Guest Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Hi, i have got all my learning journeys up to date and have a tracker sheet for all my areas of learning so i can see at a glance where all the children are up to. What i am struggling with is how to record my Characteristics of Learning ? Am i meant to record a CoL for every observation i do, as well as the area of learning or should i do some obs based on the CoLs and some on the area of learning ? Sorry to sound thick, just need some guidance :blink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hopeytg Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 We use the attached pre-typed obs forms - still 'post it' sized but with COL included. Obs Post its.doc 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 We use the attached pre-typed obs forms - still 'post it' sized but with COL included. Thanks for sharing :1b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 We use the attached pre-typed obs forms - still 'post it' sized but with COL included. Thank you for sharing that . Does it not need to be more specific, i.e which sub heading of each CoL it should be ? We do you something similar, but i find staff are simly just ticking all 3 boxes, when in fact i feel it should actually be quite specific to a certain Obs ? We do have a tracker sheet for the CoL, but i am finding it impossible to complete because on the obs sheet they have simply ticked every heading. Am i making sense :huh: ? If i were to fill out the tracker sheet now as it has been recorded on the observations, then every child would have completed every characteristic of learning in the first half term !! My head is pounding with all this....... and got to go on a safeguarding course in 2 hours as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mouseketeer Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 I also added a CoEL sheet to LJ,s, but staff don't appear to be using so I thinks it best to not be there than empty....I,m trying to get them to think of them as what were previously dispositions and attitudes statements basically...but it isn't happening......yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest griffclan Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Hi, we found the same problem that when we did post it note style obs we weren't recording COL. So we have linked observing COL to a a more detailed planned observation that we do for each child (usually every 2 weeks) just to make sure we are observing this some of the time. Staff still do post it note obs as and when and sometimes will note a COL on this but only if it tends to be very obvious. I do think we should perhaps be looking a little more specifically at the particular COL rather than just the broad title, our obs sheet shows more detail - makes the form look very busy with a lot of writing on it but I'm not sure how else to do it! We also use a tracking sheet for COL but these are just completed termly. I've attached a copy of our planned obs form and the tracking sheet, Planned Observation Sheet Sept 2012.odt Characteristics of Effective Learning - tracker.odt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Hi, we found the same problem that when we did post it note style obs we weren't recording COL. So we have linked observing COL to a a more detailed planned observation that we do for each child (usually every 2 weeks) just to make sure we are observing this some of the time. Staff still do post it note obs as and when and sometimes will note a COL on this but only if it tends to be very obvious. I do think we should perhaps be looking a little more specifically at the particular COL rather than just the broad title, our obs sheet shows more detail - makes the form look very busy with a lot of writing on it but I'm not sure how else to do it! We also use a tracking sheet for COL but these are just completed termly. I've attached a copy of our planned obs form and the tracking sheet, Planned Observation Sheet Sept 2012.odt Characteristics of Effective Learning - tracker.odt Thank you very much for sharing :1b I'm going to have to make a confession now - we haven't been recording CoL at all 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Gasps!!! I've been doing them on all my photo obs. Little bit of description, couple of development statements and then the CoL. "Ricky was really engaged with this activity. He was exploring the bug from all sides, using the magnifying glass. He was willing to have a go at holding it and seemed to enjoy the sensation of the tickly feet on his arm. When he had put the bug outside he went to get the plastic ones out and engaged In open-ended play for quite some time" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 OK, OK I'm hanging my head in shame......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panders Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Right there beside you Sunnyday! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Right there beside you Sunnyday! Phew! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finleysmaid Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 now forgive me for saying this but can someone point me in the right direction....where does it say we hve to record this all the time. I can only find... 1.10 In planning and guiding children’s activities, practitioners must reflect on the different ways that children learn and reflect these in their practice. Three characteristics of effective teaching and learning are: since when did reflect mean write? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 now forgive me for saying this but can someone point me in the right direction....where does it say we hve to record this all the time. I can only find... 1.10 In planning and guiding children’s activities, practitioners must reflect on the different ways that children learn and reflect these in their practice. Three characteristics of effective teaching and learning are: since when did reflect mean write? Double phew! Now that was my understanding too - but was beginning to think it was just me! :1b 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apple Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Fairly put Finleysmaid... just waiting for this can of worms to spread now 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lashes2508 Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 (edited) Thank you very much for sharing :1b I'm going to have to make a confession now - we haven't been recording CoL at all your not alone my friend Edited October 17, 2012 by lashes2508 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 I'm only doing it because I like it as my summation. It's kind if what I was doing anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 I'm with Sunnyday and have not been recording them either :ph34r: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Yay - shall we start a club - I will have to think of a snappy title for us!