Ashford University ECE 430 Week 4 Journal

Reflective Journal: Assessment and Planning for Instruction

An important part of being an educator is reflection. Reflection is a learning process through which you use your experiences and knowledge to guide you in the future. Each week you will have the opportunity to use your journal to reflect on the content you have learned in this course and throughout your degree program. Specifically, you will reflect on the connections you see between each case study and two to three topics from the Program Comprehensive Exam. This week we will be focusing on assessment and planning for instruction.  Take a few minutes to think about how the case study addresses these topics.  Additionally, read the article Frameworks for response to intervention in early childhood: Description and implications.

In this week’s readings, we looked at the relationship between assessment and instruction and how the combination of these two support children’s learning and development. A common trend in education that supports the relationship of assessment and instruction is Response to Intervention (RtI). By providing specific, targeted interventions for children, we are able to support their areas of strength and opportunity.  

The questions below may spark some ideas regarding assessment and planning for instruction. You do not need to address all the questions; instead, write down your thoughts as they unfold. Reflect on the following in your journal:

• What were three main ideas that you learned from the article regarding RTI?
  

• Based on the case study, what elements of RTI do you think Mrs. Ashland is using with her students? Explain your thinking using justification, supporting details and critical thinking.
  

• What experience do you have using RTI with children? Explain how you use RTI.  If you do not have any experience with RTI, what are your thoughts on using RTI with assessment and instruction
  

• What role do you see RTI playing in your future work with children?