Aussie Childcare Network Forum

Hi Everyone, So i studied certificate 111 many years ago. I did not learn programming and i do not remember anything i learnt and ive heard everything has changed since i did my cert 111. I took a full time job that said they would support me with programming and they never taught me how even though i explained i dont know how before i got the job.
I have been offered another job but i am scared to take it because i dont think they understand that i really don't know. Even with learning stories/daily stories. Im not good at coming up with things to write. Am i in the wrong industry? i love helping out and caring for children but im worried i am not cut out to be a educator, not sure what to do.
Is there any way i can teach myself ? Is it hard to programme?

You could look into doing your Diploma to get that information/knowledge? I also think there may be workshops which help explain the EYLF & possibly even some to help with documentation/programming

I personally don't think its all that hard to program/document. Did you learn anything about documentation in your Cert III? I'd presume so but I don't know. I know when I did mine it was pre-EYLF so what I learned wasn't necessarily what I then had to do once I started working. If you look on here you can download the National Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) to read that (along with any other framework if you're in Vic or WA). I know that my service writes up learning stories/observations & connect them with the learning outcomes on the EYLF

If you talk with the centre who have offered you a job maybe you can find out how they do their documentation/programming & learn before accepting? Or at least have a better idea on what you'll need to try & learn for the role

Thankyou Lorina for your response, really appreciate it. I actually took a job where i had to do programming and i had to resign, as there wasn't support and had no idea what i was doing. Also, i do not know how to do daily reflections or observations. I did do a very small amount of that when i studied over 5 years ago. Is it hard? i will be studying my diploma soon. It just sucks not being able to do all these things as i feel like i cant hold a job until i do.

Lorina is probably best for answering this but in my experience there isn't necessarily a set way of writing. I'm sure that we all have different writing styles, so there may not necessarily be a right way of writing up a daily reflection or observation. There may be a set template to use though depending on the service or what exactly you're writing up. Observations themselves come in many different forms/methods (E.G. learning stories, anecdotal observations, running records, photo observations, ect.) so it would depend on the type of observation. For example a photo observation is a series of photos which show what is happening with a small amount of text to explain what is happening in the photos. That's possibly one of, if not the, easiest type of observation to do. But even samples of the child's work is a part of programming/observing children and their learning as it shows what the child has achieved/created. But it will come down to your service as at mine we mainly do learning stories.

I think this article would be helpful for you to look at as it explains different types of observations & how to do them : Different Types of Observation Methods
You could always practice and have a go at observing anyone or anything to write one up & see how you go. If you have a pet, a child, or a partner observe them & write up an observation on them to test it out maybe?

I'm not sure on how much of the process you would need to do, but another helpful article is this one: Observations in Childcare