-   DAFFODIL project www.daffodilproject.org

Dynamic Assessment of Functioning and Oriented at Development and Inclusive Learning 
A Comenius multilateral project - 142084-2008-LLP-BE-COMENIUS-CMP

Summer Course DAFFODIL - Innovative Assessment of Functioning Oriented at Development and Inclusive Learning Evora (PT) 5-11 September 2010

 
 
 

Venue

Universidade de Evora  
CIEP – Colegio do Espírito santo 
7002-554 Evora  
PORTUGAL

Purpose

Inclusive education requires new evaluation and assessment practices, which probe more into a child’s capacity and potential, look at optimical conditions, have an outlook on a child’s modifiability, its cognitive functioning, motivational and learning context, its specific educational needs and how to modify the child towards more effective learning. Also the teachers are in  need to be coached towards a more optimistic outlook. New approaches have been developped in the domain of assessment and coaching. During the past two years, the Daffodil project has gathered groundbreaking and evidence-based approaches, which will be introduced in this 1 week seminar.

Target Group

Educational Psychologists, SEN Teachers, Counsellors & Career Advisors, Policy Makers, Therapists working in assessment, working with children & adolescents with special educational needs

Course Objectives

1. development of insight and vision: understand how the way  assessment is done favours or inhibits inclusion 
2. insight: familiarize the participant with a new paradigm of contextual, needs- based, assessment looking at a child’s potential
3. knowledge: introduce participants to some of the innovative assessment systems which are dynamic, interactive, contextual and processual
4. attitude: learn to “think contextually” when you do assessment: how a child functions in relation to his environment; evaluating also the educational context while evaluating a child
5. insight: learn to design assessment plans oriented at maximalizing activities and participation in inclusive education

Prior knowledge required

1. basic knowledge about child development
2. basic knowledge about content and methods of classic school psychological testing
3. basic knowledge about SEN
4. basic understanding about the social model of disability
5. basic knowledge about social-constructive models of intelligence
6. basic knowledge about inclusive education

 

Obligatory reading:

Daffodil project documents on website: www.daffodilproject.org

Birta-Szekely  N e.a. Assessment re-assessed: Current Assessment Practice: weaknesses, strengths and needs” Cluj-Napoca Report, 2009

Bohács K e.a. Daffodil Partners Group, Good Practices in dynamic and Contextual Assessment of Children with Special Needs, Szeged, 2009

Lebeer J & János R(Eds) (2005) Special Issue on Dynamic Assessment, Erdélyi Pszichológiai Szemle (Transsylvanian Journal of Psychology). Articles by Tzuriel, Feuerstein, Lidz, Garbo, Deutsch e.a. . Download at www.daffodilproject.org

European Agency for Development of special Needs Education (2008), Processo de Avaliação em Contextos Inclusivos, [Assessment in Inclusive Settings] Odense (DK): http://www.european-agency.org/publications/ereports/assessment-in-inclusive-settings-key-issues-for-policy-and-practice/assessment-in-inclusive-settings-key-issues-for-policy-and-practice/?searchterm=assessment%20in%20inclusive%20settings

Recommended reading:

Stephen J. Gould (1996) The mismeasure of Man, New York: Norton

Reuven Feuerstein e.a. (2002) The Dynamic Assessment of Cognitive Modifiability, Jerusalem: ICELP Press

Haywood C & CS Lidz (2006) Dynamic Assessment in Practice: Clinical and Educational Applications, Cambridge CUP

Lebeer J (Ed.) Inclues, clues to inclusive & cognitive education, Antwerpen: Garant (incl DVD)

Booth T & Ainscow M (2002) Index for Inclusion. Bristol: Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education

Candeias AA (2005) Crianças Diferentes, Évora: UE/PRODEP http://www.ciep.uevora.pt/publicacoes/documentos/criancas_diferentes.pdf

Outcome competencies

After the course, the participant will :

1. be able to critically evaluate his/her own practice regarding assessment, whether it hinders of favours inclusion
2. be able to critically evaluate the goals of assessment, and the use of methods in function of its goals; be able to decide when to use and not to use psychometric methods and when to use alternatives
3. have some introductory knowledge about dynamic, interactive, functional, contextual inclusive assessment systems; know about different approaches, be able to critically compare and evaluate these methods
4. know what functional, needs-based assessment is
5. know and apply basic principles of coaching towards inclusion
6. understand the basics of the model of ICF  to plan educational interventions
7. be able to plan a functional, needs-based, child assessment

Accreditation

National Bureau of Teacher Training Portugal: FOCO/University of Evora, certificate 3 ECTS credits after portfolio evaluation

Portfolio examination: every participant will write a case study with assessment report based on the Daffodil criteria

Preliminary programme

Sunday, September 5^th 2010

17:00  registration

19:00  Welcome. Introducing Daffodil project, course programme

20:00  Welcome reception

Monday, September 6^th 2010

09:00 General introduction(all partners):  
Assessment in the light of the principles inclusive education 
Conceptual issues: a socio-constructive model of disability as a starting point 
Purpose of functional assessment 
Current problems in assessing  functioning of children with special needs: report of a European study 
Dynamic vs. static assessment

13:00 Lunch (provided)

