International perspectives
on play and assessment
© McLachlan, Edwards, Margrain & McLean 2013
Play and assessment
• Because early childhood education typically views play
as closely linked with learning it is important to reflect
on the ways in which play can be variously understood
and therefore related to assessment in the early
childhood curriculum:
It [play] has become synonymous with learning in the early childhood years. This
is not surprising when you think about the amazing growth of children during the
ages from birth to five years of age that occurs for the large part outside of formal
educational settings, and the mastery of skills and knowledge about their world
that they acquire during this time.
(Yelland 2011, p. 4)
Ideas in the history of play in early
childhood education
• Early theorists such as Rousseau, Frobel and Dewey
emphasised the idea that play provided children with the
freedom to learn (Platz and Arellano 2011)
• Piaget argued play connected children with the external
world. Children could explore and experiment with
phenomena and construct explanations for how things work
(Krogh & Slentz 2010)
• Vygotsky suggested children work to understand relationships
between objects and meaning, and use these to explore the
social roles available to them in their communities (Eun 2010)
• Post structuralist ideas consider how power operates within
children’s peer relationship and play or how play can
reinforce gender stereotypes (Ailwood 2011)
Why consider the history of play?
• Saracho and Spodek (1995) suggested it is important for
educators to understand the history of play because how play
has been viewed in the past influences how it is understood
and used in the present
• The history of play can be seen in curriculum documents for
early childhood education. These documents describe play in
ways that connect with the theoretical and philosophical ideas
that have been important in the field
• Being aware of how play is understood in a curriculum
document is important because it influences how educators
are likely to plan for and assess learning
Descriptions of play from international
early childhood curricula documents
Developmentally Appropriate Practice Guidelines (USA)
Children of all ages love to play, and it gives them opportunities to develop physical
competence and enjoyment of the outdoors, understand and make sense of their world,
interact with others, express and control emotions, develop their symbolic and problemsolving abilities, and practice emerging skills. Research shows the links between play
and foundational capacities such as memory, self-regulation, oral language abilities,
social skills, and success in school.
(National Association for the Education of Young Children 2009, p. 16)
Descriptions of play from international
early childhood curricula documents
Framework for Kindergarten Curriculum (Singapore)
Play is vital to children’s learning. Play is a vehicle for motivating children to explore,
discover, take risks, make mistakes and cope with failure. It permits them to be involved in
organising, making decisions, making choices, practising, persevering and expressing
feelings.
(Ministry of Education 2003, p. 25)
Descriptions of play from international
early childhood curricula documents
Early Years Foundation Stage (UK)
Play is essential for children’s development, building their confidence as they learn to
explore, to think about problems and relate to others. Children learn by leading their own
play, and by taking part in play which is guided by adults. There is an ongoing judgement to
be made by practitioners about the balance between activities led by children, and activities
led or guide by adults.
(Department for Education 2012, p.6)
Views on play
• Different communities have different values and beliefs about what
education should achieve for young children (van Oers 2008)
• These values and beliefs are reflected in curriculum documents that
talk about play and how it is associated with learning (Drummond
2010)
• Some communities will see play as being about exploring the world
and constructing understandings; other communities will view play
as a social experience that values interactions between peers and
adults
• One perspective is not necessarily more valid than another. They
offer views on play that relate to what is valued within a particular
context
Play and assessment
• How curriculum documents describe play influences
how they articulate the role and purpose of assessment
• Understandings of play point to particular views of
learning, and views of learning relate to educator
approaches to assessment
Framework
Core ideas about play
 Helps children understand and
USA NAEYC
make sense of their world
statement on
 Interact with others, express and
Developmentally
Appropriate Practice control emptions
 Develop symbolic and problem(2009)
solving skills

Essential for development
United Kingdom
 Builds confidence through
Early Years
exploration, problem solving and
Foundation Stage
relation to others
(2012)
 Mix of adult-led and childinitiated activity
 Vital for learning
Framework for
 Motivates exploration, discovery,
Kindergarten
risking taking
Curriculum in
 Supports mistakes and coping
Singapore (2003)
with failure
 Involves children in organising,
making decisions, practising,
persevering and expressing
feelings
 Children learn through play
Aotearoa New
Zealand Te Whariki  Active, and interactive with others
 Testing ideas
(1996)
 Using resources
Sweden Curriculum
for the Preschool
(2010)
 Stimulates imagination, insight,
communication and symbolic
thinking
 Supports opportunities for cooperation
 Context for problem solving
Description of assessment
Assessment also is a tool for monitoring children’s progress toward a program’s desired goals. In
developmentally appropriate practice, the experiences and the assessments are linked (the experiences
are developing what is being assessed, and vice versa); both are aligned with the program’s desired
outcomes or goals for children. Teachers cannot be intentional about helping children to progress unless
they know where each child is with respect to learning goals. (p. 22)
Assessment plays an important part in helping parents, carers and practitioners to recognise children’s
progress, understand their needs, and to plan activities and support. Ongoing assessment (also known as
formative assessment) is an integral part of the learning and development process. It involves
practitioners observing children to understand their level of achievement, interests and learning styles,
and to then shape learning experiences for each child reflecting those observations. (p. 10)
Observing and recording children’s progress is vital for programme planning and evaluation. If adults
are to meet the developmental needs of children, they will need to refer to these records and
observations on a regular basis. (p. 35)
Assessment of children’s learning and development involves intelligent observation of the children by
experienced and knowledgeable adults for the purpose of improving the programme. Assessment occurs
minute by minute as adults listen, watch, and interact with an individual child or with groups of children.
These continuous observations provide the basis of information for more in-depth assessment and
evaluation that is integral to making decisions on how best to meet children’s needs. (p. 29)
The quality of the preschool shall be regularly and systematically documented, followed up, evaluated
and developed. Evaluating the quality of the preschool and creating good conditions for learning
requires that the child’s learning and development be monitored, documented and analysed. Supporting
and challenging children in their learning entails knowledge of each child’s experiences, knowledge and
participation, as well as influence over and interest in the different goal areas. This also requires
knowledge of how the child’s exploration, questions, experiences and involvement are used in the
preschool, how the child’s knowledge changes and when they experience the preschool as interesting,
fun and meaningful. (p. 14)
Conclusion
• Being clear about how play is understood in curriculum
frameworks is an important aspect of understanding how
assessment is framed
• Play has a complicated and rich history in early childhood
education and elements of this history can be seen in a range
of international curriculum frameworks
• Perspectives on play have implications for how assessment
might be described and also the role of assessment in early
childhood education
• Play, learning and assessment are related concepts, processes
and experiences in the context of early childhood settings.
What is valued in terms of play is often reflected in how the
purpose and approach to assessment is described
Key terms
• Curriculum frameworks – government policy document that
outlines the approach, goals and learning outcomes for young
children.
• Play – a way of understanding children’s learning used by
curriculum frameworks to help teachers think about how to
develop and implement early childhood education.
• Assessment practices – the range and type of approaches to
assessment early childhood teachers use to gather information
for understanding children’s play, learning and development.