Weekly Provision - Objectives?

[Guest]

As Ofsted are in tomorrow I have been thinking about my planning and am wondering have I done enough? I would love to know if others have a learning objective for each activity, for example, the sand, train set and playdough etc, depending of course on what resources you are using with them. If anyone does this I would really appreciate seeing a format because at the moment I am only listing what I am doing, for example, buckets and spades in sand pit.

Edited September 27, 2005 by Guest

[AnonyMouse_2732]

Hi Matilda,

I would think you only need a learning objective for your focus activities, otherwise your staff are going to need zip-fasteners to be everywhere to facilitate these LOs (as I have begun to refer to them, they are so frequently used !!)

 

Although, I'm in a DN, may be different elsewhere!!

 

Sue

[Guest]

During our OFSTED we had focus activities of course, other areas had areas of learning the children may experience at the activity because without adult support the children will not necessarily follow your LO. They always surprise me with the way different children interpret an activity.

[Guest]

They were with us last week and were happy to see adult directed activities with learning objectives, and also some general ones covring the week which for us were around settling in children. THey don't expect every single activitiy to have lo's.

[Guest]

Hi

We had a an early years advisor in yesterday and she said that you can't possibly have a learning objective for each area. She said all you need in areas that children access independently are key questions, because the important thing is that adults in the setting who are not at a focused activity are generally observing and can note how children are using the independent areas Hope that helps.

[Guest]

Thanks all, so happy to hear that as I have enough bits of paper to complete as it is. Only one more day with Ofsted - yipee!

[Guest]

My intellectual comment to this is - Beckyann what on earth were you doing up so early and online for????!!!!!! You should be snuggled up in bed!!!!

 

End of intellectual comment

 

 

xx

[Guest]

Hi

We had a an early years advisor in yesterday and she said that you can't possibly have a learning objective for each area.  She said all you need in areas that children access independently are key questions, because the important thing is that adults in the setting who are not at a focused activity are generally observing and can note how children are using the independent areas  Hope that helps.

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Hi, I agree not to have LO for every area, but I would like to ask why we even have to have key questions written and displayed.

 

I can just see it at every Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's etc cashier desk " Key questions to ask your customers are.........

 

They don't have to prove their inability or is it ability of "conversing" with their clientelle, so why do we? and they get paid more than us.....

 

Are these displayed list of questions there to;

a) show we know what to ask children.....(after years of training and experience- aren't actions and qualifications enough to prove this) or

 

to show that we don't know what to ask children and need reminding

( this is the basics of the job and if you don't know this why are you employed)

 

c) dare I say it...to remind Inspectors what they are looking for

 

Your comments are welcome.

 

Peggy

[Guest]

Peggy,

Many people will have worked their socks off to write up objectives and questions and goodness knows what else. The most important thing is to be able to think and relate well to the children and if we have tired staff who are working hours into the evenings on paper work on top of all the practical things, then there is a very good chance there might be a mismatch between what they say and what they can actually do! Its a bit like the emporers clothes story I think. It seems as if its the right thing to do but how effective is it really in terms of the time put in? You can always improve, I know but surely discussion between staff, being honestly self critical and willingness to experiment and then analyse will bring about improvements. After all isn't this what we look for in children's learning!

Having said that, small area guides could support parents in using language that can help support children's concept developments. You do have to think carefully when parents have the time to read them.

At one school a notice board was placed in the cloakrom. Parents never read it. It was too crowded in the morning and parents were in a rush .

In the evenings they waited outside, so never read anything then, but the S.M.T did not seem to see this. I did lots of paper work for that board knowing full well how ineffective it was. Such a waste of my time infuriated me. We placed objectives on the wall in the areas too and these were never used by staff or parents or supply staff.

Didn't lots of people go overboard with the Literacy and Numeracy hours and what you should do, and now child development and learning research are asking very pertinent questions about how effective this is. We need to move with the times. sure, but there is simply too much work out there to do work that is inneffective.

