Individual Learning Plans and Learning Stories

[muttley]

Hi Everyone,

Can you please help me?

At the moment, I write an individual learning plan for each of the children in my primary care group ( 10 children) but my question is, does the individual learning plan have to link to the learning stories that I write each month for the children or can they be separate?

Thanks in advance.

[Lorina]

Hi Muttley,

Since you are already evaluating the experience on the learning plan itself for each individual child there is no need to link to the learning stories. A learning story is another way to document children's experiences and this can be used as an additional document to the learning plan. So, for example if a spontaneous experience comes up or your group is involved in a special day etc, instead of using the learning plan to record these moments you can use a learning story. While implementing the EYLF a variety of documentation should be used to document learning not just one. This gives educators a broad perspective of the how the individual child engages in experiences and extends upon their knowledge. With your learning plan make sure you're linking the EYLF with individual objectives as well as in the evaluation... If you're doing this then it's fine!

Hope this answers your question,

,
L.A

[muttley]

Hi LA,

Yes it does answer my question! Thanks so much.

I have a monthly goal for each child which links back to the eylf and the learning outcomes. Sometimes that goal doesn't change as I feel that the child may still need work on that particular goal.

Keep up the great work!

[Lorina]

No worries! Glad I could help!

Just a couple of questionsi i wanted to ask about the individual learning plans...

If the particular goal doesn't get changed for that child, do you set up the same experience as you did previously or do you try something else with the same goal?

Also, when goal isn't acheived do you wait another month until next cycle or do you continue with it until child achieves the goal?

,
L.A

[muttley]

Hi Lorina,

I try not to set up the same experience, but see if the child can achieve the goal by trying a different experience. I continue with the same goal until I feel that the child has achieved that goal.
For example, I may set a goal of helping a child to feel safe, secure and supported when they first start in my room and they may achieve the goal but then they go on holidays for a while so I will keep that same goal upon their return as they may need help settling back in. I have a child at the moment who is on holidays and will be away for 6 weeks and they had just moved into my room and had just started to settle with me as their primary caregiver when they went away. I have kept the same goal as I know I will need to help her settle in upon her return.
I believe that children learn at different rates and in different ways so what one child may achieve in one month, it may take another child a lot longer.
I love this website as I have found a lot of information in regards to my studies. I have just started studying for my diploma.
Muttley.