Pre-kindergarten is one of the most critical years of a child's academic experience. PreK helps children establish positive relationships with school by providing a flexible structure in which students can discover their interests and capabilities, as well as beginning to see themselves as unique learners with distinctive skill sets. Social-emotional learning is a key component of PreK, as there are multiple opportunities for students to develop responsibility, independence and collaboration through language-rich environments that promote communication, critical thinking and problem-solving. While often thought of as soft skills, these dispositions help children learn how to learn, and create students who are confident, motivated and resilient. The most efficient way to gather data pertaining to these critical skills is through observation and interaction. I used the LWT observation checklist, as provided in the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment, to collect and analyze my students' learning behaviors.

LWT Drawing Task

Per the LWT Pre-K readiness assessment guide, children were asked to draw a picture of a person to assess grip, paper holding, drawing and representation skills. Children were also asked to write their names, but to protect privacy, that section has been omitted.

While drawing is a common activity, it serves much more of a purpose than simply being fun. Early writing development is a complex process of learning to represent thought through two dimensional figures and eventually letters/ words to convey meaning. Children experience the fun and wonder of cause/ effect by exploring various art materials and discover how to use their creativity to express themselves. The first stage of writing development occurs when children are able to use scribbles. This step involves large kinesthetic movements and is usually more of a sensory activity than a portrayal of objects (Zero to Three, 2016). However, when skills progress to indicate meaning behind the scribbles (as shown by Student 3), this shows they are entering the next stage of development - controlled patterns or preschematic stage (Mcilroy, n.d.; Zero to Three, 2016). Student 1 & 2, as well as most PreK children, are in the preschematic stage and understand that patterns of lines/shapes can be put together to create pictures. These pictures can then be explained with purpose and detail. This particular stage of writing development is critical for refining the skills necessary to advance from creating symbols to letter/word practice. Practicing writing through play is an excellent way to help students understand the power of written word and experience independence.

References

Winn, C. (2015, September 16). Developmental stages of children's drawings. Crozet Play School. Retrieved December 2, 2021, from https://crozetplayschool.wordpress.com/2015/09/16/developmental-stages-of-childrens-drawings/.

Zero to Three. (n.d.). Learning to write and draw. ZERO TO THREE. Retrieved November 2, 2021, from https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/305-learning-to-write-and-draw.

Readiness & Writing: Observation Checklist

September Observations:

My September observations served as baseline data to gain a better understanding as to how the class as a whole was progressing, as well as helping me determine which three students I would be analyzing in-depth. Based on my experience, I chose three children with completely different strengths and areas to improve.

Student 1: Student 1 is a PreK student who loves to play, help and explore. They demonstrate excellent participation and gross motor skills, and enjoy taking things apart to discover how they work. After this initial observation, it was clear to me that this child would benefit from learning communication and problem-solving skills, as well as working with them to use their curiosities to strengthen academic skills.

Student 2: Student 2 is the youngest in the class. They are bright, kind, curious and love to play with friends. Although young, this child exhibits excellent academic skills and is working on using these to understand the world around them. This child struggles with impulse control and would benefit from learning problem-solving skills, especially as they pertain to peers.

Student 3: Student 3 is a recent transplant from Japan. Both English and Japanese are spoken at home and they are impressively strong in their communication skills, as well as basic academic skills. This child is very empathetic and makes friends easily. However, they enjoy playing alone and get very frustrated when unexpected situations arise.

After discussing the initial observation report, I sat down with the PreK teachers to discuss action plans. We decided monthly observations would be useful to analyze how instructional methods are working to strengthen student performance.

October Observations:

Our learning theme in October was Change. We studied how leaves change, how our bodies change, and how other objects around us can change too. Given the data gathered from our last meeting, we intentionally created lessons that will help our students develop problem-solving skills and impulse control.

Student 1: Student 1 showed dramatic growth in following directions. At my first observation, I noticed they did not follow the same classroom structure as their peers. To help this student understand the benefits of structure, their teacher consistently worked with them on the 'why' behind those directions. This helped the child not only trust their teacher, but think critically when it comes to decision-making.

Student 2: Student 2 was out many days of October due to sickness and a family vacation. It was a bit difficult to prepare and maintain a learning plan with so many absences. However, his teacher and I decided that inconsistency is sadly part of life sometimes and wanted to help them navigate this struggle. We discussed and modeled calming techniques, as well as inviting a Yoga expert to come in and talk to the class about the power of breath and movement.

Student 3: Student 3 is working on communication skills with peers. While very eloquent, the act of expressing themselves with friends is sometimes a struggle. Their teacher and I remained cognizant of this learning goal and modeled statements for them to try. We also read several texts and practiced role-taking to gain experience communicating with each other.

November Observations:

Our November learning unit extends our Family Heritage & Culture unit into studying how we as individuals fit into our environments. We are focusing on communication, independence and cultivating curiosity.

Student 1: Student 1 continues to show growth in cooperative play and participation. They are able to effectively solve most problems and recognize when they need help. They are currently frustrated by self-care skills and would like to do most tasks independently. However, they are lacking the fine motor skills necessary to complete activities such as tying shoes, zipping jackets and dressing in general. In order to help this child realize their potential, they have been practicing cutting, ripping and intentionally placing objects to gain the skills needed to succeed in the mentioned self-care tasks.

Student 2: Student 2 has made dramatic growth within writing and drawing. They are able to correctly grip writing utensils and can write their name, as well as a few letters and numbers. This student continues to develop interpersonal skills and demonstrates their critical thinking progression by analyzing the impact of decisions shortly after they are made. They are able to express why one action led to another and are working on thinking before making choices.

Student 3: Student 3 shows impressive growth regarding interpersonal communications. They are able to recognize/ask for breaks when needed and use the time to recharge. This child has regressed a bit when it comes to self-care and we believe this is regression is due to their mother being pregnant. Rather than becoming frustrated by this behavior, it is important that we show them they are still worthy of being cared for, as well as amplifying how their contributions help the class as a whole.

Overall, the LWT Observational Assessment provided me with valuable data regarding my students' school readiness behaviors, as well as acting as a guide for our team to ensure instruction is catered to each child's strengths and areas to improve. Similarly to the quantitative assessment, I found this one to be a bit superficial. I believe there are many more soft skills we should be analyzing. However, due to the budget, we are currently unable to invest in assessments such as TS Gold or ASQ that would provide us with a comprehensive look at how our students' soft and academic skills are developing. I plan to research available grants to utilize these in the future. For now, I will use my prior experience with holistic developmental assessments to augment those currently available and ensure comprehensive observations.