Observing involvement in
EYFS, KS1 and KS2
A workshop for AST
conference February 8th
2012, 2.00 – 3.15
Christine Barnes
Cornwall Learning Lead Consultant Early Years
Our focus
• Observing children’s involvement in what they
are doing provides a new way to evaluate the
effectiveness of teaching and learning – with the
focus very much on learning. We will watch a
number of video clips covering all age groups and
use them to develop observation skills, which will
be useful both in your own classroom and when
you observe others in your AST role
Prof Ferre Laevers
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Leuven scales
Monitor involvement and well-being
Leuven manual free to download
Google SICS (ZICO)
THE PROCESS WITHIN THE CHILD
• Here, you focus on how the children experience
their stay in the setting. You try to find out ‘how
the children are doing’, asking yourself:
• How well the children are feeling (their wellbeing)
• How engaged they are in their activities
(involvement)
Will the children reach the desired
outcomes?
• We have educational goals – and plan
programmes of activity/ work and (in early years
classrooms, an environment in which we hope
children will learn)
• The outcomes may be skills and attitudes or
curriculum content
• But whether they actually learn or not – this
is the process bit (depends on children’s
wellbeing and involvement)
What is involvement?
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When children are...
concentrated and focussed
interested, motivated, fascinated
mentally active
fully experiencing sensations and meanings
enjoying the satisfaction of the exploratory drive
operating at the very limits of their capabilities
...we know that deep level learning is taking
place
How can we tell that children are
deeply involved?
The signals for young children:
• Concentration – look at eyes
• Energy – physical energy and sometimes shouting
• Complexity and creativity – adding a personal element to
the activity
• Facial expression and posture – e.g. face when listening to
a story
• Persistence
• Precision. N.b. when listening, this would mean not a
single sound missed even when speaker has a low voice
• Reaction time
• Verbal utterances – e.g. enthusiastic descriptions of what
they have been doing
• Satisfaction – look for signs of fascination
The signals for older children
• Newly published video clip and ‘signals’
The Leuven Involvement Scale
• Five levels
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
No activity
Interrupted activity
Activity without intensity
Activity with intense moments
Continuous intense activity
Clips
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Practice clips, including baby
Getting the measure, clip 7
Hospital
Story time clip 8
Multiplying clip 14
Levels of involvement tend to be quite
stable within a setting (class)
• The more competent the teacher, the higher the
levels of involvement
• Why?
Mathematical skills, age 7
High levels of competence can
mask low levels of involvement
• Any examples from own experience?
Measuring involvement
• The involvement scales can be used regularly or
as a dipstick (maybe for children causing
concern)
Christine Barnes
Lead Consultant Early Years
cbarnes@cornwall.gov.uk
Cornwall Learning
Berlewen Building
Trevenson Road
Pool, Redruth
TR15 3PL
Tel: 01209 721400
www.cornwalllearning.co.uk