Proof of teaching and learning

[mumofone]

How do we actually show proof of this and isn't it all subjective when the inspector turns up anyway?

[moggy]

It is shown through your obs, tracker (if you use one), assessments (if you do it) and by the inspector watching your children and how you talk about it.

ie: Child is now pouring water from jug and drinking from open cup... you may have obs of the child first using a sippy cup by themselves- this might be in your baseline/starting points, then trying a Doidy cup for the first time, of them using an open cup by themselves without spilling, of them playing with pouring water, then of them trying to pour their own drink etc etc... over time you are documenting learning.

Or you can talk through a sequence like that with an inspector if you do not do written records.

Learning is also evident if children are meeting their next steps/goals and are at age/stage expectations... they must be learning well if they are doing what is expected at that age/stage. If they have a L&D delay then it is about incremental developement from their starting points too.

Teaching is evident through watching you in an inspection- when you count the teddies, when you say which is the biggest/smallest, when you ask open-ended questions, when you name colours, help the children make/grow/do/explore etc That is your teaching. It can be seen through your obs too and general photos of what you do and where you go. It is evident from parents saying how you have shown child how to do something, how you have worked with them to support the child in such-and-such skills, how child has got so much better at doing something...etc. This always a good thing to ask on annual parents' questionnaire if you do one- start getting a record of how you are making a difference from the parents' point of view, and good for the letter to the inspector for an inspection.

And if there is learning then there is teaching, too.

[BallyH]

As moggy has just said it is very evident during your inspection. I've just had my inspection (still waiting for my report so will post in more detail when I've read it) and the inspector was very hot on teaching. In me asking 'open ended' questions and listening to how the children responded to me. Of the 3 hours she was here I would say she stood beside/near me for 2.5hrs listening to me 'teach'. A very hot topic at the moment. So I'd say get practising.

[Simona]

Isn't there a video that Ofsted produced about teaching and play??

I am sure it was posted here a while back....Ofsted raised it at OBC last week as worth looking at.

The CIF is really very clear what the focus in inspection is now on...teaching and it will be so for a long time I think.

According to the Ofsted HMI in Early Childhood...that is her title...who attended the London OBC inspectors look at inspections this way :What is it like for a child to be here'?....so very child focused.....and I think we all agree with that...instead of being paperwork focussed as last few years?

[bunyip]

My inspector looked at 'proof of learning' in the following terms.

1. Learning records. ie. :-

Clear starting points.
Straightforward observations which showed what was being learned/demonstrated by the child's actions. These included home activities and reports of progress at home ('Wow Moments', etc.) and other settings such as nursery/preschool.
Review points / summative assessments / trackers against 'developmental norms'.
Next steps.

2. Her observations on inspection day. NB: this did not centre on a so-called "planned activity" (or what I prefer to call a "staged activity".) In fact I did my staged activity twice due to interruptions and bad timing and trying to follow the lo's collective enthusiasm, and it went completely t1ts-up.............twice. :p) My inspector was far more interested in observing real life and said we'd clearly demonstrated teaching and learning through everyday normality such as: good hygiene routines, mealtime, tidying, conversation, sorting out the rubbish/recycling, and various other aspects of domestic life which aren't generally looked upon as "educational" or "professional".

:thumbsup: