Professionals provide assessment and feedback to children and parents that is strengths-based and allows each child to experience success Early childhood professionals will ensure that assessment gives each child the opportunity to succeed. This requires early childhood professionals to understand the strengths of the children they work with and assess them on their individual growth rather than a comparison against others (Tomlinson & Kalbfleisch, 1998). Feedback should praise effort above ability, as children’s sense of self-efficacy will grow when they feel their actions are enabling them to achieve their goals (Schweinle & Mims, 2009). Assessment reports should be strengths-based and also provide accurate information on how the child is being supported to reach their learning goals. Some classroom practices and assessments convince children that they are not capable of achieving (Arthur & Sawyer, 2009). For example, assessment practices that rank children’s achievement against one another or focus only on ability are detrimental to children’s efficacy. This is because, unlike effort, ability is out of the child’s control making them feel powerless over their educational outcomes (Schweinle & Mims, 2009). Early childhood professionals have high expectations for themselves. They view themselves as agents of change and are confident in their ability to be effective educators. Evidence shows that high educator efficacy has a positive impact on children’s outcomes (Guo et al, 2010; Wilkinson, 2005). There are many factors that impact on educators’ feelings of self-efficacy. These include: training, feeling supported by colleagues, experience, knowledge of theory about how children learn, having the philosophy that all children can learn, and an environment that promotes sharing and conversations about theory with colleagues (Wilkinson, 2005; Brown & Medway, 2007). Greater efficacy leads to greater effort and persistence, which leads to better performance, which in turn leads to greater efficacy. The reverse is also true. Lower efficacy leads to less effort and giving up easily, which leads to poor teaching outcomes, which then produce decreased efficacy (Tschannen- Moran et al, 1998, p. 234). Early learning environments and primary schools have an important role in promoting professionals’ efficacy. In a study that examined effective literacy and numeracy practice in eight disadvantaged South Australian schools, it was found that educators’ efficacy directly influenced student outcomes. The study identified that educators who demonstrated high levels of professional responsibility were those who felt supported by their colleagues, directors and
Professionals provide assessment and feedback to children and parents that is strengths-based and allows each child to experience success Early childhood professionals will ensure that assessment gives each child the opportunity to succeed. This requires early childhood professionals to understand the strengths of the children they work with and assess them on their individual growth rather than a comparison against others (Tomlinson & Kalbfleisch, 1998). Feedback should praise effort above ability, as children’s sense of self-efficacy will grow when they feel their actions are enabling them to achieve their goals (Schweinle & Mims, 2009). Assessment reports should be strengths-based and also provide accurate information on how the child is being supported to reach their learning goals. Some classroom practices and assessments convince children that they are not capable of achieving (Arthur & Sawyer, 2009). For example, assessment practices that rank children’s achievement against one another or focus only on ability are detrimental to children’s efficacy. This is because, unlike effort, ability is out of the child’s control making them feel powerless over their educational outcomes (Schweinle & Mims, 2009). Early childhood professionals have high expectations for themselves. They view themselves as agents of change and are confident in their ability to be effective educators. Evidence shows that high educator efficacy has a positive impact on children’s outcomes (Guo et al, 2010; Wilkinson, 2005). There are many factors that impact on educators’ feelings of self-efficacy. These include: training, feeling supported by colleagues, experience, knowledge of theory about how children learn, having the philosophy that all children can learn, and an environment that promotes sharing and conversations about theory with colleagues (Wilkinson, 2005; Brown & Medway, 2007). Greater efficacy leads to greater effort and persistence, which leads to better performance, which in turn leads to greater efficacy. The reverse is also true. Lower efficacy leads to less effort and giving up easily, which leads to poor teaching outcomes, which then produce decreased efficacy (Tschannen- Moran et al, 1998, p. 234). Early learning environments and primary schools have an important role in promoting professionals’ efficacy. In a study that examined effective literacy and numeracy practice in eight disadvantaged South Australian schools, it was found that educators’ efficacy directly influenced student outcomes. The study identified that educators who demonstrated high levels of professional responsibility were those who felt supported by their colleagues, directors and
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