Learning Story Examples And Templates

Observation Date: 10 Jun 2017

Created By: Emma Davidson

Observation Style: Learning Story

Preceding Experience(s)

Spontaneous

Children

Sophie

Observation Narrative 

A variety of wooden blocks had been set up on the table today, some had connectors a little like Lego whilst others were flat. Sophie was building with the small wooden blocks with connectors when I noticed her deep in concentration.

Sophie was selecting all the same sized blocks and starting to stack them in two towers next to each other. As they got taller they started to wobble and lean away from each other, finally falling over and spilling blocks across the table and floor.

Emma (educator) was watching and showed Sophie a trick of linking the blocks together to make a stronger tower. Instead of placing the blocks in the same direction Emma showed Sophie how to criss cross the blocks. As Sophie began to rebuild her tower, she checked that she was doing it right by asking Emma and then looking at the blocks from the side so she could tell if they were the right way around. As the tower got taller, Sophie could no longer reach the top and tried to pick up the tower to put it onto the floor. It was heavy and difficult so Sophie stopped and looked at Emma for assistance.

Emma asked if Sophie wanted her to help and Sophie nodded.

With the tower now on the floor, Sophie was able to kneel next to it and continue adding blocks until the tower was all tall as her! Sophie had also run out of blocks of the same size.

Emma suggested that she could use some of the other blocks that were the same shape only taller. Sophie kept trying to find more of the same size and shaped blocks as she didn’t like this option. Sophie likes things to be “just so”.

Realising that there really were no more blocks in the size that she wanted, Sophie compromised and began adding the other blocks. After a few blocks were added, Sophie seemed to change her mind about the blocks being on the floor and she started to lift the blocks four at a time back onto the table.

Sophie was careful that she was putting them back together the way that she had been shown and checked the sides of the blocks as she placed them back together.

Reflection of Learning

Sophie, you were so committed to building a tall, strong tower. You built two towers by yourself and could see that you needed to do something differently to stop the tower falling. You knew that you could ask Emma for help and really understood her suggestion in making the tower stronger.

You remembered how Emma showed you and kept checking your work, ensuring that the tower stayed strong. You learnt a way to solve a problem.

You showed that you are such a thinker in the way that you realised you could not reach the top of the tower anymore and knew that if you placed it on the floor you could keep going.

I loved your determination in keeping the same size blocks and that you wanted to keep the tower with the same sized blocks. You were able to accept that there were no more and compromised so that you could keep building.

Observed Outcomes

Outcome Group 4: Children are confident and involved learners

4.1 Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination and reflexivity

4.2 Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating

4.4 Children resource their own learning through connecting with people, place technologies and natural and processed materials

Outcome Group 5: Children are effective communicators

5.1 Children interact verbally and non-verbally with others for a range of purposes

Sophie: Sophie used mostly non-verbal communication to request help and assistance from her educator. She conveyed understanding of what had been said by following through with the suggestions of her educator.

Next Steps

Sophie has a preference for symmetry in her constructions, not just in this example but also from past observation by all of her educators. She has shown that she can understand quite complicated direction. We would like to support her to continue to develop her focus on building tasks and following instructions.

We have construction blocks that have pictures of shapes to follow and will make these available to her and her peers.

Observation Date: 10 Jun 2017

Created By: Emma Davidson

Observation Style: Learning Story

Preceding Experience(s)

Spontaneous

Children

Megan

Observation Narrative 

We were introducing the toddler children to painting with cotton tips to provide an experience with non-conventional painting tools. I wasn’t expecting the direction that this experience would be taken on.

Initially, Kaeltyn made deliberate lines down the page.

Megan noticed that she had some paint on her hands and began to deliberately paint her fingers and hand with the cotton tip.

“ook, me making tattoo!” Megan said excitedly.

Evie, said “I’m making a tattoo too!” and began to paint her fingers and hands.

Megan then began to smear the paint up her arm, fascinated by her new tattoo. She looked at me as if to check if this was okay. I told her that it was special paint today and that it was ok. She encouraged her friend to do the same saying “tattoo, tattoo”

Megan would show me and her friends each time she added more paint to her arm, even dabbing her paint covered hands onto her face.

Reflection of Learning

Oh Megan, you made me laugh today. I am not sure where you learnt about tattoos, but you shared that you had understood and made the connection that they were art on the body.

You wanted to share this with your friends and engaged them in experimenting with the paint in a way that we hadn’t done before.

The joy and delight you showed whilst being allowed to express this was overwhelming.

Remember that we used special paint today that made it ok to paint on our bodies. You did the right thing by checking with me first.

Observed Outcomes

Outcome Group 4: Children are confident and involved learners

4.1 Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination and reflexivity

4.3 Children transfer and adapt what they have learned from one context to another

Megan: Megan transfers her knowledge and current understandings of a tattoo to being similar to painting her body

Next Steps

Though Megan spoke about tattoo’s in this experience, on reflection I feel that it was the sensory sensation that made this experience continue beyond just painting the fingers and not the idea of a tattoo. We have not really explored whole body sensory exploration and tend to focus this on hands exploring the textures only.

We would like to provide additional whole body sensory exploration and feel that we can do this through a range of experiences and provocations. Educators have brain stormed ways that we can provide this type of exploration.

• Balloons filled with sand can be used in a large wading pool
• streamers hanging down that allow the whole body to feel the soft textures for exploration
• Reintroducing a brushes treasure basket that this particular group of children use to explore in the babies room.