Making curriculum links with homes and communities

3b Key Issues in Assessment and Evaluation

Issues in assessment

Assessment procedures that draw on children’s home and other out-of-school learning and on their parents’ knowledge of these achievements, is likely to provide more evidence of what children understand and can do than more traditional methods. Within schools, classrooms which make substantial use of one to one, small group, informal speaking and listening and improvised drama opportunities will particularly facilitate the opportunity for a broad range of assessment situations.

Making use of this information requires increased use of observation of children (in the playground as well as the classroom), more assessment of speaking and listening, more discussion with children about out-of-school activities, and more contact with parents than in more traditional activities. Audio and video recordings (with parental permission) can be useful but are not likely to better rough jottings in a notebook. Student teachers should include this information in their assessment for learning, and in discussions about individual provision or group or setting arrangements with the class, subject or Gifted and Talented or Special Needs coordinators. Student teachers may also be able to contribute to class or subject teachers’ reports for open evenings. See also Assessment - Bethan Marshall

Issues in evaluation

Tutors and mentors might evaluate the extent of student teachers’ understanding of the value of making curriculum links by establishing:

• student teachers’ attitudes to learning outside school and how far they see this as making a positive contribution to children’s learning
• whether they value and encourage the contribution made by parents and the community to curriculum understanding and support
• how far they understand the aims of different kinds of curriculum links
• whether they understand the implications of a multi literacy practices approach to curriculum construction and implementation

Tutors and mentors might wish to evaluate the extent of student teachers’ ability to implement a multi literacy practice approach in the classroom by establishing:

• the kinds of links they are making and how far they use, or are reflective of, the resources of home and community
• how well they use different language styles to match formal and informal teaching situations
• whether they provide for ‘third space’ opportunities
• whether they can incorporate National Curriculum requirements into innovative and informal classroom provision
• whether their assessment evidence includes some based on observations of children in informal and ‘third space’ activities
• See also Role of Popular Culture in Primary English - J.Marsh