finleysmaid Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 i need to go and re-read my info ....this is not the way i have been reading it at all! :huh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 i need to go and re-read my info ....this is not the way i have been reading it at all! :huh: Uh - oh ......... well don't enlighten me - I'm happy in my ignorance :lol: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Uh - oh ......... well don't enlighten me - I'm happy in my ignorance :lol: me too...but me Jiminy Cricket says 'I wanna know!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meridian Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 AGREE! I also think that it applies to some of the statements too (just because you can 'separate from main carer' at 22-36 doesn't always mean to say it will continue that way for example when 3 or 4) i don't look at them as something to work through - I think the activity and experience also factors in - something new will produce something different. An activity that is well known with some added challenge thrown on for growth would be a different judgement again - add a different practitioner and all of a sudden the child that draws beautifully resorts to doing scribble, or one that doesn't normally concentrates does! put any of us in a familiar situation and you see one side of our personality; put us somewhere new and it brings out something else; add some challenge at any point (for me add ICT) and we can either persevere or give up <quickly!> I would be expecting a 'floating' 'dip in to them' and factor in an analysis against the situation (not for everything; possibly in a summary when deemed relevant? Not one to make extra work for ourselves!) Looking at this from someone observing me, I would hate to feel I was 'being graded or judged' - would the person really know what was going on in my life? I feel we need to snatch our confidence back with what we know (as Cait says we already 'do' the CoL, we support and affirm them and value those before most other things as it's about the child itself, not what they can do as in knowledge or skill) use common sense and look to what the intention of things are and not always take them at face value; look at the underpinning message - accept children are like waves - they ebb and flow, have their own form but can be directed, have wills of their own; are affected by external circumstances readily and go back to enjoying them and being with them. It appears some of the paperwork is undermining our knowledge, confidence and beliefs and it's time we stood firm and stopped having to justify everything by writing it down - we know our stuff and we are good at what we do!! Some days though it feels we are catching flies with chopsticks when we are forced to justify everything! edit; gosh need to get of the soap box before I go dizzy! couldn't agree more! I keep saying to my staff that trust your professional judgement, you know your children!...Since returning this new term been having 1:1 meetings with key persons to discuss children's individual progress and although this takes a lot of time, especially when going through 80ish children's LJs...just feel that it shows that I am giving staff constructive feedback on a big part of their role, assessment of children's development. I have reiterated to them that they don't need written evidence for everything little thing...their knowledge of children, how they learn best is key!...think we all need to recognise how experience working with our little ones, over the years, enables a good grasp of what is important....not reams of paperwork but interaction with children,,,,I am still finding that some staff seem to need to write so many obs...one staff member from September - December counted nearly 60 ongoing obs for one child.. :rolleyes: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mouseketeer Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 A couple of my staff are really struggling with getting their heads around the CoeL, I,m trying to get them to think of them as what was previously dispositions and attitudes (more or less) with just a new name.....but like most of you not looking at them as something to be worked through but to assess how children prefer to learn and offer next steps in a form that suits their learning style as well encouraging participation in activities that promote the CoeL that they don't particularly lean towards......or maybe I need a re-read to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finleysmaid Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 A couple of my staff are really struggling with getting their heads around the CoeL, I,m trying to get them to think of them as what was previously dispositions and attitudes (more or less) with just a new name.....but like most of you not looking at them as something to be worked through but to assess how children prefer to learn and offer next steps in a form that suits their learning style as well encouraging participation in activities that promote the CoeL that they don't particularly lean towards......or maybe I need a re-read to well you see this makes sense to me....we assess which area of COL they learn best at or do mostly.... so they are assessed in one area as it were not all three. So if they are a critical thinker type then they would be those ones that think through their ideas before acting (IUKWIM) and the playing and exploring children are more the dive in and get on with it kind (this is a very rough translation :lol: ) etc which goes along with the descriptors in the DM statements 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meridian Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 well you see this makes sense to me....we assess which area of COL they learn best at or do mostly.... so they are assessed in one area as it were not all three. So if they are a critical thinker type then they would be those ones that think through their ideas before acting (IUKWIM) and the playing and exploring children are more the dive in and get on with it kind (this is a very rough translation :lol: ) etc which goes along with the descriptors in the DM statements think we currently have a lot of boys that 'dive in and get on with it' at the moment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finleysmaid Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 ah yes but are they playing and exploring or active learners?????!! (or perhaps just pesky kids! :blink: !!!) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
currycraver Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Thank you for sharing your resources. :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Is this common and expected practice across settings? Shouldnt the children be displaying the characteristics of effective learning most of the time in an enabling environment? how can you possibly include such a range of characteristics and record it for who anyway? More papaerwork, you know when your children are engaged in deep levels of learning and when they are not..... reducing paperwork by revising the framework - rubbish.........probably just being short sighted and paperphobic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 (edited) We don't expect children to be in all areas or progress through them but use them to establish what kind of learner the child is. We make quick obs whilst children are intently involved in their free play and post these on the relevant area of the COL on our wall display. We note what they are doing and what kind of learner they are from the play they are engaged in. These notes are then collected by the keyworker and then she puts them in the learning journals and uses them to plan activities using the knowledge she has gained about what kind of learner the child is to ensure activities meet the individual childs needs Edited January 16, 2013 by max321 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melcatfish Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 We observe the children and note which of the CoEL they are exhibiting. Ideally we would like to see children displaying characteristics from all three areas with most naturally being stronger in the area which reflects their preferred \ main learning style. If we identify through reflecting on observations that little James is not showing any signs of "Being Willing To Have A Go" for example, we might include some aspect of that as a next step \ PLOD (whichever term you prefer) or simply plan some adult support or an activity where he will have specific opportunities to use those skills and an adult offering encouragement and support. We have not looked upon the CoEL as something to progress through but as a picture of the range of characteristics a well rounded child who is learning well may display. To an extent they can be applied to children at different ages although it would be fair to say that, for example, the thinking critically section is much more visible in older children. Mel x 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 ......I think I should read Nancy Stewarts' book on Characteristics of effective learning - might help...feeling a little lost now! argh! :blink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
currycraver Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 ah yes but are they playing and exploring or active learners?????!! (or perhaps just pesky kids! :blink: !!!) I thought that they could showing characteristics of either one, two or all three. Am I getting more muddled. I am on a course in a couple of weeks so will ask then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 I think you are right currycraver, we see different aspects of the Cof L on different days at different activities, we just try to concentrate on the more dominant ones (if possible) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Dont forget the very young children display COL too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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