The practical guide for teachers ‘Supporting Children’s Wellbeing and Involvement in Vietnamese preschools’ has been developed by VVOB Vietnam in collaboration with the Early Childhood Education Department (Ministry of Education and Training) and adjusted to the local context in collaboration with Vietnamese education experts. The practical guide supports teachers in developing knowledge and skills that are needed to adopt a reflective practice to support all preschool age children’s learning. This reflective practice merges together two internationally recognized best practices: (i) the process-oriented child monitoring system for early years (Laevers, Moons & Declerq, 2012) and (ii) the Index for inclusion (Booth & Ainscow, 2016) to help teachers ensure that all children can benefit from attending preschool.
While other child monitoring systems focus on the developmental outcomes and final products, process-oriented child monitoring offers a way to assess children’s learning by focusing on their wellbeing and involvement in daily activities. The levels of “wellbeing” and “involvement” are process indicators that teachers can observe in children’s behavior during activities.
Process-oriented child monitoring helps teachers understand each child’s learning by analysing the impact of preschool activities and experiences on children’s well-being and involvement. Based on these observations, teachers can adjust their educational plan. By applying “action points” that address barriers to learning and participation and that initiate changes in the organization and implementation of preschool activities, they ensure that all children can learn through play and realize their potential.
The guide instructs teachers how to observe, take note and monitor pre-school children daily and periodically to ensure the quality implementation of the preschool education curriculum. The guide also helps teachers to develop skills to organize child-centred preschool activities that effectively contribute to children’s learning and holistic development.
