Children knowing their next steps!

[AnonyMouse_4562]

Hi,

I was talking to a teacher in another school about how we have come away from individual next steps as we use objective led planning crossed with Anna Ephgrave style in the moment planning. She was interested and told me that her SMT would expect the children in Nursery to know their next steps! This is not something I've heard of for a while and certainly not what we've experienced from our Ofsteds. Is this something that anyone else has experienced as something that Ofsted would be looking for? More importantly is it actually beneficial to the children. A 3/4 year-old may be able to tell you that s/he is learning his/her numbers 1-5 but I doubt that would make them choose their play differently?

This just seems like a KS1/2 thing that has been brought down to Fs.

But, I am happy to be proven wrong. However, as it's been a great leap of faith to come away from next steps I may not want to read any replies that suggest this is something we need to do. I will peek through my fingers!

Thanks,

Green Hippo xxx

[AnonyMouse_2846]

Your post made me smile Green hippo! so need it at the moment! We too are on the road to Planning in the moment although its a softly softly one step forward two steps back approach for us!

I agree with what you are saying and on reflection we intend to (another softly softly) share their learning through the CBeebies Characteristics of play posters and stickers. We have a display of the terms learning around this. So for eg a child will see a photo of themselves or even put a photo with their key person near Topsy and Tim and a discussion may take place about them tryign really hard on that activity like Topsy and Tim This may of taken place at the time of the activity too! We have Finger Gym challanges and it may be that a key person may organise that so for eg a child may cut along a line so 'you can cut along that line so well see if you can cut around a shape next?'. That is as much as we do and ofcourse by sharng with parents on tapestry their obs this allows parents to share with children. That is as much as we do with our pre-schoolers so I too watch behind my fingers!!!!

[AnonyMouse_37469]

how are you finding the 'planning in the moment' I am really struggling at the moment with planning the staff look at me like I am talking another language! I want to introduce planning in the moment but fear it will jsut blow their minds a litle bit.

[AnonyMouse_12960]

I have to say (and wait to be shot down here) that I too have a problem with children being aware of next steps. Surely in early years learning should be a natural process, achieved through play and exploration, in much the same way that they would in a home environment.....yes, we as adults need to scaffold that learning and hence need to be aware of next steps, but for the child it should not be perceived as such.