We have collated 7 documentation ‘standards’ which we believe will help improve practice for centres struggling with their documentation.

1. Is one sentence enough?

Write complete sentences that describe a thought, observation or action.  One sentence observations or reflections generally lack substance and leave the reader questioning what was achieved, how it was achieved and why it was considered important enough to document.

Write in a manner which enlightens the reader and informs them of the actions of others and yourself and why this is pertinent to the development of a child or the improvement of your program.  Consider writing in a way that is easy for any audience to understand.

2. Is it jargon!

Use industry specific terminology which is relevant to your documentation but don’t get carried away.

3. Know the NQF

Understand and link documentation to the National Quality Framework (NQF). Explain why you have linked a particular outcome to an observation or plan.

NQF outcomes are broad. Consider highlighting particular words from each selected outcome in your text to show your understanding of the outcomes and the framework.

4. Be selective to show incremental development.

Be discerning and distribute your selection of NQF outcomes over a variety of observations and contexts.

Over population of outcomes within your documentation, dilutes the purpose of developing children throughout the NQF. Show a pattern of change over time which is meaningful and deliberate.

5. You are a reflection of your documentation

Assume that each documented record you produce will be reviewed by someone important such as a parent, a centre co-ordinator or an assessor.  If you maintain a consistently high standard, where your documentation is thoughtful, justified and adheres to correct grammar and punctuation you will create more meaningful documentation.

6. Not all data is equal.

All documentation is the gathering of data and evidence.  Record high quality data to receive high quality results.

Have high expectations and meet those expectations every time you document.

7. Practice, practice, practice.

Writing is a skill which is developed over time through reflection and feedback.  Seek assistance from collegues who have good writing skills.

For educators who are unsure where to start, try writing in the first person. I did this… I saw Bobby do such and such. I then ….

Find your own voice and make sure to develop a writing style which informs and delights the reader!

Do you have ideas on what makes great documentation?  Let us know in the comments below.

Having a professional pedagogy which includes the concept that children are capable and competent, provides a foundation for learning and development where educators can provide a unique learning environment for every child. The result of this is empowered children who thrive, with the ability to achieve learning outcomes in a variety of contexts.

Supporting a child in their learning is crucial to developing capable and competent learners however, educators need to be mindful of their influence and should aim to be an enabler of learning rather than an enabler of task completion.

It takes a skilled practitioner to provide learning through discovery rather than direction.  

Supportive scaffolding with capable learners may be broken down into six stages:

Identification

Identifying a learning opportunity through observation or responding to call for assistance from a child. 

Questioning

To understand the problem, ask questions to identify the roadblocks for success.  Questioning is not just for the benefit of the educator’s understanding. It is a strategy to assist a child to discover a more in depth appreciation about the issue at hand and to enable connections to be made to solve the problem themselves, if possible.

What is the problem? What is a potential solution?  What skills/steps are needed to resolve the issue?

Scaffolding

Provide the necessary skills by modelling and explaining how something is done.  Be logical and  linear in the explanation by proving a number of incremental steps to develop a new skill set.

Take the lead when the need exists but challenge and be led when the opportunity presents.

Participation/co-construction

Give opportunity for active participation in the development of a new skill.  Provide sufficient support to enable a successful resolution, but not so much to take away the satisfaction of accomplishing the task or diminish the learning experience.  Encouragement and praise can be used successfully to develop patience, skill acquisition and confidence. 

Reflection

Reflective practice is about the improvement of teaching and the optimization of learning.  Being reflective during and after interactions can provide valuable insight into dealing with successive learning interactions.

During

At what point can the child take the lead?  What is the minimum I can to do to ensure success or a learning opportunity or point of reflection for the child?

After

Was the problem resolved?  How much assistance was given?  Was it too much or not enough to complete the task? What was done well?  Where could improvements be made to what was needed to achieve a task and what I did? 

Self determination

This is the point where a child controls their own actions and learning, having mastered a new skill.  It is most evident when a child can recognise a problem and be assistive while being instructive and sharing their knowledge with their peers.  This is a time for educators to celebrate the success of developing a capable and competent child.

How to apply this.

Recognise that all development though learning cannot be prescribed.  Each experience will be different for each person involved, including the educator and the child.  By providing a fluid learning environment where mistakes can be celebrated and opportunity for discovery are encouraged, will undoubtedly ensure that successful, capable and competent children will grow.

What is a bias?

