Planning learning at Auchlone Nature Kindergarten

Published 01/01/2017.  Last updated 11/04/2023
sourcePractice exemplars groupsEarly Learning and Childcare (ELC)

How to use this exemplar to improve practice

This video, along with reflective questions, invites you to consider the impact of your own approach to planning effectively for children’s learning. Watch the video and consider, individually or as a team, the following improvement questions:

  • How visible in your planning approach is the ‘child’s voice’?
  • In what ways does your approach support children to revisit their learning and to build upon what they already know and can already do?
  • How are the experiences and outcomes of Curriculum for Excellence used to help you achieve breadth and balance in the curriculum?
  • How confident are you that your planning facilitates ‘deep’ learning for children? How well are children’s curiosities and questions captured in your approach?
  • How confident are you that parents have a strong voice in planning for children’s learning? Could this be strengthened further?
  • How do you make decisions about children’s next steps in learning? How confident are you that these always serve to ensure that children make progress in their learning?

Explore this exemplar

What was done?

The nursery was keen to ensure that children’s learning, in all its variety, was observed and recorded. The nursery developed an approach to recording children’s voices through the use of floor books. What children say - their observations, ideas, suggestions - is written down verbatim into the floor books, along with other resources including photographs. Staff analyse the books and develop actions around possible lines of development for children’s learning.

What brought about this change?

Staff at Auchlone believe that it is important to make children’s voices visible across all aspects of learning. Documenting learning, including children’s voices, in large books has given children ownership over the process.

What was the impact?

Children’s learning is planned with them and is therefore, meaningful and relevant to them. Making the process of learning visible to children means that they revisit previous learning. This is used effectively by staff to plan next steps and achieve progression.

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Planning learning at Auchlone Nature Kindergarten

Published 01/01/2017.  Last updated 11/04/2023
sourcePractice exemplars groupsEarly Learning and Childcare (ELC)

How to use this exemplar to improve practice

This video, along with reflective questions, invites you to consider the impact of your own approach to planning effectively for children’s learning. Watch the video and consider, individually or as a team, the following improvement questions:

  • How visible in your planning approach is the ‘child’s voice’?
  • In what ways does your approach support children to revisit their learning and to build upon what they already know and can already do?
  • How are the experiences and outcomes of Curriculum for Excellence used to help you achieve breadth and balance in the curriculum?
  • How confident are you that your planning facilitates ‘deep’ learning for children? How well are children’s curiosities and questions captured in your approach?
  • How confident are you that parents have a strong voice in planning for children’s learning? Could this be strengthened further?
  • How do you make decisions about children’s next steps in learning? How confident are you that these always serve to ensure that children make progress in their learning?

Explore this exemplar

What was done?

The nursery was keen to ensure that children’s learning, in all its variety, was observed and recorded. The nursery developed an approach to recording children’s voices through the use of floor books. What children say - their observations, ideas, suggestions - is written down verbatim into the floor books, along with other resources including photographs. Staff analyse the books and develop actions around possible lines of development for children’s learning.

What brought about this change?

Staff at Auchlone believe that it is important to make children’s voices visible across all aspects of learning. Documenting learning, including children’s voices, in large books has given children ownership over the process.

What was the impact?

Children’s learning is planned with them and is therefore, meaningful and relevant to them. Making the process of learning visible to children means that they revisit previous learning. This is used effectively by staff to plan next steps and achieve progression.

^ Back to top