Part Two: Learning Stories - the key components

Summary

The video centers around the concept of learning stories as a fresh approach to assessing and planning in education, contrasting with traditional methods like mere observation. The talk explores the dynamic, non-formulaic structure of learning stories, consisting of narrative, analysis, and planning, which are deeply integrated with students' personal learning paths. It emphasizes making assessments accessible and valuable to children, families, and educators alike. Real-life examples illustrate how learning stories are not just about documenting achievements but fostering a comprehensive understanding and connection among all parties involved. The narrative showcases a teacher's story of a child's activity, reflecting on personalized learning and collaborative environments, showcasing how these stories deepen engagement and understanding within the education community.

Highlights

• Learning stories surpass traditional assessments by integrating storytelling and analysis. ✨
• The three-part structure: narrative, analysis, and planning, tailors learning experiences. 🧩
• This approach makes educational assessments valuable and relatable to families. 👪
• Personalized learning stories can foster long-lasting connections and engagement. 💡
• Transformative potential of learning stories in understanding and documenting educational growth. 🌟

Key Takeaways

• Learning stories bridge observation and assessment by fostering a narrative approach. 📖
• The three key components are narrative, analysis, and planning. 📚
• It's essential to keep assessment accessible and understandable for all stakeholders. 🌍
• Real-life examples make learning personalized and deeply engaging. 🎓
• Connecting with children's learning journeys enriches educational practices. 🌱

Overview

Learning stories are transforming how educators assess and plan for students’ learning journeys. Unlike traditional observation methods, learning stories weave narrative, analysis, and personalized planning into a cohesive approach. This methodology ensures that assessments do not just remain as bureaucratic tools but become engaging reflections of children’s developmental trajectories, connecting families, educators, and the children themselves.

Employing narratives in learning stories not only captures the dynamics of individual learning experiences but also highlights the active role teachers and families play in these journeys. Educators are encouraged to continually adapt the stories to the children's evolving interests and curiosities, ensuring a fluid and responsive education process. Through this storytelling journey, assessment becomes a transparent and meaningful practice accessible to all stakeholders in the child’s learning ecosystem.

In practice, learning stories document not only a child’s achievements but also the collaborative dialogues between the child, teacher, and family. A story about building a 'sticky bridge' offers a vivid example of how learning stories can be crafted to reflect creativity, collaboration, and cognitive development. Such stories do not just stay in educational portfolios but become cherished narratives that resonate well beyond the classroom walls, solidifying connections and enhancing educational experiences for all involved.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 01:00: The Book and Learning Stories The chapter presents the inclusion of a particular book within a learning narrative, emphasizing the importance of storytelling in educational contexts. Though brief, it introduces the concept by acknowledging the role of selected books in shaping learning experiences.
• 01:00 - 03:00: Key Components of a Learning Story The chapter "Key Components of a Learning Story" discusses the educational practices in Canada with a focus on the use of observation as a tool for student assessment. It highlights the introduction and teaching of learning stories as an evolving practice. The chapter seeks to explore and define what constitutes a learning story, suggesting there are common elements in exemplary stories as referenced from a book.
• 03:00 - 06:00: Assessment and Planning in Learning Stories The chapter explores the key components of a learning story, emphasizing its dynamic and adaptable nature. It notes that as teachers engage with the learning story format, they personalize and evolve it. The discussion indicates that while the format may change, understanding its core aspects remains important for effective assessment and planning.
• 06:00 - 08:00: Example of a Learning Story The chapter 'Example of a Learning Story' discusses the evolution of an assessment process in a learning environment. Initially, the process involved a narrative followed by a short-term review, and then planning. Looking back, the creators reflect on the accessibility of the assessment, which was a critical consideration in its development, aiming to ensure it was understandable to all involved. The focus was on making the assessment process both effective and accessible.
• 08:00 - 10:00: Reflection on the Learning Story The chapter titled 'Reflection on the Learning Story' discusses the importance of creating educational narratives that are accessible and understandable to children, teachers, and families. It highlights the need for these stories to connect with the audience comprehensively. Initially, short-term reviews seemed disconnected, but the chapter emphasizes the significance of framing learning stories by constantly questioning the underlying learning happening at each moment. The reflection on learning stories allows teachers to gain deeper insights into individual learning experiences, exemplified by understanding the progression in a student named Mark's learning journey.
• 10:00 - 11:00: Upcoming Discussion The chapter titled 'Upcoming Discussion' focuses on the transformation of descriptive observation into a learning narrative through the process of analysis. It highlights the significant shift this brings, particularly in terms of educational assessment and community engagement. Through analysis, educators can make the value in children's learning visible to the broader community, including families, thus bridging the gap between simple observation and meaningful assessment.

