Start the year with a fresh approach to documentation!

Start the year fresh- Helpful strategies to streamline assessment and planning.

Do you feel overwhelmed with the amount of paper and documentation you do every day? Are you unsure whether you are even on the right track? Well, you are not alone many teachers, educators and leaders struggle under the weight of paperwork that is not always meeting requirements. The start of a new year with new children, new families and perhaps even new team members represents an ideal time to make some changes to the way you program.

How do I know what is required?

This is often the crux of the problem with educators feeling that they must do all sorts of things to meet the requirements. Recent trends that have gobbled up time include day books, learning stories, floor books and pictures, endless pictures of every moment of the day. Don’t get me wrong I am not against any of these (well except the endless photos I really think that takes up a lot of time and adds little value).

But this blog isn’t about me telling you what is required it is encouraging you to be confident in the knowledge of what the regulations and the National Quality Standard requires. Or the case of our school colleagues what the Australian Curriculum or NSW Syllabus requires. You might be surprised to know that the format and frequency of records and plans for children’s learning are not prescribed in the legislative and quality standards not the curriculum or syllabus.

Reviewing current practice

The first step is reviewing the requirements, these are referenced in the Guide to the National Quality Framework or see the Early Years Learning Hub resource below. Once you have a firm understanding of what is required it is now time to gather up all of the things you write related to the program and children’s learning. If you have physical copies, put them all out on a table, if they electronic start a list on some paper. Now try and categorize each in terms of ‘keep’, ‘modify’ or ‘stop’. I encourage you to consider how cumbersome each one is to do and if there are any that double up.

Critically reflecting and making changes

Once you have completed your audit of all the things you do and have your piles ‘keep’ and ‘modify’ because you have already removed the ‘stop’ items. It is time now to critically reflect on if all that is necessary and the best most manageable approach. Work together as a team to discuss the provocations:

1. Is it the best way to meet the requirements? because if it isn’t it needs to go too.
2. Is it the most effective way to meeting the needs of who you are doing it for? Is for the regulator? For families? For children? For yourself? And/ or colleagues? Is effective for each audience?
3. Are your methods efficient? If not finding a simplified way to meet requirements might be the best answer.

Support to improve

If this blog has inspired you to take a fresh look at the way you program and plan check out our resources to support you to know and understand what is required in our Educational program and practice guidance course, our Early childhood curriculum and pedagogy bundle. We also have a great Assessment and planning cycle course that has you covered in building understanding of the why, what and how of the planning cycle!