Reflection Three: Learning stories within my home centre.
For every child at the centre at least once every fortnight we do a learning story.
A learning story is a story about something that happened in the child’s day – normally something memorable.
The learning story is bright and colourful and has photos of the experience.
Children often help design them, choosing colours, fonts and words and photo’s that go onto them. We compile the learning stories into a portfolio that we encourage parents to go through with their children, children to go through to relive the fun times, and to show their friends. They are a great way to promote communication between children as they talk and describe the experience to their friends.
On one recent occasion a young child, R, was creating a learning story with me. I asked R what colours she wanted to use on the title, and she also chose what picture she wanted to use on it. R chose the font and was so proud of her finished learning story. I printed her a copy to take home with her to show her parents, and she ran around showing all the other children. When her father showed up to pick her up, she ran up to him to show him as well, and talked very excitedly about it.
Te Whariki notes an important learning outcome is “Children develop the ability to represent their discoveries, using creative and expressive media and the technology associated with them” (Ministry of Education, 1996)
It is a great way to include parents in their children’s learning and encourage crossover between their home and ECE environments. By facilitation conversations between parents and the teachers describing the situation and elaborating on what had happened we help to build relationships with the parents and gain insight into their feelings and thoughts. “Communication should be a major concern from day one. Its important to use communication to start building a relationship with the [child’s] family.” (Gonzalez-Mena and Eyer, 2009)
The learning story is an example of technology in the centre. Only 10 years ago, the cost of the computer, the cost of the publishing software and the cost of high quality colour printer would have made this sort of learning aid beyond the reach of most centres.
With the rapid advances in technology this is within the reach of any centre.
An interesting example of the use of technology comes from India, where Mitra and Rana describe the use of computers in a ECE setting. “In Minimally Invasive Education the teacher sets up the environment and then is absent. The researchers have established computer kiosks in public areas where children may be and tracked what children learn with no adult assistance. They have found that diverse groups of children can acquire computer literacy without any formal instruction from adults.” (MacNaughton and Williams, 2009)
Going forwards I think that within the next 5 years that we will have video logs, interviews and child generated content on children’s own private files that they can take with them when they leave.
References:
Gonzalez-Mena, J, Eyer, D, W. (2009). Infants, Toddlers
and Caregivers. New York, NY, United States of America : McGraw Hill.
MacNaughton, G., Williams, G., (2009). Techniques for Teaching Young Children. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia
Ministry
of Education (1996) Te Whariki Early Childhood curriculum. Wellington, New
Zealand: Learning Media Limited
Yes I believe learning stories are an important part of children's learning.
ReplyDeleteIt is great to read that the children in your centre are able to choose what appears on their learning story.
One could even write a learning story about looking through a portfolio. Using the computer for learning stories is wonderful as children and teachers are able to interact and learn from each other.
Kei Tua o te Pae states that "narrative assessments are a powerful way of building children's identities that have been developed with digital technology available to the children themselves", (Ministry of Education 2009 book 20).
Children do enjoy reading about their learning and adventures with family and friends, using ICT with them to design their story does allow for them to recognise their own competence with technology and how their learning has developed.
With the increase of technology- ICT use in the centre, teachers need encouragement to be confident and competent to help the children with learning stories.
What a great idea! Learning stories are about children’s learning. If children participate in making their learning stories, it can be the real one! I should try it if I have a chance to do it.
ReplyDeleteWhen children write their own learning stories, I think that it will be more effective for children to learn about technology. By choosing colours and fonts of titles, they can start to exploring software of computers. And by selecting their photos from a computer by themselves, the learning stories may be their treasure. Moreover, it will be more meaningful for both of teachers and children to make learning stories and to share with their parents.
Te Whāriki states that technology resources are linked with creative arts and crafts for children’s activities (Ministry of Education, 1996). When children create their own learning stories through use of computers, they can understand technological convenience; express their unique ideas; and get familiar with technological world.
What a great idea! Learning stories are about children’s learning. If children participate in making their learning stories, it can be the real one! I should try it if I have a chance to do it.
ReplyDeleteWhen children write their own learning stories, I think that it will be more effective for children to learn about technology. By choosing colours and fonts of titles, they can start to exploring software of computers. And by selecting their photos from a computer by themselves, the learning stories may be their treasure. Moreover, it will be more meaningful for both of teachers and children to make learning stories and to share with their parents.
Te Whāriki states that technology resources are linked with creative arts and crafts for children’s activities (Ministry of Education, 1996). When children create their own learning stories through use of computers, they can understand technological convenience; express their unique ideas; and get familiar with technological world.
Reference
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.
Hannah’s reflection impressed me from the day she published it. The learning centre has free access to the computers for children and it is incorporated in everyday practice. The ability of children to use the capital, space and even type their names was amazing, it just can’t occur in my centre because we have not technology available for children, I mean real devises, not pretending or staff used. I do agree that modern life required the knowledge of the texting and typing messages from all new generation, but not before five years old. Some centres like Steiner School are against the using technology for the preschoolers, because of the health issue. It is the teacher (centre) finely who make the choice. It is teachers’ responsibility to recognise the importance of what we want to teach children and why rather than assume “that all children can work out the connection for themselves” (Arthur, Beecher, , 2007, p.330). Now days teachers have to choose what is more important for children. How the children’s brain is working, how it is affect their future eye vision, ability to communicate and understand the emotions behind the words they are typing??? (195)
ReplyDeleteyes, i like your ideas of let children involve in the process of designing they own learning story. Because what is meaningful to as might not be the same with the children. Children are the once that understand the most of themselves. So when they show it to their parents they will have more to talk about. According to Te Whariki strand 5 goal 1"Children develop the ability to make decisions, choose their own materials, and set their own problem"( Ministry of Education, 1996). I do think your idea is a effective way to involve parents to children's learning. Therefore, parents will know what their children been doing in center and what they have learnt. Parents can also extend the learning from center to home.
ReplyDeleteMinistry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki, he whaariki mätauranga mo nga mokopuna ö Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.