A bias is a preference or belief that a person holds to be true.  It is lacking in neutrality and in an educational environment can provide advantage or disadvantage, within any context, for different children.  Bias is closely linked to fairness, prejudice, stereotypes and favouritism.

Do I have a bias?

It would be hard to find anyone who does not have some kind of bias.  A bias is developed through personal experience, via social and cultural influences.  Essentially if you have likes or dislikes you have a bias.

What types of Bias should I be aware of?

Bias could be based on any of these: Age (ageism), gender (sexism), race (racism), looks (lookism), ability / disability.

Can children have bias?

Yes, children become aware of differences at a very early age including skin colour, gender, language and physical differences¹.   Bias has an impact on a child’s self-identity and the way they see and interact with the world.

What can be done about bias?

• Recognise your personal bias’.
• Empower children to make decisions based on fairness.
• Employ problem solving through critical reflection and actively promote inclusive behaviours in children.
• Develop the ability to act when bias is detected.
• Critically analyse situations for fair and unfair behaviour.
• Make children aware of issues of bias and fairness contextually and within the community.
• Monitor activities for inclusiveness in both social and physical environments and look at ways to assist those who are excluded.
• Listen to children’s concerns about unfair behaviour.
• Provide a learning environment and resources which are not stereotyped.
• Do not make assumptions about a child’s ability to achieve a task or activity and avoid lowering expectations as a solution.

Applying this to your practice.

It is important to be aware of bias, but not become completely focussed on this one aspect of children’s learning and development.

Using critical reflection on planned activities and situational observations to identify bias is an essential element to overcoming any issues bias may cause.

Creating opportunities to reflect with colleagues and discuss planned activities may assist in identifying areas of bias which may not have been apparent initially.

Practicing and refining educational intervention and specific planning of environments and activities to address bias may also be of benefit.

How does your centre address bias? Do you have an inclusion policy?

1. https://www.teachingforchange.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/ec_antibiascurriculum_english.pdf
2. Educators My Time Our Place ACECQA

Why surveys are a great idea?

Getting feedback is essential to know what is being done right and what could be improved. Surveying your parent community could provide useful insights into many areas of your service. Results could even be used to provide evidence, during assessments and rating, to show families are given opportunity to contribute to service decisions.

NQS 6.1.2 Families have opportunities to be involved in the service and contribute to service decisions

How do I send out a survey?

There are a number of great online tools available to make the process really easy including Google Forms, Survey Monkey and TypeForms.

Then just include the link in your email or add the ‘code’ to your website.

What questions should I ask?

This is dependent on what you want to know, but here are a few tips. Ensure that the survey only takes a few minutes to complete. If you are unsure what to ask you could use a Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey.

There is a pre-made template in TypeForms and Survey Monkey. NPS only has two simple questions. Here is what ours looks like in TypeForms.

Results from the first question allows us to group our respondents into 3 groups. Promoters (those who select 9 or 10) Passives (7 or 8) and detractors (0 to 6) of your service. The results from the second question tells us why and provides information that can be used to validate your centres management or provide items to take action on.

Example questions:

It can be difficult to think of what questions to ask so we have had a brain storm, sifted through the NQS and have come up with some questions you may find useful. Change them to suit your needs and elicit the information you require.

The (NQS X.X.X) is a reference to the National Quality Standards indicating that the question has relevance for that particular standard.

Open Ended Questions:

They take longer to answer but can provide more detail.

What could we do to improve:

• the sign in process?
• The pick up / sign out process?
• Communication about centre events?
• The progress of your child’s development? (NQS 1.1.4)
• Our enrolment and orientation process (NQS 6.1.1)

What is the best thing you like about our centre?

What could be added / or changed to improve the service?

What activities would you like to see included in our program?

What are your child’s interests at the moment? (NQS 1.1.5)

How would you describe our educators interactions with your child? (NQS 5.1.1)

Do you have any suggestions for the centre to improve its service?

Closed Questions:

Use these questions in a multiple choice format e.g. True / False, Yes / No or very satisfied, satisfied, neutral, dissatisfied, very dissatisfied.

Adding an open ended question after a closed ended question may gather further insight. E.g. What was the main reason for the answer you just gave?

Overall how satisfied are you with the care and learning opportunities the centre provides?

In your opinion does the service meet the needs of your child?

Do you feel the service is meeting your expectations for care and education?

Do you find the educators to be friendly and approachable?

