So this post follows on from my last one on ditching the timetable. If you have read that blog, you will know that I am not a timetable fan and I am not a fan of pre-teacher planning, other than what could be called the 'bones' of what we want to achieve.
If you have read through this blog, you will know we are a 'competency' or 'dispositions' based school. This means we believe that we a doing our best by children for their future if we are working on developing dispositions, rather than creating consumers of knowledge.
I also believe this type of planning and the following of interests and urges is possible across all year levels.
This way of working places the children as the curriculum and makes their voice the most important planning tool in the classroom.
I did want to do a bit of an update, because I often get asked about how I make this all work.
Firstly, I don't want people to think there is nothing sitting there planning wise...indeed there are a number of frameworks that I use to guide where I am working with children.
Of course our school curriculum delivery model, mentioned in my last post, sits behind all of this.
My brain framework here
Our school dispositions (learner profile)
Literacy Framework - getting started
Writing jigsaw
Number sense that sits behind agency
The Ingredients of my classroom (created at the beginning of each year)
These frameworks/plans, sit behind everything that happens in our classroom. They form my way of working and help me to set priorities. The most important thing to remember is this...whatever happens needs to happen within the context of developmentally appropriate practice. Therefore most of the specific goal based learning happens individually with children as they are ready and not before.
From this, I have a blank journal. Each week I set priorities for what I want to achieve that week. Maybe we need to focus on a specific disposition as this has come through as a clear next step area when observing play. Perhaps I want to aim to have 2 class storytelling sessions...do a couple of mojo big ideas, a couple of whole group phonic sessions. Perhaps there are a couple of kindness songs I want to focus on. You get the idea. Basically these get handwritten in a list, which then get ticked off as they are done. We have no timetable, so they happen where it feels 'right' to do so.
Then each day, I record what happens, so that by the end of the day, we in effect have a messy timetable for that day (but after it has happened.) This gives me the chance to reflect on the day and prioritize anything for the next. As we work in a team, this works well for us, because we all know what is going on.
I also have a page in the journal where I am recording interests/urges that are seen. This basically gets turned into a mindmap (handwritten.) I have created an easy to read on here as an example for you.
Week 1 - 3 mindmap
Recording these interests allows me to see opportunities for further discovery or provocation and also encourages me to learn more about what the children are interested in so I can extend their thinking, as they also extend mine.
We also keep a record of 'inquiry' type discussions in a class learning journal. Basically the learning is captured and shared in a variety of ways...including on seesaw either for individuals in a narrative, small groups, or whole class.
An example of a class summary of learning. This goes out at the end of a term to give parents an idea of what we have covered in the term.
This video below describes our learning journal...which we are always refining and improving.
This video may also be of interest
If you have read through this blog, you will know we are a 'competency' or 'dispositions' based school. This means we believe that we a doing our best by children for their future if we are working on developing dispositions, rather than creating consumers of knowledge.
I also believe this type of planning and the following of interests and urges is possible across all year levels.
This way of working places the children as the curriculum and makes their voice the most important planning tool in the classroom.
I did want to do a bit of an update, because I often get asked about how I make this all work.
Firstly, I don't want people to think there is nothing sitting there planning wise...indeed there are a number of frameworks that I use to guide where I am working with children.
Of course our school curriculum delivery model, mentioned in my last post, sits behind all of this.
My brain framework here
Our school dispositions (learner profile)
Literacy Framework - getting started
Writing jigsaw
Number sense that sits behind agency
The Ingredients of my classroom (created at the beginning of each year)
These frameworks/plans, sit behind everything that happens in our classroom. They form my way of working and help me to set priorities. The most important thing to remember is this...whatever happens needs to happen within the context of developmentally appropriate practice. Therefore most of the specific goal based learning happens individually with children as they are ready and not before.
From this, I have a blank journal. Each week I set priorities for what I want to achieve that week. Maybe we need to focus on a specific disposition as this has come through as a clear next step area when observing play. Perhaps I want to aim to have 2 class storytelling sessions...do a couple of mojo big ideas, a couple of whole group phonic sessions. Perhaps there are a couple of kindness songs I want to focus on. You get the idea. Basically these get handwritten in a list, which then get ticked off as they are done. We have no timetable, so they happen where it feels 'right' to do so.
Then each day, I record what happens, so that by the end of the day, we in effect have a messy timetable for that day (but after it has happened.) This gives me the chance to reflect on the day and prioritize anything for the next. As we work in a team, this works well for us, because we all know what is going on.
I also have a page in the journal where I am recording interests/urges that are seen. This basically gets turned into a mindmap (handwritten.) I have created an easy to read on here as an example for you.
Week 1 - 3 mindmap
Recording these interests allows me to see opportunities for further discovery or provocation and also encourages me to learn more about what the children are interested in so I can extend their thinking, as they also extend mine.
We also keep a record of 'inquiry' type discussions in a class learning journal. Basically the learning is captured and shared in a variety of ways...including on seesaw either for individuals in a narrative, small groups, or whole class.
An example of a class summary of learning. This goes out at the end of a term to give parents an idea of what we have covered in the term.
This video below describes our learning journal...which we are always refining and improving.
This video may also be of interest
This process works for us, it is not easy, it is hard work, but totally rewarding. I love teaching and learning in a classroom that has self-directed play at its very core. Each year we get better and better, but this is a journey, every evolving and ever improving. Just as it should be.
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