Here are 5 examples of documentation methods that increase child participation:

Portfolio

Kindiedays pedagogical Portfolio is a purposeful collection of child's work that makes learning visible and illustrates progress. The child participates to the process of compiling the portfolio. Educator sits down with each child regularly to see which documents to add in the child’s individual portfolio and discusses about the child’s learning journey, experiences, wishes etc.

Day of Children

Children decide all the activities that happen during the ‘Day of Children’. Educators find out children’s views and wishes prior the day and organize the day accordingly. Educators document children’s wishes, and outcomes on the ‘Day of Children’ and plan future activities accordingly.

Storycrafting

The Storycrafting method is suitable for everyone, and it is easy to use. The idea behind Storycrafting is to give the opportunity to a child to talk about own thoughts. During Storycrafting, the listener is truly interested and wants to listen to what the teller has to say in that moment. Child tells a story and educator writes it down from word to word as the child tells it. In case the child is not inspired, ask again next time. Aim is to find out child’s wishes, ideas, thoughts and experiences.

Say to a child (or a group of children or an adult):
”Please tell a story that you would like to tell.
I will write it down, just as you tell it.
When the story is finished, I will read it aloud.
At that point, you can correct the story or make changes, if you wish.”
(Riihelä 1991; Karlsson 2013)

When the story is ready, it can be shared with the group and child’s family and added to portfolio - with the child’s permission. Educator can use the gained knowledge in future planning.

A pedagogical portfolio is a purposeful collection of child’s work – not only a cute compilation or drawings and photos for families to look at.

Portfolio is a very powerful tool to support learning when used in a right way. The portfolio should show child’s progress and proof of learning. It is an effective method for formative assessment of playful learning and the basis for planning next areas to focus on.

See how you can compile three types of portfolios with Kindiedays:

JOURNAL REPORT

• CHOOSE JOURNAL REPORT when you need a general view of the child’s year, a compilation of memories of the academic year/term, a list of which events and activities the child has participated during a certain period.
• Includes: naps, learnings, events, journal posts, gallery photos.
• You may leave some categories out of the report (eg. naps) if it is not valid for your purposes.
• Date View of the Journal Report lists all the activities in a chronological order, including dates & times, photos, videos, notes and learnings. It makes a nice memory of the academic year or term.
• The alternative Category View groups the activity according categories following each other.

DAILY REPORT

• CHOOSE DAILY REPORT when you need: more detailed information of the child’s basic care, focused information eg. in the beginning of kindergarten (how the child has eaten, slept or participated in activities during the first weeks), detailed information about the child’s behaviour during a certain period (eg. parents divorce, new baby brother…)
• Includes: learnings, meals, bathroom, mood, naps, medication, notes, activities
• You may leave some categories out of the report (eg. naps) if it is not valid for your purposes

Learn about Kindiedays Portfolio Learning

LEARNING REPORT

• CHOOSE LEARNING REPORT when you need: to get a general or even a detailed view of the child’s learning, to know which learning areas have been focused on, to figure out which learning areas to focus on in the future months to guarantee a holistic and continuous learning
• Shows the progress in each learning area: how big percentage of all objectives has been covered within the chosen time period
• List view shows the evidence (photos, videos, notes) per each objective.
• Chart view gives percental and quantitative feedback on the learning objectives reached.

Are you already using Kindiedays?

Here are specific instructions on how to download portfolios through Kindiedays:

First, login to your manager account via https://app-prod.kindiedays.com/login.

A portfolio is a purposeful collection of child’s work that makes learning visible - shows the child's efforts, progress and achievements.

Portfolio must include the child’s participation in selecting content and reflecting on it. Therefore, portfolios have the potential of revealing a lot of their creators – the children: the ways the children think and learn as well as assessment and instruction.

Kindiedays Porfolio Learning

There is no one answer what a portfolio truly is. Portfolios are as varied as the children in early education centres and schools.

Read further to find out the portfolio guidelines by Paulson, Paulson & Meyer.

A portfolio must have:

1. Content that shows the child’s thoughts, ideas and self-reflection.
2. Child's touch. The portfolio is done with the children, not for the children. Portfolio assessment offers children an opportunity to learn to value their own work and themselves as learners.
3. A purpose - at least one of them is universal: Porfolio should show progress on the learning goals that are presented in the curriculum.
4. Information that illustrates growth.

Children just LOVE to play! Therefore, in early childhood education and care, play is the most important way of learning. See the tips and a practical example how to incorporate learning in play in a pedagogical manner - and soon the children love love love to learn too!

What is Finnish ECEC?

Why play?

Play motivates the children and simply brings joy. In early childhood education and care, it is necessary to understand the value of play for the children. Play has also pedagogical significance in learning as well as in children’s holistic growth and well-being.

Do adults have to play too?

Play is a key practice in early childhood education and care. It is important for teachers to observe children’s play and either guide it from outside or participate in it. The presence of teachers in play situations support interaction among the children and prevent conflicts.

Teachers must also document the children’s play. Observation of play gives tons of information about their world - thoughts, interests, emotions, experiences, fears...

How to make children's learning visible?

Where to play?

Children’s learning environments need to be flexible, as play and games can take place anywhere depending on the children’s imagination and wishes. Play and therefore also learning happens everywhere, not only during guided activities or circle time. Children might learn various things while for example taking a stroll in the forest (tree species), building a lego tower (counting blocks) or dressing up a doll (body parts).

How to combine playing + learning?

1. Observe what the children are interested in (in other words: what they talk about and what they like to play with)

2. Take children's interests and plan activities according to them

3. Choose learning objectives according to the children's needs and skills (according to their personal / group / center curriculum)

4. Plan activities that involve the children's interests + learning objectives

EXAMPLE

THE CHALLENGE

Government has given prime importance to Early Childhood Education. This will no doubt raise the bar for quality education across the whole market.

1. The curriculums and pedagogical approaches are renewed significantly:

• Play-, activity- and inquiry-based pedagogy is in focus.
• Learning objectives guide activity planning and implementation.
• Assessment will shift to examining the learning process.

2. Parents need to be empowered

• Parents have a significant role in the child’s learning.
• Ways for them to participate and take responsibility need to be developed.

3. Preschools and childcare centers face increased competition

• The renewal underlines achievement and accountability of prescribed curricular standards.
• Parents ask for proof of the children’s learning and want to see Return on Investment.

New competences and new working methods are now required to achieve the desired outcomes in the preschool. Use of new technology is also a prerequisite to make the change successful.

A STRUCTURED END TO END LEARNING PROCESS IS REQUIRED

The whole learning process need to be revisited to support holistic learning: