Guest Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Hi, I read Mundias reply and thought we'd give it a try so today we got the children's folders out at circle time and we asked them all for a comment about what they had done that morning.We wrote it on a sticky label and put it in their folder. Also they loved looking at the photos and paintings that were in the folders and we put any comments on a sticky label. There were about 10 children in a group and it seemed to go okay. Just a couple of children that were nattering while others were trying to tell us their thoughts. Our staff usually assess the observations done throughout the week either at the end of the session if there is time or at the weekly staff meeting. We get 45 minutes paid at the end of the session to clean away and an extra 1/2 hour for the weekly staff meeting. We still end up taking them home aswell though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Could you do it in Key Person groups? Just thinking that it would make the group sizes smaller. Could you timetable it as a special session once a week or more often as needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I disagree that the EYFS has meant more paperwork - like other posters have said I've been providing children with learning journeys for years and did far more planning before the EYFS. The only additional paperwork that is a requirement of the EYFS is written risk assessments for outings and the dreaded SEF if I'm not mistaken. I too love my children's learning diaries as do the parents and the children. Documenting learning is a powerful tool in understanding the processes children go through when they are learning, it's a celebration of their play and all you provide to support their interests and fascinations. It can be a challenge to maintain them but in my setting I spent additional time on documenting play and less time on adult led planning so timewise it has balanced out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 On balance - even allowing for SEF, I feel I'm doing less paperwork. Like, dcn, I've been doing Learning Journies, Home Diaries and things like that since I started my Open Uni FDEY 7+ years ago. There's a lot less time spent doing planning and things like that. It feels more like it was in the 'old day' pre Desirable Learning Outcomes! although obviously we are older and wiser about the play experiences we provide and observe. If it wasn't for the SEF I think I'd be smiling! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I agree it does seem to be less paperwork- especially planning- no longer have to allow for birth to three etc. EYFS has allowed us to get back to the old way of "learning through play" which, by the way, was the name of the very first course I ever attended. Learning journeys have always been completed at our setting and, despite being time consuming, are an excellent way of tracking progress. saying all this though I still havn't completed SEF, I keep putting it off until after my SEF course next month- I'll be contributing to the moan about that then I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I am very interested also to read all the views on learning journeys and how time consuming they are. I run a 39 place nursery unit which is from 8-45 till 11-45 and 12-15 till 3-15. There are the three of us ie one teacher and two NNEB's whoes get paid from 8-30 till 3-30 with 30 mins for dinner. We are not doing any learning journeys at the moment as there is no time to deal with them.My NNEB's have just lost £3,800 per year with the re-grading that has gone on in our authority so there is no way I would even think of asking them to do 26 each in their own time and I can not deal with 78, plus all the planning, observations, assessments and input into our online tracker. All I do is to take lots of photographs and download into the children's individual folders and them put them on a disc for them when they leave. I am SICK to death of paperwork and would also just like to be able to get on and play and teach the children Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistysmom Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 It really depends on how fussy you are . They are meant to show learning & experiences & it is considered good practice to involve children in the process so why not set aside time during the day for children to contribute/help they love it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salm Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Hello to all this is my first post so please excuse me if anythhing is wrong we get paid time per week to do our key children's learning journey's. As supervisor I get 5 hours p/w to do 12 learning journeys plus all the other paperwork that I have to do. My deputy gets 4hrs p/w and the other 2 key workers get 2 hrs p/w and they all have 15 key children. We are very lucky to get this compared to most people on here but what ever people get its never enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Welcome to the forum, You'll soon be as addicted as the rest of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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