Learning Journals

[WChurchill]

Hi again

 

New to reception September, unsure about learning journeys and what has to be in them. Had a scan of the sight and saw a great idea about getting spotted! If obs go in are these given to parents? Are these presented in scap book form. All help gratefully received! Help so far much appreciated!

[Guest tinkerbell]

Hi Leydon

Learning journels have been debated on this site and the tes site and everyone seems confused as different LEA's in their EYF training have said different things.

From what I can gather

Some people will use the scrapbook and stick in obs,photos as they occur starting at the front and working through.

Some will divide book into areas and stick in relevant info

Some will use file and use it as either of above (but enables you to put stuff in /or take out)

 

Hope this has helped

Tinkerbellx

[WChurchill]

Hi Leydon

Learning journels have been debated on this site and the tes site and everyone seems confused as different LEA's in their EYF training have said different things.

From what I can gather

Some people will use the scrapbook and stick in obs,photos as they occur starting at the front and working through.

Some will divide book into areas and stick in relevant info

Some will use file and use it as either of above (but enables you to put stuff in /or take out)

 

Hope this has helped

Tinkerbellx

Thanks very much tinkerbell, this was very helpful. Posted a thank you today but it has disappeared somewhere! Still getting used to the site! Does everything go in here including observations and are they then given to parents? Also would you write next steps on there. Does anybody know in you can do a group learning journey or are they always individual? thanks in advance> any help much appreciated!

[Guest]

Thanks very much tinkerbell, this was very helpful. Posted a thank you today but it has disappeared somewhere! Still getting used to the site! Does everything go in here including observations and are they then given to parents? Also would you write next steps on there. Does anybody know in you can do a group learning journey or are they always individual? thanks in advance> any help much appreciated!

[/quote

 

Hi, I have a file for each child and i put everything in it e.g. photos, examples of mark making/writing, observations etc and i aslo write the next steps for learning. The parents can look at it any time and at the end of year they take it home (i photocopy it). I also do group learning journeys if chiildren have been working together on a project. The children also have a a scrap book and they can record their own learning journey and we often photocopy things from the files for them to put in their scrap book or vice versus. Hope that helps!

[Guest]

Ha! Im not very good at uploading replies either!

[Guest]

Hi,

 

Im having some problems with regards to the learning journals as I only went on a course just before we broke up for the holidays. I was wondering if anyone could give me any ideas on how we are supposed to do them as they were only metioned in passing. Is there a set way of doing them

 

Zoe

[HappyMaz]

Is there a set way of doing them

I think learning journeys are personal not only to the children, but also how the groups produce them. We briefly covered this at a training I went on recently - and I did see some suggested formats (I think these were from a Sally Thomas training).

 

We do pages for children for their "Special Books" which show photographs of what the children were doing, what led up to the activity and sometimes what happened after. Sometimes I have included information from a conversation with the child's parent after the event, and usually I link this into relevant stepping stones to show how the child's learning and development was supported by what the child did. We do all this on the computer because its easier (and cheaper with my lovely laser printer!), but I have seen others that have 'real' photos stuck in and annotated by hand.

 

We put ours in a plastic display folder (A4) but I have seen some put into scrap books and others have been in ring binders. Yet others use A3 portfolios but we just don't have the space to store them.

 

There is a book about learning journeys - is it written by Margaret Carr? Will head off to my book shelf and check!

 

Perhaps you could seek out some local groups who use them and look at how they do things? Often that is a good starting point!

 

Good luck!

 

Maz

[Guest Wolfie]

Yep, Margaret Carr - Assessment in Early Childhood Settings.

[HappyMaz]

Thanks Wolfie!

 

Here's a link to the book on Google Books so you can have a quick look to see if it would be useful for you before buying it/borrowing it from the library!

 

Maz

[Guest]

hey there, we have been using learning journey books for some years now. It struck me around 10 years ago, that a 'scrap book' could be used to present the children's work, photos, obs etc. They proved very successful from the start. Parents were able to have a look at any time, at what their child was doing. So often they would tell me that they had asked their child what he/she'd done that day, & they could never remember. Photos were particularly great for this, especially if a child didn'd 'produce' anything. We have been based in a multi use building for years now & it isnt always possible for the children's work to be displayed every day. Another thing we like about them is that we write which stepping stone/ELG the child is working toward and what skills they are developing. It kind of makes sense & is also a great way to record the plenary! I think the important thing here is, to make them your own. Every setting is different & isn that one of the things we just love about early years? We can 'do it' our own way. Good luck & enjoy! xx

[WChurchill]

hey there, we have been using learning journey books for some years now. It struck me around 10 years ago, that a 'scrap book' could be used to present the children's work, photos, obs etc. They proved very successful from the start. Parents were able to have a look at any time, at what their child was doing. So often they would tell me that they had asked their child what he/she'd done that day, & they could never remember. Photos were particularly great for this, especially if a child didn'd 'produce' anything. We have been based in a multi use building for years now & it isnt always possible for the children's work to be displayed every day. Another thing we like about them is that we write which stepping stone/ELG the child is working toward and what skills they are developing. It kind of makes sense & is also a great way to record the plenary! I think the important thing here is, to make them your own. Every setting is different & isn that one of the things we just love about early years? We can 'do it' our own way. Good luck & enjoy! xx

Thanks everyone! Really useful and i'm getting the idea! I'm looking forward to being in redeption and after a while being able to help somebody else.