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 How about..."Still searching for the reduction in paperwork" or "can't play with you now I am too busy writing about you"... Sorry if I am sounding bitter I just do not know where it is all going to end. Spent the morning out of session doing supervision meetings with my four staff, we all work in the same room, and three of us have worked together for the last ten years. We are a really close team who talk and reflect openly and honestly on a daily basis, and now I have to fill in boxes to prove this. :mellow: Anyway on a different note I am on a course tomorrow about how to lead your setting through Ofsted!!Hope that it is going to be useful and I leave feeling positive otherwise I may just lose the plot and go 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rafa Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Fairly put Finleysmaid... just waiting for this can of worms to spread now Dont get me started apple........&@#€!!! : ) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 How about..."Still searching for the reduction in paperwork" or "can't play with you now I am too busy writing about you"... Sorry if I am sounding bitter I just do not know where it is all going to end. Spent the morning out of session doing supervision meetings with my four staff, we all work in the same room, and three of us have worked together for the last ten years. We are a really close team who talk and reflect openly and honestly on a daily basis, and now I have to fill in boxes to prove this. :mellow: Anyway on a different note I am on a course tomorrow about how to lead your setting through Ofsted!!Hope that it is going to be useful and I leave feeling positive otherwise I may just lose the plot and go Tis flamin' ridiculous isn't it If someone, anyone can tell me how this improves outcomes for the children then please do I'm all ears.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
green hippo Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 I went on a course about the revised EYFS at the Early Excellence and there was not much emphasis put on the COL at all - it was literally mentioned that it had been included in a more obvious way but that this is what we base our environment and teaching on anyway and the only real change was the BRIEF summary that it expected at the end of reception. We tend to write things anyway on our obs about how engage the child was, perseverence, etc and I may do a BRIEF summary to pass onto the Reception teacher and possibly highlight obs in different colours to show where the child has shown different characteristics of learning? There was DEFINATELY more emphasis on PUTTING OUR CLIPBOARDS AND POST-IT NOTES DOWN and spending more time interacting with the children. Record only things you may forget or are particularly special, take a photo to remind yourself of something happening - what we write down is different from person to person and setting to setting. But this is definately easier said than done!!! Green Hippo x 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rafa Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Tis flamin' ridiculous isn't it If someone, anyone can tell me how this improves outcomes for the children then please do I'm all ears.... Oh pleeeease.......you really are rattling my cage now.........!!!!! : ( 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lashes2508 Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 we could be the CoL gang - 'carry on loathing' the paperwork !! :angry: :1b <_< :rolleyes: B) :huh: :blink: :mellow: 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 we could be the CoL gang - 'carry on loathing' the paperwork !! :angry: :1b <_< :rolleyes: B) :huh: :blink: :mellow: Yay! Love it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 we could be the CoL gang - 'carry on loathing' the paperwork !! :angry: :1b <_< :rolleyes: B) :huh: :blink: :mellow: Count me in, love that title. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lashes2508 Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 it's official - we are now a gang - - 'combatting overload together !' 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Thank you very much for sharing :1b I'm going to have to make a confession now - we haven't been recording CoL at all snap!! whoops!! just trying to get used to new statements etc at mo x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melcatfish Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 We haven't been recording them specifically but lots of them are things that we say naturally in our observations (or equivalent phrasing) so I feel I can argue that they are in evidence event hough I don't have a box to tick which characteristics are shown - so my intention is that next week when we look through our key childrens observation journals we will note down any gaps or areas which we are not not seeing much evidence of and make a conscious effort to plan for these in our next steps \ plods whatever the current favourite term is. So if we see for example that a particular child is not exhibiting the characteristics in the keeping on trying section for example then we will try to plan to give them opportunities to develop these skills. It is all a bit crazy really because we already were doing this sort of thing but despite the call for less paperwork I feel I need to document this process where as before it would have been something just incorporated into our thought processes. Mel x 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catma Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Isn't part of the point of them to do with reflection (as pointed out elsewhere) in that if you aren't seeing/hearing those kinds of behaviours, then your provision isn't enabling children to be resilient learners and ready for the next stage in the journey when they move on? It's only the EYFSP where it has to be recorded for parents and Yr1 teachers. If you are trying to write down what you think the actions or commentary from a child "means" at the point of it happening, then really you are writing an assessment, not an observation and 1 assessment doesn't make a judgement anyway. Doesn't professional knowledge of how a chld learns come from knowing them over time and being able to use a range of observations in different contexts, of what you saw or heard, to reflect on their learning apptitudes? Cx 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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