Education
Attachment in Practice (40%)
1. Introduction
Write a brief introduction that describes attachment relationships and the Circle of Security and why these are important in early childhood settings.
2. Description and observation
Choose one child in your EC setting (whose behaviour you will observe, document and later analyse using the Circle of Security).
Describe the context of the EC setting. Describe your chosen child and family’s background, including: the child’s age, family dynamics, child’s attendance pattern, child’s peer interaction patterns and any other relevant characteristics.
Write an observation of the child interacting with an educator and peers.
3. Analysis
Use the ‘Circle of Security’ roadmap (Dolby, 2017) to analyse what was happening for the child in your documented observation.
4. Plan
Write a practical plan that educators can use to help build / maintain connections between the child and educators / peers AND provide a rationale for your plan drawing on the literature.
5. Communication
Write two short imagined dialogues: One that communicates your plan to the child’s parent(s). One that communicates your plan to another educator.
6. Compulsory forum posts (5%)
Attach a screen shot of your compulsory forum posts 1-3 that were posted to the discussion forum in line with the due dates indicated in the Schedule. Ensure your screen shot indicates the date of posting. Late posts receive no marks.
Rationale
This assessment task will assess the following learning outcome/s:
- utilise ecological theory and sociocultural frames of analysis to interpret personal, interpersonal and cultural perspectives of learning contexts and relationships.
- identify and give visibility to respectful and responsive relationships with and among children, families and communities.
- demonstrate strategies for engaging effectively in a wide range of relationships, enacting social justice.
- demonstrate understanding of the nature and enactment of power in relationships.
This assignment provides an opportunity for students to consider in depth the nature and significance of attachment relationships within an early childhood setting. Through careful documentation and analysis of a child’s efforts to connect with adults and peers, students will be able to design and communicate a practical plan that will support successful effective relationships between the child, educators and peers. Students are also asked to reflect broadly on the mediating role of relationships in learning.
Marking criteria and standards
| Marking Criteria | High Distinction | Distinction | Credit | Pass | Fail |
| 1.1 Introduction
Written introduction that describes attachment relationships and the Circle of Security and why these are important in early childhood settings. (2.5 Marks) |
You have demonstrated a clear understanding of attachment relationships and the application of the Circle of Security. | You have defined and explained attachment relationships and the Circle of Security. | You have explained attachment relationships and the Circle of Security. | You have described attachment relationships and the Circle of Security. | Your understanding of attachment relationships and the Circle of Security is not clear. |
| 1.2 Description & observation
Description of EC context and of selected child’s context. Written observation of child interacting with educator(s) and peer(s). (5 marks) |
You have presented key details of the context that are important in assisting the interpretation of the observation. Your observation is clear, well presented and well organised. | You have presented key contextual details that are relevant to the observation. Your observation is well presented and well organised. | Important details of the contexts are provided. Your observation is extensive and well presented. | The contexts are minimally described. You have written an adequate observation. | The context(s) are not adequately described. Your observation is poorly written and poorly presented. |
| 1.3 Analysis
Analysis of the observation of child’s existing and developing relationships (adult – child and child – child), using the Circle of Security Roadmap (Dolby, 2017). (10 marks) |
Your analysis demonstrates a thorough understanding of the Circle of Security Roadmap and its relevance to children’s relationships in EC settings. You have drawn on additional literature to support your evaluation. | Your analysis reveals a good understanding of the Circle of Security and its relevance to children’s relationships in EC settings. You have cited additional readings to support your evaluation. | Your analysis shows that you can appropriately apply the Circle of Security to children’s relationships in EC settings. | Your analysis shows some understanding of the Circle of Security in EC settings. | You have not analysed your observation using the Circle of Security Roadmap.
