Learning Stories

[ireland]

Seeking help please...we have begun undertaking 'learning stories' but TA's worried as takes a lot of time to fill in. I am at a loss, please please someone out there share what they do regards these. I don't want to stop these as they are very beneficial for the children and parents, but need help with feeding the analysis of learning stories into planning

 

Eagerly awaiting a response

[green hippo]

Hi,

We started doing week-long learning stories (similar to those described in Anna Ephgrave's book) - we take 3 children each week (and try to keep to this as much as possible depending other things that are happening at that time, so we might do them over a couple of weeks - for example, at the moment with Nativity etc.) We spend more time with the focus children working on their targets (2/3) through their CI play and record our observations of them, AND any interactions adults (and children, of course!) have with them on an A3 page with photos. We don't necessarily set up activities for them before hand but respond to what they are interested in that day and week, building on it where possible through interactions, finding extra resources, setting-up 'mini' focused activities for following day if necessary. We have found it to be massively successful as it has really made ALL staff focus on moment-by-moment teaching and responding to needs and interests on a day-to-day basis. All my TAs love it, one (my least confident TA) said last week "I love these, it's so easy to see where their next steps are now." We only complete 'stand-back and watch' observation when necessary (or if not appropriate to intervene!). My TAs found it quite difficult to 'find' a next step off one narrative observation but have no problem with learning stories. In the week, we try to ensure that we have observed all AOLs, indoors and outdoors where at all possible. Of course, if a child does not engage in learning within an AOL then that immediately gives us something to consider and put right!

Before we complete them, we send a simple questionnaire home and then send the completed learning journey home which the parents are asked to add a comment.

I'm not sure if this is what you are referring to when you say 'learning stories' but this is what we do and it does work and has made a difference to the progress of the children. I would say, give it a try for a while. All new things do take a while but they do get quicker the more you do. In effect, it's just writing down what you are doing anyway. If it makes it quicker, write the obs and interactions down on large stickers while it is happening, then there is no extra time needed to write them onto the sheet.

Good Luck,

Green Hippo x

[Lumpty]

I love your 'learning stories' format Green Hippo, I'm going to adapt ours and do something similar :-)

[mundia]

Hi Ireland, from what you have said, it appears that its the management of what you are doing that your TA finds tricky, rather than the purpose of doing them? Or is it something else? Are you trying to do too many in one go, making it feel like a mountain to climb?

Green hippo's approach is a good one, we used to do similar, except that we (3 of us) chose 2-3 key children each week, so 6-9 altogether. This enabled us to get around 39 children in about a half term. It worked well and the children took responsibility for what went in their 'special books', so there was no taking them home to complete etc. As we met to plan each week, we would try and incorporate their interests into future planning so that even though they weren't our focus children the next week, we still had something which would enable them to build on what they had done.

[ireland]

Thank you so much for your responses, especially green hippo. Will take these on board and try to adapt ours

 

Thanks once again