“Being an Educational Psychologist is an endless pursuit in trying to affect positive change in children’s lives. There is always more that can be done. But what is certain, is that we must always try our best for each and every child.”

 
RISE 1: Resilience In Schools and Education
Resiliency, COVID-19, Back to School Lee Randall Resiliency, COVID-19, Back to School Lee Randall

RISE 1: Resilience In Schools and Education

Education in a time of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a testing time for us all and it has taken a lot of effort for even those of us fortunate enough to have suffered no significant hardship, to come to terms with ‘the new normal’. As the lockdown begins to ease, thoughts are beginning to turn to what happens next; namely when and how we can safely get our children settled back into education. Children will need to be more courageous, resourceful, robust and independent than ever before to thrive after the challenges the coronavirus pandemic has posed and will continue to pose.

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Dynamic Assessment
Educational Psychology, CPD Richard Skelton Educational Psychology, CPD Richard Skelton

Dynamic Assessment

As an Educational Psychologist (EP), we’re often asked to complete standardised tests on areas of children’s cognition, curriculum development, neuropsychological functioning etc. I was introduced to Dynamic Assessment (DA) when I started my doctoral training in 2009. I had been wrestling with my view of more formal standardised cognitive assessments since starting as an assistant educational psychologist and the idea of focusing on what a child is capable of achieving when given a level of mediation really appealed to me.

Dynamic assessment is based on Vygotskian principles and an important aspect of this is the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). This highlights the social aspects of learning by recognising the role of others in relation to a learning journey of a child. DA emphasises the importance of having a teaching and mediation element. By placing a learning phase within the assessment, it gives us an idea of the child’s true learning potential, what it takes by way of our mediation to help that child move forward and where the next steps of learning could be targeted.

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