Play Responsive Assessment of Children’s Mathematical Proficiencies in Norwegian Kindergarten

This article focuses on kindergarten teachers’ assessment of mathematical proficiencies in Norwegian kindergartens from the perspective of cultural historical activity theory. We discuss how children’s involvement and freedom of change depend on the way proficiencies are observed by kindergarten teachers using an observation scheme developed for this purpose. Mathematical proficiencies are found either to be observed by adult extensions of children’s play or in daily life activities, or activities organized for the purpose of observation. The concepts responsiveness to cultural meaning and play-responsive assessment are introduced and related to the concept play-responsive teaching.