Pedagogy: Early Childhood (Birth to Grade 3) Subtest 2
Subarea I.1. Instruction and Assessment
0007
Understand various types of assessment and evaluation; relationships among assessment, instruction, and learning; and the use of assessment to ensure young children's continuous development and achievement of defined standards and goals.
- demonstrating knowledge of the characteristics, uses, advantages, and limitations of different types of informal and formal assessment (e.g., teacher observation, performance-based assessment, portfolio, teacher-made test, self-assessment, peer assessment, criterion-referenced test, norm-referenced test)
- demonstrating knowledge of measurement, central concepts in assessment (e.g., validity, reliability, bias), differences between assessment and evaluation, and the role of assessment in teaching and learning
- demonstrating knowledge of the purposes of assessment (e.g., monitoring, comparing, screening, diagnosing); procedures for administering assessments; and how to select, construct, and use assessment strategies, instruments, and technologies for different purposes and needs, including assessing children's progress in achieving state standards
- applying knowledge of strategies for integrating assessment and instruction and for using assessment to identify children's strengths, needs, and learning styles; monitor children's progress; plan, evaluate, and individualize curriculum and teaching practices; and promote children's growth and access to effective learning opportunities
- demonstrating knowledge of how to observe, record, and assess young children's development and learning and how to engage children in self-assessment to identify their own strengths and needs and set personal goals
- recognizing the importance of using multiple assessments and strategies for modifying classroom assessments for children with various characteristics and needs (e.g., English language learners, children with exceptionalities)
- demonstrating knowledge of how to establish and maintain records of children's performance, use technological resources to collect and analyze data and interpret results, and communicate responsibly and effectively with children, parents/guardians, and colleagues about performance and progress
- demonstrating knowledge of how to develop and use formative and summative program evaluation instruments to enhance and maintain program quality for children, families, and the community
0008
Understand how to use effective planning procedures to design effective, developmentally appropriate curriculum and learning experiences for all children.
- demonstrating knowledge of best practices for planning and designing curriculum and learning experiences for young children
- demonstrating knowledge of how to plan curriculum and learning experiences for young children based on knowledge of child development; individual children; learning theory; children's characteristics, thinking, and prior experiences; the community; and curriculum goals and content
- applying knowledge of how to use different types of information and sources of data, including observation, to determine young children's needs, interests, preferences, and ways of responding to people and things; to define learning goals; and to select approaches and materials to accommodate children with varied characteristics and needs
- demonstrating knowledge of how to plan learning experiences that incorporate young children's ideas, needs, interests, culture, and home experiences; are appropriate for curriculum goals; and are based on principles of effective teaching and learning (e.g., activating prior knowledge, anticipating preconceptions, encouraging exploration and problem solving, building new skills on those previously acquired)
- demonstrating knowledge of how to design lessons and activities that operate at multiple levels to meet young children's varied developmental and individual needs and to help all children progress
- applying knowledge of how to create short-range and long-range plans that are linked to children's needs and performance, evaluate plans in relation to short-range and long-range goals, and adjust plans to meet children's needs and enhance learning
- demonstrating knowledge of skills and strategies for engaging in effective planning in specified situations (e.g., collaborating with colleagues to plan instruction, integrating curricula and creating interdisciplinary units of study, managing technological resources during learning activities, managing children's learning in a technology-integrated environment)
0009
Understand how to implement developmentally appropriate curriculum and learning experiences that promote all children's progress and foster the development of thinking, problem-solving, and performance skills.
- demonstrating knowledge of principles and practices associated with developmentally appropriate learning experiences (e.g., play, small-group projects, open-ended questioning, group discussion, problem solving, cooperative learning, inquiry experiences, interdisciplinary instruction, hands-on activities, technology-based learning, guided discovery, guided practice, modeling) and the use of different types of learning experiences for promoting children's learning and achievement of state standards
- applying knowledge of best practices for implementing curriculum and learning experiences for young children, including implementing meaningful, integrated learning experiences using children's ideas, needs, interests, culture, and home experiences
- identifying cognitive processes associated with various kinds of learning and instructional strategies that stimulate these processes and nurture the development of children's thinking, independent problem solving, and performance capabilities
- demonstrating knowledge of how to develop, implement, and evaluate lesson plans that use various strategies, methods, and materials, including technological resources, to enhance learning
- demonstrating knowledge of the importance of continuously monitoring teaching effectiveness and responding flexibly to children's understanding, ideas, needs, engagement, and feedback (e.g., by changing the pace of a learning experience, using a different approach, taking advantage of an unanticipated learning opportunity)
- applying knowledge of developmentally appropriate methods for achieving specified goals (e.g., developing curiosity, solving problems, making decisions) and meeting children's varied needs (e.g., using various grouping strategies; differentiating instruction; using multiple strategies for teaching the same content; using effective resources and materials, including computers and other technological resources)
- demonstrating knowledge of how to use multiple approaches to promote engagement and learning and how to vary the instructional process to achieve given purposes and respond to children's needs
- demonstrating knowledge of how to develop clear, accurate presentations and representations of concepts, use alternative explanations to promote children's understanding, and present varied perspectives to encourage different types of thinking
- applying knowledge of how to use educational technology to promote learning for young children working at different levels and paces, stimulate advanced levels of learning, and broaden children's knowledge about technology and its uses
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