Part Two: Learning Stories - the key components Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 [Music] [Music] that's why um we have selected your book uh to be part of our learning story as
• 00:30 - 01:00 as Educators in Canada but also makes me wonder um because we don't have this culture in Canada you know to to um we still use observation as as tools to assess students so we're trying to introduce learning stories and and how do we teach students uh in other words you know what are the key components of a learning story because when we look at what you have in the book um there seem to be similar elements in the stories that um are presented as um as examples
• 01:00 - 01:30 in the book so I'm just wondering if you can elaborate a little bit on on the key components of a learning story without being a formula uh that's very clear but what what would one include in in a learning story well the learning story format has slightly changed I mean the reality is it's a very Dynamic process as teachers engage they make it their own and so it begins to shift and change in the first
• 01:30 - 02:00 instance we had just the narrative then shortterm review We called it which was the analysis of the learning and then what next which was the planning yeah now it's a really interesting thing because we look back now and we think oh what were we thinking actually it was that accessible cuz one of the things about assessment that was critical to us was to make sure in developing a process and practice of assessment we needed to make sure that that this assessment was accessible to
• 02:00 - 02:30 children and accessible to families made sense to children made sense to teachers and made sense to families and we realized that short-term review this doesn't this doesn't connect but when we start say oh what is this about what learning is happening here what did I learn about Mark today uh teachers reflection even once we started putting that frame because actually the learning story
• 02:30 - 03:00 doesn't become a learning story until you do the analysisis so the narrative I mean there's plenty of description out there teachers had been long being doing description of children's learning but there was no it was the analysis that took this into the field of assessment and made visible to the community at large what was valued in this place so that was that was a a tremendous shift actually in connecting with families and
• 03:00 - 03:30 the third part was of course the what next and we realized too that as we engaged with our accountability agencies we realized we had closed down the notion of planning rather than the recognition you know that children are like a moving Target and you can't continue to be responsive if one day you write a learning story and you put what next and you list things if you immediately dive into that the next day without actually negotiating with the child responding to the child so
• 03:30 - 04:00 it change that changed to Opportunities and possibilities yes let's think about the possibilities but actually if we're going to be truly responsive to this child we need now to think beyond that opportunities and possibilities and and some of the things we're using now statements like how might we stretch this learning further uh and I think that's one of the you know people talk about planning and in the past the planning has been very separated from the assessment practice
• 04:00 - 04:30 and actually if I think back to our assessment practice prear key and pre-learning stories it was often uh well it was very Developmental and it was very deficit based and it was often hidden in the offices that was the good news locked away for no one to see and no one to engage with um that was just a fortunate thing that happened but you'd have the assessment over here and then you would
• 04:30 - 05:00 sit around a table and talk about planning actually and these two wouldn't inter yeah and so once this assessment was directly linked to the planning with this notion of well what are the possibilities now how might we respond and actually one of the ideas and how this evolved and as part one of the projects following um the the actual project to look at how how might assessment look
• 05:00 - 05:30 the government was involved in developing a very big project for primary schools around assessment exemplars and uh anyway they had well started the project hundreds were involved and they suddenly noticed one day who was not at the table Early Childhood uh but fortunately they said okay they came to Margaret and myself and said we'd like you to do a pilot small pilot on exemplars for early childhood and that turned into to a 9-year
• 05:30 - 06:00 project and actually that became a very significant project in terms of the support for development of of learning stories and how might this assessment look over time and we really began to think deeply about the planning uh because for a long I mean many years how long in education have we been talking about personalized learning many many many and and often we've never met the mark actually and so I would say
• 06:00 - 06:30 to a teacher look when they say they're doing planning and they've got something sitting on the wall it's often they often actually when you you actually get down to it and say did this happen they would acknowledge that it happen well they yes they do acknowledge that no it didn't happen so then you say well actually inside your learning story is the planning this is not the only planning but this is the personalized planning this is where you'll see the trajectory the child's learning over
