Promoting continuity of learning and development

1. Promoting continuity of learning and development

2. Overview • This presentation explores how teachers promote continuity and includes a focus on: • the Continua of learning and development • documentation to support transitions.

3. Promoting continuity • Teachers promote continuity by: • using theContinuaof learning and development to make judgments about individual children’s learning progress • sharing informationabout children’s learning progress with partners: • throughout the year • when summarising learning to support transition into the Prep Year (transition statement).

4. Promoting continuity • Teachers promote continuity by: • explicitly promoting the understandings, skills and dispositions that help children to make smooth transitions • helping children to gradually understand expectations, interactions, routines and practices associated with new social and physical learning environments • identifying different pathways and approaches to transitions that best suit diverse children and families • identifying starting points for learning that build on children’s identified strengths, talents, motivations, interests and learning needs.

5. Promoting continuity • Promoting continuity: • is part of a teacher’s ongoing professional decision making and reflection throughout the year • requires early years educators working in different settings to communicate and collaborate (e.g. across pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and Prep settings) • requires support from leaders, including the time and space to: • reflect on children’s learning • engage in meaningful conversations with colleagues and parents about children’s learning • support individual children to reflect on their learning.

7. The continua Purpose: The continua supports teachers to make informed judgments about a child’s learning and development based on a collection of evidence of learning. Note: At the end of the Kindergarten Year, individual children may demonstrate learning described in any of the phases on the continua.

8. The continua • One continuum is provided for each of the learning and development areas: • Identity • Connectedness • Wellbeing • Active learning. • One continuum is provided for each key focus in the learning and development area Communicating: • language • early literacy • early numeracy.

9. A continuum of learning and development Learning and development area Key focuses

10. The continua

11. The continua Snapshot

12. The continua Making a more-like judgment

13. For each continuum, a “collection of descriptions” of observable behaviours is provided to help teachers make consistent judgments. The continua

14. The continua • To make consistent judgments, teachers: • refer to the teacher-contributed descriptions • use the descriptions as a “whole” collection • Note: • the descriptions are not for use as a checklist • the descriptions do not represent the full richness or range of ways children demonstrate learning • teachers may add their own descriptions.

15. Using the continua

16. Sharing information

17. Sharing information • Teachers share information to support children’s learning: • on entry • through ongoing conversations with partners (informal and formal) • through focused discussions from time to time, e.g. mid year and towards the end of year • by creating a transition statement to summarise a child’s learning.

18. Sharing information • Teachers share information to support children to transition smoothly into early schooling. • This involves: • discussion with partner • summarising a child’s learning (transition statement). • This helps parents support their child and helps schools to be ready for the child.

19. Transition statements The transition statement focuses on the child as an active, competent learner. The transition statement: is a summary of a child’s learning is collaboratively created.

20. Transition statements (continued) Sample: Teacher information

21. Transition statements (continued) Example: Parent/family information Example: Child-provided information

22. Transition statements (continued) The transition statement summarises a child’s learning, recognising that children’s learning is fluid, particularly as they transition to a new setting. It is not helpful to summarise a child’s learning as being in a single phase within each learning and development area.

23. Transition statements (continued) • Developing a transition statement: • requires that strong, trusting relationships have been established • involves working with children, parents, carers, teachers, relevant support personnel and/or other partners • requires time, which needs to be planned for as part of the teacher’s professional role and responsibilities.

24. Transition statements (continued) • Some points to note: • A printed copy is provided to parents for their own records. • Parents may choose to share/provide a copy of the transition statement on entry into the Preparatory Year. • The transition statement is not provided to the school/Prep teacher directly (as per privacy legislation).

25. Transition statements (continued) • A transition statement: • focuses on communicating about children’s motivations, strengths and higher-order skills, understandings and learningdispositions • is recognised as a “snapshotin time”, given that children’s learning is fluid at this age • includes information contributed by and documented with children, parents, carers and educators • is based on information gathered throughout the year in informal and formal ways and in a variety of learning contexts through normal day-to-day activities, conversations and interactions.

26. Transition statements (continued) • A transition statement also needs to: • include information about the child’s learning in each of the learning and development areas • be written using positive plain language that parents and carers can easily understand • describe the level of support the child requires in particular areas of learning • include information about the kindergarten service, teacher and contact information • include information about the child’s attendance history and relevant family information.

27. Focus questions • What challenges and possibilities do the continua of learning and development present to you? • What are the strengths and weakness of your current practices, related to sharing information to promote continuity?