I believe that the centre respects our family values and opinions. (NQS 1.1.2)

I feel:

• that the educators are knowledgeable about child learning and development.
• comfortable approaching the staff to discuss the needs of my child.
• comfortable speaking with staff about parenting and child development.
• well informed about what is happening at my centre.
• that I am able to contribute in decisions about the learning and education of my child. (NQS 6.1.2)
• that the staff care about my child.
• welcome at the centre.
• the staff are respectful and sensitive to my child’s social and emotional needs.
• that the educators are effective in dealing with behavioural issues.
• my child’s ideas and opinions are valued by the centres educators. (NQS 1.2.2)
• that educators provide adequate support to my child for their needs. (NQS 1.1.5)
• that the centre sets clear high expectations for learning and behaviour.

Do you know where to find information on parenting and support services at our centre? (NQS 6.2.2)

Do you know where to access the centre’s Quality Improvement Plan (QIP)? (NQS 6.1.3)

Do you know about our sustainable practice program at out service? (NQS 3.3.1)

Do you feel:

• The health needs of your child are supported? (NQS 2.1.1)
• Your child has sufficient rest opportunities at the centre? (NQS 2.1.2)
• The food provided at our service is healthy an nutritious? (NQS 2.2.1)
• The level of supervision is appropriate at our centre? (NQS 2.3.1)
• That the level of cleanliness is satisfactory at our centre? (NQS 3.3)
• That our educators are respectful and ethical? (NQS 4.2.)
• You have the opportunity to contribute to service decisions? (NQS 6.1.2)
• There is an adequate complaint process? (NQS 7.3.4)

I am satisfied with the way the centre communicates with me.

What would you like to know more about?

• Getting more involved at the centre (NQS 6.1.2)
• Access to community support / health services (NQS 6.2.2)
• Parenting information (NQS 6.2)
• Child development and learning
• Managing behaviour
• Building resilience
• Cyber safety (NQS 6.2.2)
• Cultural diversity and inclusion (NQS 6.2.2)
• Support for special needs children (NQS 6.2.2)
• Family relationships and separation (NQS 6.2.2)
• Counselling services (NQS 6.2.2)
• National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education
• Other local community services (NQS 6.2.2)
• Others please list.

Disclaimer

Make parents feel comfortable in sharing their thoughts about your centre’s service with the centre. Provide a short paragraph on how the information will be used.

All information provided in this survey will be treated as confidential and only be used to improve the service’s quality of care and education. 

Now it’s your turn.

Create a survey and send it out to the families at your centre. If you have other questions you would include in your survey please let us know by leaving a comment on facebook.

Acknowledgement:

Some of the closed ended questions have been adapted from a Kids Matter Australian Primary School Mental health initiative survey.

Reflective practice is an important part of the documentation process for educators but it is often neglected because of a lack of understanding or confidence about what is required. Reflective practice can be implemented when an educator thinks critically about an event, action or experience to draw meaning from the situation. This meaning is used to inform future planning and learning outcomes.

The National Quality Standards require reflection to be an integral part of a services documentation practice, to guide programming and improve outcomes for children.

NQS 1.2.3 Critical reflection on children’s learning and development, both as individuals and in groups, is regularly used to implement the program. 

There are three types of reflection as described by Donal Schon and Killon & Todnem which forms a cycle of reflection.

Reflection-on-action = Reflection after the activity.

• What went well in the activity?
• What could have been done to improve the activity?
• Were NQF outcomes met?
• What have I learnt about a child or children which is relevant to future interactions?
• Was there any bias, gender, age or cultural, in the activity?

Reflection-in-action = During the activity.

• How can I improve things at this very moment?
• Are my or the students expectation being met right now?
• What changes need to be made to achieve outcomes?
• What is the child or children telling me verbally or by their actions which may improve their enjoyment or learning?
• What actions can I take now to mitigate bias in this activity?

Reflection-for-action = Before the activity.

• What are my past experiences telling me I should do to improve this activity?
• Can I foresee any problems?
• What can I do to avert perceived problems?
• What outcomes can realistically be met?
• What do I know about the child or children which can inform my planning?
• Is there a way I can plan the activity to minimize bias?

Applying reflective practice.

Reflective practice can take the form of written documentation, discussions with peers and educational leaders, or part of your internal thought process.  Incorporating daily reflective sessions individually or as part of a group of peers may highlight aspects where improvement can be made.

Here are some ideas to demonstrate your use of reflection in programming:

• Develop individual goals for students (reflection-for-action) as part of the curriculum.
  

