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Bridging
Assessment for Teaching and Learning in Early Childhood Classrooms, PreK-3

Edited by:

Foreword by Samuel J. Meisels



June 2007 | 352 pages | Corwin

"Blends holistic authentic assessment with purposeful, specific assessment experiences that are also child and classroom friendly."
—Vicki Hawley, Early Literacy Training Project Coordinator
Center for Early Education and Development
University of Minnesota

"Explains the research base, the reason for the assessment process, and current trends in assessment practices for early childhood education, and offers easy-to-use assessment tools that address the whole child."
—L. Kathryn Sharp, Early Childhood Instructor
University of Memphis

Use familiar classroom activities as an assessment tool!

Effective teaching requires skill in implementing challenging and inviting curricular activities. It also involves evaluating children's learning in order to extend their development through the school year. Being able to implement and evaluate at the same time is a tall order but is at the heart of good teaching. Written for PreK–3 educators, Bridging blends curriculum planning, implementation, and assessment into one seamless process, providing a practical, performance-based approach to early childhood assessment.

Encouraging teachers to assess both what (content) and how (process) children learn, the authors have developed 15 activities across five curricular areas—language arts and literacy, visual arts, mathematics, science, and performing arts—with guidelines for implementing, interpreting, and "bridging" observations of children to classroom teaching practices. The book provides ways to:

  • Identify children's current status in content area learning and development
  • Determine which children are ready to learn in upcoming weeks and months
  • Make informed instructional adaptations to meet developmental needs, and more!

With a built-in facilitator guide for designing and leading preservice and inservice professional development, this resource offers an instructional framework for everyone committed to aligning sound early childhood curriculum with national learning standards.


 
List of Tables and Figures
 
Foreword by Samuel J. Meisels
 
Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Authors
 
Section I. A Guide for Teachers
 
1. Introduction to the Process of Bridging
Assessment and Teaching

 
Bridging in Classrooms

 
Overview of Bridging

 
Distinctive Features of Bridging

 
Bridiging for Preservice and Inservice Teachers

 
Overview of the Bridging Handbook

 
 
2. Assessing the Content of Children's Learning
Diversity and Individual Differences

 
Diverse Curricular Areas

 
Promoting Underlying Concept Development

 
Key Concepts and Skills

 
Performance Rubrics

 
Learning Profiles

 
Actual and Potential Development

 
 
3. Assessing the Process of Children's Learning
Approaches to Learning

 
Defining Approaches to Learning

 
Rubrics to Measure Working Approaches

 
Sources of Variability in Working Approaches

 
Working Approaches in the Bridging Process

 
 
4. Activity as the Unit of Analysis in Bridging Assessment
Unit of Analysis in Child Assessment

 
Activity as the Unit of Analysis in Bridging Assessment

 
Conceptual Framework of Bridging

 
Bridging Activities as Basic Activities

 
Bridging Activities and Play

 
 
5. Task Parameters in Bridging Assessment
Task Parameters in Bridging Assessment

 
Task Goals

 
Key Concepts and Skills

 
Materials

 
Social Arrangements

 
Structure of Tasks

 
Summary

 
 
6. Teacher Roles in Bridging Assessment
Overview of Teacher Roles

 
Decision Maker

 
Participant

 
Observer

 
Interpreter

 
Translator

 
Integrating Roles and Teacher Development

 
Bridges to Effective Teaching

 
 
Section II. Implementation of Assessment Activities
 
7. Implementing Bridging
Implementing Bridging in the Classroom Context

 
Becoming Familiar With Activity Protocols

 
Planning the Assessment

 
Conducting Bridging Activities

 
Interpreting the Assessment Results

 
Linking Assessment to Teaching

 
 
Activities: Language Arts and Literacy
What We Know

 
What Bridging Provides

 
Why These Three Activities

 
Standards and Language Arts and Literacy Bridging Activities

 
Reading a Book-Child's Choice and Teacher's Choice

 
Dictating a Story

 
Acting Out a Story

 
 
Activities: Visual Arts
What We Know

 
What Bridging Provides

 
Why These Three Activities

 
Standards and Visual Arts Bridging Activities

 
Experimenting With Crayon Techniques

 
Drawing a Self-Portrait

 
Making Pattern Block Pictures

 
 
Activities: Mathematics
What We Know

 
What Bridging Provides

 
Why These Three Activities

 
Standards and Mathematics Bridging Activities

 
Creating Pattern Block Pinwheels

 
Solving Pattern Block Puzzles

 
Exploring Number Concepts (Counting, Subtracting, Estimating, and "Fair Share"-Simple Division)

 
 
Activities: Sciences
What We Know

 
What Bridging Provides

 
Why These Three Activities

 
Standards and Science Bridging Activities

 
Exploring Shadows and Light

 
Assembling a Nature Display

 
Building a Model Car

 
 
Activities: Performing Arts
What We Know

 
What Bridging Provides

 
Why These Three Activities

 
Standards and Performing Arts Bridging Activities

 
Moving to Music

 
Playing an Instrument

 
Singing a Song

 
 
References and Recommended Readings
 
Facilitator's Guide to Bridging and Teacher Development
Inservice Professional Development

 
Professional Studies for Preservice Teacher Candidates

 
Building a Community of Learners

 
 
Index

"Blends holistic authentic assessment with purposeful, specific assessment experiences that are also child- and classroom-friendly."

Vicki Hawley, Minnesota Early Literacy Training Coordinator
University of Minnesota Center for Early Education and Development

"Unique in that it offers a way for teachers to examine both the content and the process of young children's learning. It also offers a more comprehensive assessment of the whole child by looking at multiple areas of skills and development."

Lisa A. McCabe, Cooperative Extension Associate
Cornell Early Childhood Program, Cornell University

"A unique and valuable offering to teachers interested in being lifelong learners. Places emphasis not only on assessment of content areas, but even more on the learning/teaching process and how to smoothly link the assessments to planning and implementing curriculum."

Katherine Taddie Kelly, Literacy Coach and Reading Interventionist
Fort Worth Independent School District, TX

"Not only explains the reason for the assessment process, the research base, and current trends in assessment practices for early childhood, but also offers easy-to-use assessment tools that address the whole child."

Kathryn Sharp, Instructor
University of Memphis

"Fifteen activities across five curricular areas provide guidelines for 'bridging' observations of children to classroom teaching practices, helping teachers assess development, effective learning techniques, and helping them to predict future learning techniques and trends."

California Bookwatch, August 2007
Key features
  • Highly practical and original material based on solid research
  • Step-by-step instructions for implementing and interpreting finely-tuned assessment activities
  • Clear guidance for adapting instruction once assessment findings have been determined
  • Authors are recognized experts in ECE – great for building reputation of the list

Sample Materials & Chapters

Chen McNamee Preface

Chen McNamee Chapter 1


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Paperback
ISBN: 9781412950107
$43.95