Supporting the development and progression of learning behaviours exists as a symbiosis with more distinct and descrete learning domains. Indeed, it is not possible for either to exist independently of each other.
In order to think creatively, for example, it is necessary for the appropriate knowledge and skills regarding the processes of expression and representation to be secured. Equally, having functional skills that are not used creatively render them ineffective and ultimately redundant. As these different aspects support, enhance and enrich each other, it builds a sustainable and potent model for a child’s progression and competence. This, in turn, naturally lends itself to a holistic and interrelated pedagogy, often moving seamlessly between and enabling both entities simultaneously.
While it could be argued that there needs to be a greater awareness of explicitly supporting and ‘teaching’ the acquisition of learning behaviours and providing them with a clear and perceptible profile, it is often clear that their presence is still visible and evident in EYFS provision.
In parallel with this is the role and importance of assessment. The statutory EYFS framework is explicit in declaring that it ‘plays an important part in helping parents, carers and practitioners to recognise children’s progress, understand their needs, and to plan activities and support’.1 It further states that assessment is ongoing and ‘an integral part of the learning and development process. It involves practitioners knowing children’s level of achievement and interests, and then shaping teaching and learning experiences for each child reflecting that knowledge’.2
Assessment as ‘knowing and understanding children’, therefore, enables EYFS educators to inform and refine their interactions and support for children so that learning, development and progress are assured. Additionally, effective assessment also provides, however informally or individually, a means of demonstrating progress (in all senses of the word), the impact of teaching and thus validating the purpose of effective EYFS provision.
Traditionally, approaches to assessment – and in particular data collection – have focused, sometimes unintentionally, on outcomes and attainment in more ‘tangible’ domains of learning, bodies of discrete knowledge and specific skills. This is the arena of the Areas of Learning and Development, as outlined in the statutory EYFS framework.3
This then raises the question of where, how – or even if – assessment of learning behaviours should take place and, if so, what this should consist of and how they should be represented. It might be worth at this point to consider the quote attributed to Einstein: ‘Not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts.’
In light of this, the question of ‘if’ might be a suitable place to start. If learning behaviours are so intrinsic to practice – whether consciously or not – and so deeply and inextricably woven into Areas of Learning and Development3, should they even be acknowledged in this way? Margaret Carr’s pioneering work on the development of ‘Learning Stories’ and the deep pedagogical philosophy that underpinned this provides an important insight. In her seminal 2001 book,4 she asserts the following: ‘If, as Pamela Moss suggests “what isn’t assessed tends to disappear from the curriculum”, then we have to find a way to assess educational outcomes that we value. Otherwise, outcomes that can be easily measured will take their place.’
DIMENSIONS FOR ASSESSMENT
So, ultimately the answer to ‘if’ is a resounding ‘yes’. By assessing learning behaviours, we give them an explicit and undeniable value, we recognise their importance and need to support and acknowledge them, while crystallising the understanding of their importance in both dimensions of assessment.
- Formative assessment, (the primary purpose of any such activity) supports the learning trajectory of the child, the very purpose of teaching, it intricately informs the educator of the child’s point of development and understanding and with their skilful deliberation the educator then takes the appropriate decision to guide their interaction, support and direction to fully support the child on their learning path. In this context it is vital that learning behaviours are treated and considered at least equally with Areas of Learning and Development3. When educators are aware of the progression in metacognition or curiosity and how this is demonstrated, it provides the perfect opportunity to enable a provocation or interaction that specifically focuses on and prioritises the learning behaviour, albeit in the context of the knowledge and skills that will inevitably also be present in the episode.
- Summative assessment is the description of a child’s – or a group of children’s – development and attainment or achievement at a point in time. The purpose of this is to provide an overview that is then compared and evaluated with ongoing summative data over a longer period of time. Although it is paramount that this derives from ongoing formative assessment information, it nevertheless provides an invaluable view on how progress is being maintained, secured and identified. In order to raise the profile of learning behaviours and ensure that their importance and relevance are effectively understood, the creation of authentic summative data for this purpose would be immensely potent. Broad summative data that describes a child’s staring point in their ability to self-regulate, or sustain involvement and persistence, engage in cognitive flexibility or their own emotional literacy would provide a strong steer to enable appropriate dialogue to take place. Additionally, being able to define and describe – even dare I say it, quantify – the progression that happens in any of these would also catapult their significance in a truly strategic context.
