Unpacking the planning cycle: Part 2

During the month of September, We Hear You will be featuring a special three-part series exploring the ongoing planning cycle and documentation – ‘Unpacking the planning cycle’.

In this second instalment, we extend our discussion about documentation to consider the information you are collecting and the way it is used to understand and add value to learning outcomes for children.

Unpacking the planning cycle

Part 2: Gathering meaningful information, questioning and interpreting the learning

In our last instalment, we looked at Why do we document? Thinking through the what and the how of the cycle of planning for children’s learning, wellbeing and development. We left you with some questions to reflect on how you document, plan and critically reflect on children’s learning/wellbeing in relation to Element 1.2.1: Each child’s learning and development is assessed as part of an ongoing cycle of planning, documenting and evaluation.

The Guide to the National Quality Framework highlights what the National Quality Standard (NQS) aims to achieve with this Element:

Educators use a variety of strategies to collect, document, organise, synthesise and interpret the information that they gather to assess children’s learning. They search for appropriate ways to collect rich and meaningful information that depicts children’s learning in context, describes their progress and identifies their strengths, skills and understandings.

ACECQA’s Meeting the NQS resource, The planning cycle, takes educators through the process of critical reflection, providing practice examples as well as linking the planning cycle back to service philosophy.

In part two we ask you to consider the information you are collecting, how meaningful it is and the way it is analysed and used to interpret each child’s learning. It is important to remember the reason you are collecting information – it needs to add value to outcomes for children.

The following series of vignettes present examples across a range of different ages. Below each case study are questions to encourage educators to focus on the meaningful aspects that might inform the planning cycle. They showcase a range of methods and techniques of collecting information as well as questions and ideas to draw out learning. Remember, there is no one way of documenting – these vignettes are presented as just one example of the planning cycle.

Questioning and interpreting the learning:

What does this information tell us about the way children under three learn?
How does this learning affect the way we plan opportunities and environments?
How can we further support Jade in transferring and adapting learning and support her agency and interactions?

Questioning and interpreting the learning:

What does this information tell us about Bihn‘s sense of belonging, connectedness and wellbeing?
How can we build on the knowledge and understandings that Bihn has developed?
How can we support Bihn’s increasing capacity for self-regulation and provide opportunities for him to engage independently with tasks and play?

Questioning and interpreting the learning:

How can we support these children to find effective ways of communicating their concerns and to collaborate with others?
In what ways are we supporting children’s understanding of interdependence and how can we facilitate this sense of ownership and belonging within the program?

Thoughts and ideas for your next team meeting:

How do we know what is meaningful information and what is not?
How effective are your processes for capturing and recording information about children’s strengths, interests, relationships and learning over a period of time?