Professional Knowledge in Practice; Criteria 11: Analyse and appropriately use assessment information, which has been gathered formally and informally.
Learning Stories:
I write learning stories for thr SN children as a record of their learning activities and achievements.These sometimes are based on learning experiences that show learning that are not necessarily planned for, and some that are planned. Most link back to the IEP's , sometimes directly based on goals, some as supplementary activities that had the added advantage of addressing some goals. Some are based on unexpected learning, and in retrospect, I should add some of these to the IEP's, using them more as working documents, rather than reference documents. As most of the children's learning can't be assessed using specific schedules such as running records, then other ways of recording the learning need to be accessed. I use a lot of photographs, and some portfolio samples are often a sreies of photos showing learning activities but are not analysed in depth. Some are of group activities, with some 'shared' information and some parts specific to the individual children. the formal recording uses the children's IEP's as a reference, which are written (at the moment) using the Key Competencies as the stucture. Goals and Learning Intentions are specified and then statements are made describing the learning activity and how it addresses the LI's and goals. 'Next Steps' have mostly been about the what we expect to see happen next. Recently I have also started to suggest some activities as ways of achieving the expected outcomes. These have helped to reduce the work involved, as I can give the Teacher Aides a copy of the Learning Story and they have the Learning Intentions, the pathway of activites/learning outcomes, and where to next. These will also hopefully help them to see the importance of the Evidence of Learning records and the types of active comments that need to be made, rather than just a list of activities undertaken. This also addresses one of my personal goals, which was to
Show Leadership that contributes to effective teaching and learning.
(Teacher Aides)Key Indicator: Actively contribute to the professional learning community.
Another key task in this area was for the
Teacher Aides to be able to record effective indicative comments in Evidence of Learning books.
I have worked with the Teacher Aides on an informal 1-1 basis as prime opportunities have presented themselves. Some TA's have needed very explicit instruction in this area and some have understood easily what sort of comments are needed to be a record of Evidence of Learning rather than just a note of the activity undertaken. I sometimes write the comment myself, when I have observed a TA working with the child, to model the type of explicit statements, and explain clearly why I am writing it using appropriate language etc and make suggestions for other types of comments. When I work with the children myself, I also write clear statements to provide further models of expectations.
To check my progress in this area, I will copy some pages rorm throughout the year and compare initial comments to later comments.
I do need to revisit this, and maybe work more formally with the TA's on this aspect. This however is much harder to manage in terms of needing release for the TA to be able to work with me, unless I take advantage of times when the child they work with are away (if I am available of course!)
I also use 'Rainbow Time' to model how to work with specific activities with the cildren, and especially the type of language to use. When I create activities to use specific resources, I always make a card for each piece of equipment, stating "I am learning to.." statements that usually cover a range of learning intentions (not all to be used at once, but so each piece of equipment can be used for multiple reasons and activities). Some Learning Intentions are so explicit that they almost explain how the equipment is to be used. I then either write a set of step by step instructions, including language to use (much like the old BSM programme), or for a Learning Intention, will suggest a variety of different types of equipment/resources that will expose the child to the same learning intentions in a multitude of activities. The equipment is then put into a plastic bag or container, along with the LI card.
Some TA's use these as intended. Some further develop the use of the equipment although this can lead to the Learning Intention to be lost. Sometimes this is fine, if the way things work out, usually some sort of learning takes place, but sometimes it can be frustrating. One or two TA's have not always used the cards (a few have completely disappeared!) and as such the learning has not continued as planned.
I talked about this with a colleague, who suggested that at least to try and keep the cards with the equipment, that I put a photo of it on the back of the LI card. Makes sense, and might help with keeping to the task intention. A "To Do"
I do find that the TA's don't always take the activities back to the classrooms to revisit them multiple times (which is what these children need) It is something I still need to work on
I also try to develop the use of resources/activites as further opportunities - particularly links to other areas of learning - arise. This is usually passed on to the TA's verbally, often as a result of us discussing needs etc, lots of collaboration, and team work.
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