Planning, Assessment and Evaluation of Learning Essay

Planning, Assessment and Evaluation of Learning - Essay Example The curriculum is based on P3 to P6 levels for assessing the progress made. The paper will discuss the effectiveness of the planning, teaching and evaluation as well as the need for assessment of the learning in the context of a learning plan for special children. The choices for different learning approaches are justified by drawing from various learning theories. The Ideals of Special Education Every child has his or her own potential. High standard education for special children is one where the individual potential of the child is recognized and promoted. The philosophy of teaching should focus on a learner centric approach, with the child taught through different ways to encourage learning. Ideal learning and teaching requires that the child is the centre of the learning experience and all learning activities are planned and organized taking into consideration the specific learning needs of the child. The child has a range of activities to choose from, carried out under the supe rvision of the teacher to facilitate and enhance learning. According to Vygotsky, learning is arbitrated or facilitated by teachers in the environment that pupils find themselves in and that a major proportion of the facilitation is brought about by communication via language (Woolfolk 2006). Education should focus on the integration of the experiences of the child with their mental maturation. This is exemplified by the constructivism approach presented by Piaget. Piaget contended that the â€Å"interaction between biological maturation and experience† is the underlying mechanism for the progression of the child along the different stages of cognitive development (Sigelman & Rider 2008). The current learning theories, no matter what they emphasize on, have a central element common to them all- all theories encompass â€Å"participation in relationship and community transformation both of the person and of the social world† (Office of Learning and Teaching 2005). These activities are instrumental in encouraging learning through different learning styles; thus, children can maximize their learning by following the learning style that suits them the most. Encouraging pupils to discover and use their learning styles is a successful approach to learning. Kolb’s learning cycle also highlights the same phenomenon. He suggested four levels of learning which constitute the learning cycle: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization and active experimentation (Smale & Fowlie 2009). Kolb asserted that learning can occur at any one of these levels. Honey and Mumford furthered upon this learning model and suggested learning styles that corresponded to each level. They suggested that activists are those who learn from concrete experience, reflectors from reflective observation, theorists from abstract conceptualization and pragmatists from active experimentation (Smale & Fowlie 2009). This follows that people have their own unique styles of learning and learning can be acquired through the effective use of any of these styles. According to Every Child Matters, a prime priority in learning these days is personalized learning and evaluates the value being given to education in schools and provision of more specialist services for children with special needs (Teacher Training Resource Bank 2011). Key Stage 3 and P levels Typically, Key Stage is a legal terminology used to describe the pupils in Year 7, 8 and 9,