So, the following question would be in the area of ‘how’. First, to address how this might be possible and, second, to consider what this might look like in practice. An educator working in the supercharged dynamic of serve and returns, sustained shared thinking and effective interactions needs to be aware of how this is ‘landing’ with their understanding of the child / children they are working with.
As those ongoing formative assessments need to be acted upon and decisions made about extending or supporting as a result, how does this square up with everyday observations? Equally, if this assessment information ultimately finds its way to a summative role, again, what does that look like and how does this demonstrate an impact on progress in an explicit focus on a particular learning behaviour?
PRACTITIONER-LED ASSESSMENT
Clearly the method of practitioner-led observational assessment leads the approach to this. It draws on the rich early childhood education traditions and history of how to interpret an authentic demonstration of learning through watching and interpreting and probing child’s thinking and actions: ‘Effective practitioner led assessment involves practitioners making accurate and meaningful judgements about children’s attainment through observation of and interaction with children.’5
As already stated, the challenge and development may be to explicitly recognise – and act on – the learning behaviour even while this is contextualised by a more apparent and quantifiable domain of knowledge or skill. See, for example, the case studies (see boxes).
INTERRELATED NATURE OF LEARNING
Such familiar examples of everyday episodes of children’s activity in EYFS provision – especially when it is self-led by the child – are invariably rich in examples of how learning behaviours are demonstrated and provide opportunities for how they can be further supported. This information, both formative and summative, strengthened the role and importance of these aspects but also shows how the interrelated nature of learning represents both behaviours and domains in the same moment.
Clara might then be supported to further research and explore her fascination with giants and the implicit element of mathematical measurement that it contains. Equally this will enhance her skills and knowledge as a researcher and strengthen her involvement and communication. By challenging and supporting this sensitively and effectively, the educator will be enabling greater depth of cognition, a stronger ability to recall and an even more potent and energising drive to her motivation.
For Bradley his understanding of how to apply mathematics and his creativity in making up games from this knowledge is something that might be supported and extended. In doing this it would invariably continue to support his creativity, metacognition and cognitive flexibility. The depth and challenge of this and the excitement and sense of achievement that would result would also ensure that his motivation continued to be supported. While his emotional literacy is strong, further conversations and the use of texts to explore this would further enable him to find solutions to challenging emotional situations.
Intrinsic to the concept of curriculum is the importance of progression. This may be in terms of accumulating knowledge in a sequential and ongoing way and adds to and extends what is known and can be retrieved, and refining and extending different skills that support and enable it. Equally progress can be defined as deepening the understanding, use and application of knowledge and skills in different contexts. Clearly the nature of learning behaviours adds an additional dimension of challenge as progression needs to be carefully described and understood.
However, it is essential – especially if it is to be recognised and acknowledged as an integral part of any responsible curriculum – that there is an understanding of progression in learning behaviours. How a two- year-old expresses curiosity, motivation or meta cognition will be significantly different to how this is visible in a five-year-old. Therefore, while the educator supports the continual and incremental development and internalisation of learning behaviours on a day-by-day and even moment-by-moment basis, for the purpose of assessment, both formative and summative, this needs to be explicitly represented.
So, a starting point for this would be to consider elements of learning behaviours and what progression might look like in practice; e.g.:
- How does emotional literacy develop? At what points would we need to be aware of how expressing an emotion leads to acknowledging it, describing it and then developing a strategy for managing it?
- What would be a progressive trajectory for developing independence? Do we consider proactively asking for adult support in initial development, followed by scaffolding, encouragement and then purely self-initiated and completed as an outcome for this?
- How do we notice the deepening of metacognition? Do we start with informally assessing a child’s ability to recall a memory and then watch this develop to a more comprehensive and sophisticated ability to describe how they know what they know and draw from appropriate experiences in order to do this?