[Guest]

Hi all,

 

I agree, I think learning journeys are going to be individual for each setting and whatever format they feel works,, feel that the main focus is that children's learning should be a journey.. a process and not concerned only with the outcomes or the products!!

 

Margaret Carr's book is based upon the Te Whariki New Zealand approach and involves narratives with photos and parents comments too. Biut think that you can basically include anything that evidences children's learning!

 

Essc

[Guest]

Thanks very much tinkerbell, this was very helpful. Posted a thank you today but it has disappeared somewhere! Still getting used to the site! Does everything go in here including observations and are they then given to parents? Also would you write next steps on there. Does anybody know in you can do a group learning journey or are they always individual? thanks in advance> any help much appreciated!

 

 

I am amazed to have read several times " can you do?"

My answer to any question prefaced by this is .................You can do whatever you like...........the EYFS & its implementation is NOT PRESCRIPTIVE do whatever you as a staff feel is right for you, your setting & most importantly your pupils & parents. If it works -do it- your practice will continually evolve & change anyway if your are a reflective team of practitioners. There is no right or wrong just different ways of getting to the same destination!!

[HappyMaz]

I am amazed to have read several times " can you do?"

My answer to any question prefaced by this is .................You can do whatever you like...........the EYFS & its implementation is NOT PRESCRIPTIVE do whatever you as a staff feel is right for you, your setting & most importantly your pupils & parents. If it works -do it- your practice will continually evolve & change anyway if your are a reflective team of practitioners. There is no right or wrong just different ways of getting to the same destination!!

Hoorah! Well said. Although I'm sure some head teachers might have their own views!

[Guest]

Hi

When do you find time to do these!! I cant imagine doing it all year for 30 children what a nightmare

[Guest]

Learning Journey Template

 

Example CLL Learning Journeys

 

More Links

 

Hi I've just been looking on the EYFS website at learning journeys. Is anyone using this template and will you cover each area of learning each term. I have 27 children so will need to be very organised and plan for this if so.

[Guest]

Hi Rachelle,

 

I am probably going to use an adapted version of the 'official' example, although I'm not sure how I will use it exactly (sound sooo organised, don't I?!). Maybe try to have a few focus children each week and fill in one (or maybe more depending what they do/is going on) during or at the end of the week. Then do 'ad hoc' sheets for anything significant for other children. I have no idea whether that is how others are planning to do the whole learning journey thing....!

 

Anyway, I am about to try and attach the sheet I have made - the 'what did I do?' box refers to the child not to me!

 

Learning_Journey.doc

 

purplemagic x

[Guest]

Learning Journey Template

 

Example CLL Learning Journeys

 

More Links

 

Hi I've just been looking on the EYFS website at learning journeys. Is anyone using this template and will you cover each area of learning each term. I have 27 children so will need to be very organised and plan for this if so.

 

Hi Rachelle,

I'm going to start learning journals in Sept so thanks for the template it's great. Can I just ask, How often do you do learning journals? By the end of the year how many learning journals will each child have? Thanks again. Lindsey

Edited August 25, 2008 by Guest

[Rufus]

I am curious. At the moment our reception class children each have a big pink book that they do written 'work' (excuse me using that rude word), pictures etc in. These are the books that parents look through at parents evening or whenever they request. These books then go up to the next teacher.

All observations and notes on chidlren are kept separately in folders.

Is a learning journey just a combination of both of these things?

If I begin to record more things in their pink books would this be a better record of their progress?

[HappyMaz]

Oh Rufus - the 'work' word! I have tried not to use it in the past, but others on here have made me re-think because they use it in ways that give status to children's play! So I think its not the word that matters but rather how you use it!

 

Your pink books sound just like our "Special Books" - and I would think can easily be adapted/augmented to take into account the principles of the learning journeys. Ultimately so long as they do the job, I see no reason why you should have to do something completely different. Perhaps its not so much that you need to record more things in their books, but more about annotating these records to show the learning/development taking place?

 

Just a thought!

 

Maz

[Guest]

Hi

First time I've replied although I've been an avid reader for a while now.

We use scrap books and constantly photograph the children, at our weekly meeting each key person sticks in wow moments and photos into Learning Journey and then links them to EYFS and writes in next steps. We will be adding parent's coments and longer obs. It is quite time consuming though!

[HappyMaz]

Welcome to the Forum, zeebeemee! Its good to get your first few posts out of the way: there will be no stopping you now!

 

I love the idea of 'Wow' moments - do you have a set format for these or is it more of an informal term? I agree that it is time consuming, but I do think its worth the effort.

 

Maz

Edited August 26, 2008 by HappyMaz

[hali]

hello and welcome

[Guest]

Hi

Thanks purple magic for the template, it was on my list of jobs to do and has saved me time.

 

I think we are going to aim for 1 learning journey per half term for each child in a child choice activity. I'm spending my first week introducing the SEAL document 'New Beginnings' and each area of the setting so the children know how to use them properly. I'll start learning Journeys in the second week.

 

I had intended to observe each child as a target child within each area of learning once per half term, always having a pack of post sticks for other children's achievements. I have 27 children this year and 1 TA so I know that I need to be organised with this and I'm sure I'v found some observation charts in the EYFS resources.

 

I'm also intending on having special folders for the childrens photo's, emergent writing, post sticks and achievements. I have a vision that they will become trained in filing their own bits in their draws for a 'special folder sticker' Do you think that this is too complicated?