 

Thanks Peggy for putting this up and sorry for my rant

[Guest]

I totally agree Peggy. You get tired of the changes. Last year both the nursery teacher and myself (reception teacher) had to change our planning formats lots of times. Now we are about to set up a unit we will have to change it again. They are producing a new early years curriculum document for next September, it's change, change, change. No other profession has this many changes and many are very ineffective. Our professional judgement does not seem to be enough, we have to have key questions, heaps of evidence, and loads of planning. Surely if we are encouraging children to become independent learners, to choose their own resources, etc then how effective will medium term and weekly plans be? Is Becky ranting, and normally I'm such a calm person!!

[Guest]

As Ofsted are in tomorrow I have been thinking about my planning and am wondering have I done enough?  I would love to know if others have a learning objective for each activity, for example, the sand, train set and  playdough etc, depending of course on what resources you are using with them.  If anyone does this I would really appreciate seeing a format because at the moment I am only listing what I am doing, for example, buckets and spades in sand pit.

38886[/snapback]

 

I hope OFSTED were suitably impressed and appreciated how wonderful and outstanding you are. Here is our weekly planner, if it helps. If the attachment does not work, I'll e mail it to you if you want because I'm an unmitigated disaster at this sort of thing.

Ruthanne

[Guest]

As Ofsted are in tomorrow I have been thinking about my planning and am wondering have I done enough?  I would love to know if others have a learning objective for each activity, for example, the sand, train set and  playdough etc, depending of course on what resources you are using with them.  If anyone does this I would really appreciate seeing a format because at the moment I am only listing what I am doing, for example, buckets and spades in sand pit.

38886[/snapback]

 

I hope OFSTED were suitably impressed and appreciated how wonderful and outstanding you are. Here is our weekly planner, if it helps. If the attachment does not work, I'll e mail it to you if you want it because I'm an unmitigated disaster at this sort of thing.

Ruthanne

Pictorial_weekly_planner_to_use.doc

[AnonyMouse_1195]

Last year we had an unoffcial OFSTED and I was told that all the children should be able to say what they are learning! She said that she had asked ( a 3 year old) what she was learning in the playdough and she couldn't tell her. I know what they are learning; sharing, choosing, using manipulative skills, counting or whatever, but she said that all the children should know the purpose of the activity and what they are learning. She is coming back to see us again soon.!! Help anybody.

[Guest]

Well, I survived Ofsted. It was ok really and they were both very nice. I only had an inspector come into the class and stay for about 20mins. She observed an EAL activity that my TA was doing, talked to the children and sat and made notes in my creative/role play area. She asked how the chn had settled and about EAL. She didn't ask anything about the activities or even look at planning.

The school are really pleased with the result and we all had champagne to celebrate. Feel really pleased but also very drained. Thanks for your planner Ruthanne, I might just try that!

[Guest]

Our LEA person suggested we use 'I am getting better at' and it does seem to work with even some of the youngest children. We also use symbols to support this.

[Guest]

We have learning objectives for focussed activities but on our continuous planner for class/outside and shared area we list all our workshop areas with suggested activities and skills the children might be using. They have to be suggestions because as the children are self directed there is no guarantee they will be doing what we have suggested (they often have far better ideas). But if children are at a loss as to what to do or an adult is at the activity it steers everybody in the right direction, and can give a focus to observations.

[Guest]

we have the objectives for the six areas of learning displayed on A4 laminates and placed in the areas marked out for CLL, MD, Cre etc. This way when parents come into the classroom they can see the expectations of the children.

[Guest]

Well, I survived Ofsted.  It was ok really and they were both very nice.  I only had an inspector come into the class and stay for about 20mins. She observed an EAL activity that my TA was doing, talked to the children and sat and made notes in my creative/role play area.  She asked how the chn had settled and about EAL.  She didn't ask anything about the activities or even look at planning.

The school are really pleased with the result and we all had champagne to celebrate.  Feel really pleased but also very drained.  Thanks for your planner Ruthanne, I might just try that!

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Really pleased to hear everything went ok and you were able to celebrate in style, well done, Now you can rest a bit and enjoy all that continuous provision you offer.

 

Peggy

[Guest]

Thanks

[Guest]

Ruthanne, the pictures in your planner look great. I think its a lovely idea to add a bit of colour to planning, and it also works well in attracting the eye to the area of play that you might want to look at. Well done - i think I'll try that idea myself