The Early Childhood Developmental Checklist Teacher’S Guide (2015) Ministry of Education & Human Resource Development Grenada
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PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM AND PROGRAMME DELIVERY Annex D. The Early Childhood Developmental Checklist Teacher’s Guide (2015) Ministry of Education & Human Resource Development Grenada Early Childhood Developmental Checklist Teacher’s Guide • Mathematics • Language, Literacy and Communication • Social and Emotional Development • Physical Development and Health Early Childhood Unit 26/8/2015 Table of Foreword 3 Acknowledgements 4 Purpose 5 Content Categories of the Checklist 6 How to Use the Checklist 8 Scoring 11 Guiding Instructional Planning 12 Glossary of Terms 13 Bibliography 14 Contents 2 Foreword The publication of the Early Childhood developmental Checklist is another significant milestone in Early Childhood Education in Grenada. Based on consultation with Early Childhood practitioners, in-depth review of the existing checklist, as well as the implementation of a new curriculum, it was clear that an updated checklist was needed to gather information about children’s academic, social emotional and physical progress. As a result of this, the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development embarked on a project to develop this Early Childhood Developmental Checklist to monitor student performance in an ongoing manner. It is important that teachers should use this checklist to document and assess children’s skills, knowledge and behaviours in content categories on a daily basis. In addition, this checklist will inform teachers and supervisors of the appropriate intervention needed to enhance learning. I therefore urge all practitioners to use the checklists and maximize the true potential of our children. Pauleen Finlay (Mrs.) Permanent Secretary (AG.) Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development 3 Acknowledgements The development of this checklist could not have been completed without the expertise, and hard work of a number of people. The Early Childhood Unit would like to express particular gratitude for the contribution of the following individuals: • Early Childhood Education Officers: Pearl Belfon, Yolande Noel, Bernadette John, Susan Parke, Cynthia Isaac, Theresa Fletcher, Charmaine Christopher and Carla St. Louis for their expertise, hard work and commitment in creating this document; • Mrs. Astra Frank McKenzie, District Education Officer, for tireless, efficient and competent editorial assistance; • District Education Officers, Curriculum and Special Education Officers for providing insightful comments and suggestions. • Dr. Sheilah M. Paul, Chairperson, Education Department Medgar Evers College of The City University of New York (CUNY) and Mrs. Pauleen Finlay, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development for their assistance and support in completing the checklist; • Early Childhood Practitioners from our preschools and the teachers who participated in the piloting of the instruments and gave valuable feedback: Karen Worme………………… Green Street Pre School Jessril Welsh……………..……. St. Peter’s R.C Pre School Shantel Collins……………..…. Victoria Pre School Fabianne Lalitte……………….. Byelands Pre School Tracy Lalsee……………………. St. Matthew’s R.C Pre School Denise Keens Douglas………… Mileage Pre School Rhonda Wilson-Rodney……….. Paradise Pre School Cathy Ann Antoine……….…… Marquis Pre School Glenda Bowen…………………. Snell Hall Pre School Deonne Lewis………………….. Sauteurs S.D.A Pre School Desere Peterkin……………….... La Borie Pre School Carlene Byam Williams……....… Brizan Pre School 4 Purpose This Early Developmental Checklist is based on four content categories of classroom learning and curriculum. It includes benchmarks which are aligned with the Highscope Key Developmental Indicators and the Learning Outcomes for Early Childhood Development in the Caribbean. These benchmarks identify and describe a set of developmentally appropriate skills, knowledge, and behaviours for children 3 – 5 yrs. old. These criteria provide developmental expectations for what preschoolers should know and be able to do. The Early Developmental Checklist will enable teachers of preschoolers to: • determine the strengths and challenges of students in the attainment of basic competencies. • inform educators of the appropriate interventions that will be required in order to maximize students’ potential. In using this checklist, teachers will ensure that children are not being overlooked or missing out on important instructional opportunities and/ or early intervention. The basic competencies listed should be mastered by the time the child gets to the end of preschool years. Data collected from the instrument can be used by the kindergarten teachers to inform instruction during the transition process from pre-primary to kindergarten. 5 Content Categories of the Checklist The checklist is divided into four content categories which are broad areas of a child’s development. The four content categories covered in the checklist are: - Language, Literacy and Communication - Mathematics - Physical Development and Health - Social and Emotional Development The Language, Literacy and Communication In this content category, the focus is on building skills and knowledge through experiences with language, print, and literature in a variety of contexts. The Language, Literacy and Communication area is sub-divided into nine components, namely: - Listening and Speaking - Comprehension - Vocabulary - Phonological Awareness - Alphabetic Knowledge - Reading - Concept of Print and Book Knowledge - Writing - Attitudes and Interest Mathematics This content category presents the benchmarks for early mathematical development that children should attain at the end of their preschool years. The focus in this domain is on children’s approaches to mathematical thinking and problem solving. As children construct mathematical concepts and use them to solve problems, they are learning about the following: - Number words and symbols - Counting 6 - Part-whole relations - Shapes - Spatial Awareness - Measurement - Unit - Patterns (sorting and categorizing) - Data Analysis Physical Development and Health The emphasis in this content category is on growth of the body as well as its abilities. It involves children’s ability to move their bodies and objects in ways that are purposeful and with confidence. Focus is placed on four components: - Motor Skills - Body Awareness - Personal Care - Healthy Behavior Social and Emotional Development This content category focuses on social and emotional competence. It involves the child’s ability to regulate feelings and behaviors. In addition, it focuses on the child’s ability to relate to others. This category includes five areas: - Cooperation - Task Involvement - Knowledge of Self, Family and Community - Interaction - Moral Development 7 How to Use the Checklist Using the checklist requires continuous observation throughout the daily routine; all geared towards making observations and recordings an integral part of data collection, during teaching and learning. However, at the end of each term the checklist should be completed. The steps in using the checklist require: 1. Familiarizing yourself with the checklist 2. Planning for Observation 3. Observing and keeping records 4. Reviewing Checklists Periodically, Making Pencil Ratings 5. Completing Checklist for each child Familiarizing yourself with the checklist Familiarizing yourself with the checklist is the first step to integrating this observational assessment into the daily activities of your classroom. As you observe the child, knowing the developmental expectations for what preschoolers should know and be able to do will make it easier to decide what to look for and pay attention to. This will lead to greater consistency in your observations and evaluation of the child. Planning for Observation It is important to develop specific concrete plans for observation. This will enable you to incorporate observation and documentation effectively into teaching. However, it is important to note that data can also be collected during your unplanned observation time. ▶ Decide What to Observe As you plan activities decide how you will focus your observations. This means recognizing the questions you are trying to answer about children in your classroom. You may want to break down the task of observing all students in all four content categories into manageable parts. You may focus on a group of students each day of the week. You can also use one category, a few components, or a particular group of performance indicators, and observe all children in relation to that focus for a week. Keep in mind the 8 learning environment will provide opportunities for data collection. ▶ Identify when and Where to Observe Once you have identified a focus, decide the component of the daily routine, and activities that are most likely to reveal information that answers your questions or presents information in the child’s development. It is important to note that finding several opportunities to observe for brief periods of time is more manageable, realistic, and productive than trying to collect all the data in one period. Observing and Keeping Records Ways that you can observe students to learn more about them: ▶ Ask questions that encourage them to describe their thinking ▶ Listen to them as they describe how they made decisions and solve problems ▶ Watch them as they play and work on tasks independently ▶ Watch them as they play and work with materials and other children ▶ Hold conversations with them about their work ▶ Listen as they talk with others informally and during group discussions