• 06:30 - 07:00 time in this portfolio you'll draw the threads together over time of that child's interest that passion um which will be pursued and supported by teachers yeah I now want to give you an example of a learning story using the three parts I have already talked about the first part the noticing this is is the section that is the story and includes
• 07:00 - 07:30 the photographs the second part the recognizing this is the section that provides the analysis of the learning it is at this point that the story becomes a learning story this is the actual assessment for example what learning I think is happening here or what did I learn about Elizabeth today the third part the responding this is the individual plan planning for the child
• 07:30 - 08:00 what will we do to strengthen support and extend the learning or alternatively we might use opportunities and possibilities as a heading what follows is an example of a learning story this learning story is published in the book learning stories constructing learner identities and Early Education by Margaret K and myself and was published in 2012 it is a learning story about a child's
• 08:00 - 08:30 agency Jackie Le is the author of this learning story and teaches at pakarang Baptist kindergarten in Oakland New Zealand she is a passionate and enthusiastic advocate for children her own philosophy includes being present and really listening to what children are saying she says that she is learning about children all the time and she believes it only happens if we listen deeply to
• 08:30 - 09:00 children it is this focus on children that keeps her enthusiastic and engaged always open to living with uncertainty in order to be responsive to Children this is what the learning story looks like in the ch's portfolio the learning story takes three pages in the child's portfolio the photos tell the story the story is called building a sticky bridge and the first first page
• 09:00 - 09:30 is entirely of photographs the second page is more photographs with a written story the story is very short but clearly describes the story when read alongside the photographs the third page includes the assessment of the learning what might Elizabeth be learning in this story also opportunities and possibilities for the future for the purposes of this discussion I have included the learning story
• 09:30 - 10:00 written out again in a form that you will find easier to follow with this digital format building a sticky Bridge today you and Elizabeth were very busy working in the collage area you had a great idea of making a bridge with cellot tape and were working with tremendous concentration to put this plan into action your Bridge began to look like one of the pictures I had seen in my new
• 10:00 - 10:30 bridge book so I brought it to show you you guys are great Engineers what might Elizabeth be learning in this story you and Lucy work together so well Elizabeth I'm really impressed by the way you share ideas with each other and negotiate you are also a respectful and generous friend you were very quick to tell everyone that the bridge had been Lucy's idea in the first place did you realize that you worked together for 2 and 1 half hours
• 10:30 - 11:00 making this bridge you have an amazing ability to focus and concentrate on your projects when you came to talk to me about how you were working together you asked what it was called in our wall display I said it was called collaboration so you went back to tell Lucy that you were collaborating with her you really like words don't you I'll tell you a secret I love words too opportunities and
• 11:00 - 11:30 possibilities the challenges you set yourselves are just so much bigger than I could set I think I will just have to wait and watch and get ready to be impressed by your next fantastic creative idea uh is being worked to see what is being worked on parents response mom told me that when you brought the story home Granddad was visiting your house he was a bit worried
• 11:30 - 12:00 that using six rolls of cellot tape to build a bridge was a bit of a waste of cellot tape but Mom said that you told him that Jackie didn't call it wasting when you were collaborating and being creative your mom was really impressed that you were able to use those words and defend your use of building materials so am I Jackie went on to write a reflection about this learning story this
• 12:00 - 12:30 reflection was written some time after the original story was produced this is the reflection the sticky Bridge was a significant piece of documentation for me because it enabled me to see very clearly the power of making Children's Learning visible for both them and their families this story helped both Elizabeth's grandfather and mother to see her in a powerful New Way both as a learner and also as a person who was able bble to defend her choices and say
• 12:30 - 13:00 why they were valid and important this story became a real connection between us and even though she's moved on to school quite some time ago her family still bring her back to visit and she always talks about the sticky Bridge story I am looking forward to sharing a little more in information in my next conversation that will focus on this quote a child's culture cannot enter a classroom before it first enters a teacher's
• 13:00 - 13:30 conscience thank you for listening