15:00 A model of functional, contextual, needs-based assessment  (Hugo Van de Veire, Belgium, Noella Pameijer, NL) (Dutch: handelingsgerichte diagnostiek) 
Identifying special educational needs 
How  to plan functional assessment? 
How to involve all parties concerned: child, psychologisits, parents, school 
How to organize assessment across time 
Examples/ working on case studies 

19:00 End

Tuesday, September 7^th 2010

09:00 Introduction to Feuerstein’s concept of LPAD (Learning Propensity Assessment)– Jo Lebeer, University of Antwerp, BE & Kristina Bohács, University of Szeged, HU) 
Feuerstein’s concept of structural cognitive modifiability 
Critique on psychometrics 
Principles of dynamic assessment 
Introduction to instruments and practice of LPAD/ case studies (demonstrations) 
Getting some experience with learning propensity assessment by doing

13:00 Lunch (provided)

15:00 Introduction to Cognitive Assessment System – Cristina Rosário, Vitor Cruz, Adelinda Candeias (University of Evora, PT) & Gunvor Sonnesyn (Pedverket, NO) 
Principle of CAS: cognitive assessment as designed by Das & Naglieri 
Demonstration of instruments/ getting some experience 
Demonstration of practice with children using the CAS 
Why CAS is an alternative to classic psychometrics in assessing functioning of children with SEN 
Experience with CAS in Portugal & Norway

20:30 An evening of cultural diversity: socio-cultural exchange

Wednesday, September 8^th 2010

09:00 Inclusive coaching: Facilitating conceptual change in the assessment process– Petri Partanen (Skolutveklarna, SE) & Noemi Birta-Székely (Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj, RO) 
This workshop focusses on assessing the inclusiveness of the school, i.e. in what way does a school (as a whole) and the teacher (as a person) favour the learning and functioning of children with SEN? Assessing children’s functioning can never be seen in isolation, but has to be seen in interaction. How can teachers/schools be coached in such a way to create positive change, in order to cope better with a diversity of needs in the classroom. Assessment as a lever of conceptual change. Examples are shown of such contextual assessment; participants practice and reflect on their own practice 

13:00 Lunch (provided)

15:00 Dynamic assessment and intervention in socio-emotional competencies – Adelinda Candeias & Ana Rocha (University of Evora, PT) 
What are socio-emotional competencies (SEC)? 
Problems with SEC in children with SEN 
How to assess socio-emotional competencies/ behavioural functioning in children with behavioural problems? Overview of instruments 
Research experience in Portgual 
How to do it in a dynamic, interactive way, so that it becomes a useful tool for a teacher/ parents to know how to deal with it 
Demonstrations/ practice

Thursday, September 9^th 2010

09:00 Inclusive Curriculum Based Assessment - Gunvor Sonnesyn….(Pedverket, NO) 
How to assess understanding of mathematics in a dynamic way 
Overview of instruments used to assess an SEN learners’ functioning and learning, using curricular content: what principles have to be followed when assessing students with SEN 
The Cyprus Recommendations of Inclusive Assessment (Eur. Agency for Development of SEN)

13:00 Lunch (provided)

15:00 Portfolios as tools to improve teaching and learning in inclusive settings – João Silva, Helena Palma & Adelinda Candeias (University of Evora, PT) 
Principles of portfolio assessment 
Portfolio in primary school, secondary school, university of college 
Portfolio in children with SEN 
Experience with portfolio tool

20:00 Welfare dinner

Friday, September 10^th

09:00 Functional assessment based on ICF (International Classification of Functioning, Disability & Health) – a functional approach to assessment and intervention – (Inge Van Trimpont, University of Leuven – BE, Adelinda Candeias, Evora, PT – Jo Lebeer, University of Antwerp, BE) 
Concepts underlying the ICF 
Experience and criticism with ICF in education in Portugal  
Model of use of ICF to chart the special educational and functional needs in children with disability 
Informatisation of the ICF data

13:00 Lunch (provided)

15:00 Towards a synthesis: inclusive assessment; how to write recommendations; how to advise inclusive teams on the basis of assessment  
Working on cases 
Course evaluatoin

18:00 End

Saturday September 11th

09:00  Supervision of portfolios 
Participants present their preliminary work: case studies/ theoretical work/ training needs to the supervisors

12:00  end

Practical information & registration

ciep@uevora.pt    
Dra. Catarina Dias cdias@uevora.pt Tel. +351 266 768050

Course Fee

400 euro (including coffee breaks, lunch and documentation)

Accomodation and Meals

100 euro/day approximately

Hotel reservation: evora@topatlantico.com Tel +3512667469070

Possibility to obtain a Comenius/ Grundtvig Stipendium

All professionals working in the context of school or adult education and living outside Portugal, are entitled to apply to their National Life Long Learning European Agency a financial stipendium to cover course fees, travel and accommodation costs. Deadline for application is January 16th 2010. Please request a preliminary letter of acceptance to Dra. Catarina Dias cdias@uevora.pt Tel. +351 266 768050. Ask your National LLL – Life Long Learning Agency (Addresses of the NA’s can be found on: http://ec.europa.eu/education/programmes/llp/national_en.html for the necessary forms. The reference number of the course in the Grundtvig/comenius database is BE-2010-127-001. Go to http://ec.europa.eu/education/trainingdatabase/search.cfm> to find out more