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Learning

In this project meeting we will learn about Learning Stories. They are about documenting, through narratives, what children do and what they are learning. They represent learning as essentially a dynamic, evolving, and on-going process. They do not reduce learning to a score that children get at the end of the unit or semester … or a level that defines them as they start a new school year, with a new teacher. As opposed to our well-established modernist approaches to assessment, Learning Stories do not highlight deficiencies, weaknesses, or mistakes. They recognize that each child is a unique individual who interacts with the world around her and learns differently, through a process that is uniquely her own. Learning Stories view learning as a holistic endeavor, not a collection of subjects or skills that the child must master, and they therefore focus on learning as exploration and a process of inquiry. Teachers who use this approach are also well aware of the fact that learning takes place all the time, not just in the classroom, and they involve parents and other family members in documenting the child’s development and commenting on narratives written by the teacher.

 

Activities

An expert in Learning stories will hold a seminar for the teachers about the ideology and show examples of best practices. A number of study visits to preschools that use Learning stories and discussion with the teachers involved.

 

Objective

At the end of this meeting the teachers will be able to write and analyze Learning Stories and explain what Learning Stories are to their colleagues back at their school. They will have an insight in how teachers in Iceland use Learning Stories as a way to assess children’s learning and what the added value of using Learning Stories is.