- How, too, might we plot the development of a child’s motivation? Might this start with the development of involvement? (perhaps using Leuven Scales (6) as a tool for this?) Might this also look at the depth and consistency of persistence, especially in the face of challenge and the ability to learn from mistakes and articulate the processes used?
- For creativity, how would we recognise greater achievement and a suitable progression? Would this assess how ideas are generated and different resources used? Would this entail assessing the complexity of how this is described and the ever-complex means by which this is expressed and communicated?
Assessing learning behaviours is not the same as assessing the areas of Learning and Development, or domains of learning. They are, by definition, less linear and more complex, but to establish them as part of the curriculum, understanding how they are perceived, interpreted, acted on and progressive is a vital undertaking.
CASE STUDY: Clara
Following a project and focus on traditional tales and mythical creatures, Clara has become fascinated with the idea of giants and is particularly interested in the element of ‘over-sizing’ and how this appears in relation to the rest of the world. She requests stories in which they feature and is always keen to compare the relative size of objects next to the Giant. In conversations, she speculates on what she would do if she were a giant or if she saw one approaching and how she would react if it appeared friendly or not friendly.
In one self-led activity, she draws a picture of a friendly female giant and has to use sticky tape to add paper at the top so that the Giant appears really big. She also adds small people around her, telling the educator that they are really ordinary-sized people but they look really small compared to the giant.
Clearly the educator stimuli and provocation has engendered an interest which the child explores, and through this covers a number of different aspects through her episodes of activity. The elements of Literacy in understanding stories is evident, as is the investigation of mathematical thinking, especially in terms of comparative size. The vocabulary she uses indicates a good understanding of the use of language and there are also elements of understanding the world around her.
However, if we choose to look through the lens of learning behaviours to analyse her activity, it also indicates significant learning, development and attainment. Her curiosity is abundant, driving her motivation to explore ideas and draw from the knowledge and skills she has to enable and facilitate this. In doing this she is consistently independent. She makes links in her learning which indicate strong elements of metacognition, and when confronted with a problem to be solved she employs elements of cognitive flexibility to address and resolve this.
She has organised her thoughts that demonstrate elements of executive functioning, and uses this to recall and retrieve knowledge and facts to support her activity. She is persistent and involved, following her ideas and then able to communicate them in different ways.
CASE STUDY: Bradley
Bradley was in the outdoor area sitting on his own. The educator approached him and he told her that he had been playing a chasing game with Peter that involved shutting your eyes if you were caught and counting to ten on your fingers before you were allowed to chase again. He said that it had been really good fun, but now Peter had stopped playing with him and had gone to play with the footballs with a group of other children instead.
Bradley said he didn’t what to do that, but he did want to play with Peter. He told the educator he was sad and disappointed that the game had stopped and he was angry with Peter for leaving him on his own. He then stood up and said, ‘I’m going to find someone else to play with’, and ran off.
There are clearly multiple incidents of evidence towards the child’s understanding and knowledge in a range of domains. His understanding of social development and the negotiation in the game is noticeably present. He is able to use language effectively to communicate his needs and thoughts. Equally, the mathematical element of his activity and his understanding of number is visible.
Yet once again, if the lens of learning behaviours is also applied, then it reveals additional, although no less relevant, instances of evidence. The game that is co-created requires a degree of executive functioning and metacognition in order to draw from, recall and retrieve existing knowledge which he then applies in a context that is meaningful to him. The game itself is good example of creativity in investing something new that draws from what both children know.
Bradley also demonstrates a significant degree of emotional literacy by being able to name his feelings and understand the reasons for why he feels like he does. He manages his emotions and inhibitory control, and self-regulates to accommodate this and devise strategies for addressing and resolving it. He does this independently and explains this to the educator. His resilience and motivation to pursue solutions are also clearly demonstrated in this episode of activity.
REFERENCES
- DfE (2023)Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework
- Ibid
- Ibid
- Carr M. (2001)Assessment in Early Childhood Settings
- Early Excellence (2016)EExBA Baseline Assessment for Reception
- Laevers F.et al. (2012) ‘A Process-Orientated Monitoring System for the Early Years (POMS-EY)’
Jan Dubiel is an independent ECE consultant and adviser
