encourage parents to contribute to the assessment of their child's learning and can share that information to their colleagues. They will have an insight in how teacher in Norway use Parental involvement in evaluating children and what the added value of Parental involvement is.