Blog #1

DIAL 4

Honestly, itʻs hard to tell where the power resides.  From personal experience, we have testers that come in to administer these DIAL testing for our students at the beginning of the school year.  From my understanding, these DIAL scores allow us to see where our students are with motor, language, and concepts. I am not in favor of the way they go about it, however.  What is the purpose of this program?  Is it accurate?  How accurate is it, if so? How are they being measured? And with whom? And so forth.   All these questions to wonder when deciding on the screener programs you want for your program.  First of all, from personal experience, the testers themselves, are strangers to our students; Iʻm going to call some of them, even, babies.  In our program, we have some that just turned 3, 4 and 5 year-olds. The group range is huge when referring to developmental milestones.  Some of our babies are afraid to be themselves around unfamiliar faces, or even to go period, with what we call them as, “Aunties.”  We try to make them feel as comfortable as possible and we believe it to be culturally-appropriate to make do or say so that they can get the most accurate rating possible. I believe, because of this, the results may not be completely accurate.  Secondly, I personally feel, it could be the environmental stressors that could manipulate the results as to how the student is feeling the day of testing.  Our children, in specific, come from a diverse background of low-income households that could also play a role in the end results of their testing.  This can go for any sort of testing, no matter the program.  What matters is the way they approach and present the information, is what could get the more efficient and accurate results that we, teachers, are able to utilize in creating our curriculum that will help children grow.  Also, I feel that it would be more effective if we, as teachers, would be allowed to administer these tests ourselves so that we can get the most precise results as possible and use that to guide our curriculum, creating our small groups for example.  It helps, also, in flagging those students that we see, that needs more support with. No matter the screener program being used, they help us to assess where they are at, on what they can and cannot do. So as far as power goes, I would have to argue that the power resides with the students, in a sense that basically, thatʻs what they know.  I would also say that the program, also has power, in a sense that, they control these screenings. They tell us what children should know, and so testers or teachers administer these tests, and the end results are basically what each individual knows or doesnʻt know.  Children should be the captain of their ships, but of course, with the guidance of our teachers, as well as our classroom environments.

BRIGANCE

As for this program, the power resides with the program as well as the student.  I appreciate the way how they noticed that the assessment tools tended to highlight what students didn’t know and couldn’t do, but wanted to change the conversations to what children could do. The testing focused on the domains of Physical Development, Language Development, Academic Skills/Cognitive Development, and Self-help and Social-Emotional Skills. From my understanding, this sounds like the “whole child.” Honing in on every indicator, per domain, is pretty specific on what exactly it is they are looking for.  This program sounds very similar to the WSO assessments we use in our classroom.  From experience in utilizing this program for a few years now, it can be a useful tool.  Basically, any program can be a useful tool, just depends on the teacher.  Every teacher has their own learning style, as well as teaching style. Some find this program to be awesome and very insightful, while others may feel it is sort of a waste of time.  Time is precious to us in our classrooms because we cram so much of what is expected of us in such little time.  I remember when I first started at the preschool where Iʻm at several years ago; We were getting trained on how to have powerful interactions with children.  To me, this is an assessment tool in itself.  You really get to know children at different levels when you become completely present in the moment.  You get to know each childʻs likes and dislikes(interests), what level of performance the child may be whether the child can or cannot do in specified areas, and so forth.  However, since WSO, I feel, it took away that true teachable moment that we get with children because our focus is now getting things checked off our list of many, any things to look for and do.  Why do children need to know this or that at specifies ages?  Who will this benefit? How can we utilize these programs, but still feel like we are actually teaching something we are passionate about?  Everyone has had some aha moment in their lives that drove them to this field.  Before I knew what I know now, I thought that teaching preschool was pretty much just babysitting, just as most of our parents do, haha! But, it really is hard-work! I feel like I put so much more thought and effort in my students in the classroom, than my own children at home.  I am so exhausted from making sure my classroom is fantastic, that all I want to do when I get home is sleep.  I recall my younger son noticing how exhausted I was every time I get home from work.  I love what I do and I wouldnʻt change it.  However, I need to try harder at home as well This program, as any other program, can be a useful tool that allows us to create our curriculum.  We create our own lessons prior to school starting, yes.  However, the information that we get from this screening gives us a deeper understanding, and more specifically, exactly what the children can and cannot do.  Each domain will have a deeper focus, and we rate them on level of where they are at.  The highest rating is Proficient, and the lowest is Not Yet.  There is also a box for DNO(Did Not Observe), which tells us that we did not see the child do that specific skill because either it was not provided or by childʻs choice. There are also two separate rating scales, one for 3 year-olds, ad for 4 year-olds.  Some indicators are the same, some similar, but slightly different.  It is made so that it is developmentally appropriate for the individualʻs age.  In any screening, a quiet space should always be provided so that the child does not get distracted.  Teachers definitely benefit from this program, and children as well.  It allows us to scaffold where it is needed in each domain.  Drawbacks for this specific program, as I explained how it takes away from meaningful teachable moments throughout the day.  Small groups can be separated using this tools, classroom set-up, curriculum, as well as the parents/families.  At conferences, the lead teacher will share some of these samples that will show parents where their child is at, and allows for further exploration both at home and in school.  This is where that bridge to home can come in handy, and building that relationship will only benefit the child that much more.  Goals are set at the beginning of the school year after this information is shared, and both parties work together so that every child can be successful in their own learnings. This is where the children take power in their own learning. Then again, this screener will tell us what children need to know and do at each marker.  So, who really has the power then?