development matters?

**mushpea** · 31-12-2009, 12:48 PM

ok so have my development matters but dont know how to 'tick off' what the children have done. one friend uses highlighters and highlites once a term what they have done using different highlighters each term, another friend cuts hers up , puts sections of it in book so 8-20mnths is one book then writes comments and dates next to things they've done but i dont know which method to use or even if there are other ways of doing it.
would you mind sharing how you mark of their development please? i want to show that i am using the book somhow.

**sarah707** · 31-12-2009, 02:00 PM

My system is to print off the development matters chart for the child... then use it when I am writing obs / planning.

Each child has their own DM at the front of their file then the info behind links back and everything is dated to show progression.

If the child is working above or below his DM age and stage that's ok, I will use 2 or more at the same time... all the children I care for atm are working within theirs which does make life easier.

Oh I wish I could show you it would be much better!

**haribo** · 31-12-2009, 02:13 PM

i do similar to sarah i have the chart at the front of each childs file , then i have the obs , photos etc in monthly order and link these to the chart , highlighting each stage as its reached and dating it . i send this home every six weeks with a short summary for parents to look through sign and make comments . its working really well for me and parents are happy . its different to what i was doing wen i was inspected in sept 08 so ofsted havent seen it but its better than i was doing then

**beccas** · 31-12-2009, 02:31 PM

Originally Posted by sarah707

My system is to print off the development matters chart for the child... then use it when I am writing obs / planning.

Each child has their own DM at the front of their file then the info behind links back and everything is dated to show progression.

If the child is working above or below his DM age and stage that's ok, I will use 2 or more at the same time... all the children I care for atm are working within theirs which does make life easier.

Oh I wish I could show you it would be much better!

i also use this way i print off all developmatters in chart format and i date it when is i have seen themmdo it and also put which obs it is nextto it to prove it.

**MrsT333** · 31-12-2009, 04:52 PM

i highlight it then cross refernece obs or write a quick note on the back of the dm

**mushpea** · 31-12-2009, 08:04 PM

gosh , really need to sort out my paper work, have been linking to the six areas of learning with my planning and obs but not the dm as was going to hightlight it on the dm paper work , so how do you link it to the obs? do you write out the section from the dm that they have completed?

**sarah707** · 01-01-2010, 08:59 AM

I do it much quicker than that! I use ticks...

So I have all the aspects listed for psed, cll, psr&n etc and I tick the relevant one on my obs sheet...

Then I write it up - so it's never a tick list, it's always annotated properly.

For planning I note what areas of L & D I've met as well.

The only time I use DM is to note each child's progression and every date on the DM sheets relates to something I've written about the child.

Does that make sense?

**karenandsmile** · 01-12-2010, 01:16 PM

is there a printable one off the net as my diver has broken and so i cant read from disk (****** computers ) and i cant seem to photo copy from book to well either

**singingcactus** · 01-12-2010, 01:36 PM

I've saved the online chart to microsoft one note. This puts it into a nicely printable view, then I print it of for each child and just highlight out the statements that each child has achieved. I keep it in their file and use it as a quick visual for me to see how there development is coming on and o check that the child is developing across the boards.
I use a different colour highlighter for each period of time at them moment, but only because I have just started a bunch of kids so trying to find their level before I get to involved with planning. Previously I have dated each area to the month achieved. There is always a small observation, or comment in the weekly planner to back up the highlighted area.