Or your analysis shows little or no understanding of the Circle of Security and its application in EC settings. |
| 1.4 Plan
Written plan that demonstrates how to build or maintain connections between the child and educators or peers with a rationale that is drawn from the literature. (10 marks)
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You have written a thorough plan that outlines how to build or enhance connections between the child and educators or peers. You have also formulated strategies for how to maintain the relationships. Your rationale demonstrates critical engagement with the readings and explicates the analysis of your observation.
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Your plan outlines how to build or enhance connections between the child and educators or peers. You have formulated strategies for how to maintain the relationships. Your rationale demonstrates critical engagement with the readings and supports the analysis of your observation. | Your plan includes ideas for how you might build and maintain the relationships between the child and the educators (s) and peers. Your rationale demonstrates an application of the readings, and is related to your observation. | Your plan contains ideas for how you might build or maintain the relationships between the child and others in the setting. Your rationale is linked to readings and to your observation. | Your plan contains little or no evidence of how the adults could build or maintain their relationships with the children. Your rationale is not linked to evidence of readings or to your observation. |
| 1.5 Communication
Presentation of two short imagined dialogues that communicate your plan to the child’s parent(s) and another educator. (10 marks)
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Your dialogues illustrate that you have made informed judgements about appropriate conversations with the child’s parent(s) AND another educator.
Your imagined discussions demonstrate thoughtful and informed decision making. Your rationale includes some challenging of assumptions, and is informed by your engagement with the ideas in the readings.
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Your dialogues demonstrate thoughtful engagement with the readings that justify your conversations with the child’s parent(s) AND another educator.
Your imagined conversations are carefully constructed and relate appropriately to the plan. Your rationale is evidence of your synthesis of the ideas addressed in the readings.
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Your dialogues are informed by your reading and experience, and illustrate what you would say hypothetically with the child’s parent(s) AND another educator.
Your imagined communication relates appropriately to the plan. Your rationale draws on key relevant readings.
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You have written dialogues to illustrate hypothetically what you would say if you were to share your plan with the child’s parent(s) AND another educator. You have included predictions about how the other person might respond to the plan.
You have included a rationale for each of your responses, based on your readings.
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You have not written dialogues or your dialogues would be improved with illustrations of what you would say if you were to share your plan with the child’s parent(s) AND another educator.
Your predictions about how the other person might respond do not relate to the plan. Your rationale could be informed by further engagement with the readings.
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| 1.6 Academic Literacy
Presentation of written task, demonstrating appropriate levels of academic literacy and written expression (2.5 marks) |
Your presentation is clearly organised and designed thoughtfully and demonstrates professional standards. Your structure is logical and analytical and you have carefully planned its composition. Written expression contains no errors. APA referencing is used correctly throughout. This account could be “publishable” as is. | Your presentation is clearly organised, and your point of view is conveyed within professional standards. Your structure is logical and analytical, with headings and other aides to help the reader. Written expression is clear and persuasive. APA referencing is used accurately throughout. | Your presentation is clearly organised and makes good use of examples. You demonstrate professional standards. Your logical structure explains what happened, and headings are appropriate.
Written expression is concise and correct. APA referencing is used accurately throughout.
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Your presentation is clear in its organisation, and demonstrates professional standards. You have used a logical structure, and clear headings to help the reader.
Written expression is mostly accurate, but there are some spelling, punctuation and or grammatical errors. APA referencing is mostly used accurately throughout.
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Your presentation is not clear in its organisation, and does not demonstrate professional standards.
You have not used a logical structure nor clear headings to help the reader. Written expression is consistently inaccurate, with incorrect syntax, spelling, punctuation and grammar. APA referencing is not used accurately throughout.
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| Satisfactory | Unsatisfactory | ||||
| 1.7 Active contributor to the Community of Learners
(5 marks) |
Your posts demonstrate that you have engaged with the module content for forum posts 1-3. Compulsory forum posts 1-3 were posted to the forum by the due dates.
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Your posts demonstrate little engagement with the module content for forum posts 1-3. Compulsory forum posts 1-3 were not posted to the forum by the due dates. | |||