  Tip: Open a new plan in One Child and select goal as the plan type and link it to one or many children depending on the activity and desired outcome.

• Document an observation and include a reflective paragraph (reflection-on-action) about the observation.
  

  Tip: After creating a learning story in One Child link a reflection and highlight future ideas to extend learning. 

• Reference previous observations and/or reflections in your planning templates or documentation (reflection-for-action).
  

  Tip: Link learning stories to a plan to show programming development.  In One Child we call this ‘Threads’ of learning which you can see as a visual representation in each story where links are made.

• Take photographs, record feedback and collect work samples during activities (reflection-in-action).
  

  Tip:  Add media to learning stories to provide evidence of completed tasks or related learning outcomes. One Child allows you to add media easily to your documentation.

Do you find reflective practice difficult? Are there any strategies you use to support reflective practice at your centre?

Need an example activity with reflective questions to try out? Take a look at Truth, Truth Trick or Egg carton creations.

Some educators find documentation to be a laborious process and have difficulty getting motivated to do it. There could be any number of reasons why, but no matter the reason, good documentation is a necessary part of the duties of educators. Here are 8 ways to help motivate educators to complete documentation.

Lead by example

The business acumen ‘lead from the front’ can be applied here. If you as the educational leader or co-ordinator are seen documenting it becomes easier to push the agenda of improving the quality and quantity of documentation.

Professional development / training education

Some educators have not been taught or do not feel confident with what and how to document. Providing professional development by way of training is a great way to show what is required and to set expectations.

Competition

A little friendly competition can motivate some people to do more. It is a delicate balancing act however as some people become discouraged by competition. A relaxed approach and providing support can be a good strategy.

Incentives

Providing a reward is a powerful motivator. A worker of the month award is used in some big companies to provide recognition and shine the spotlight on good work. Using a formula which is not just based on volume but also on quality or averages of total work may be a useful method of giving credit and also to improve output.

Individual Development Plan

Linking documentation to an individual development plan over the course of a year may allow for minimum targets to be set. While many may object to setting a goal with a number attached, it provides a target and can be used to good effect to help develop good documentation habits to meet a set objective.

Paid Time

“There is not enough paid time to document” can often be used as the excuse needed to not document at all. If a paid block of time was given to everyone to produce some kind of documentation it would negate this common problem.

Share with parents

Getting positive feedback from others can be a great motivator. Sharing a child’s achievements with parents, in a written format highlights the good work which is put into programming. This can be used as a conduit to open conversations around a child’s interests and development needs to augment programming. This is also beneficial in building community relationships.

Easy Documentation Processes

A well organised and structured documentation system which is user friendly will reduce time and improve educator output. Having too many forms which are repetitive and convoluted will create a feeling of frustration and will reduce the desire to document. Online documentation systems such as One Child provide a structured system which is easy to use and requires minimal effort to complete routine documentation.

What are the blockers in your centre which stops you and / or your staff from documenting?

What is Wu Wei?

Wu Wei is an ancient Chinese philosophical concept from Taoism which means “without effort”. It can also be interpreted as action which does not involve struggle or the need to exert force.

In an educational context Wu Wei comes with practical experience and is developed by listening, observing and following the lead of the child. Wu Wei is finding the teachable moments and being able to spontaneously act upon the opportunity to extend and provide relevant learning to the child’s needs and interests at that time.

Is there a need to plan then?

Planning is still an important part of exposing children to activities which challenge and engage them. It is during these planned activities where a child is engrossed and their curiosity is piqued, that they instinctively start to investigate or hypothesise about the whys and wherefores. They also begin the process of making connections and adapt what they know or have learned from one context to another. The educator’s role in these instances is to support and extend concepts through further questioning and provide relevant scaffolding to reach a conclusion of discovery for the child. There is a point however, where the moment of learning has passed and further provocation is futile and against this principle of Wu Wei, as learning could now be being forced. This is immediately recognisable by children disengaging and losing interest in the conversation or activity.

Go with the flow.

Intentionally planning a stimulating learning environment coupled with thought provoking planned activities relevant to the target child or children, sets the stage for seemingly endless teachable moments and collaborative or independent learning opportunities. Educators who are then able to be flexible and divert from the planned path to follow the child as the opportunity arises, by adhering to a Wu Wei perspective, will assist in more meaningful learning for children. It is therefore not always necessary to complete the task if there has been constructive learning along the way. It is the journey not the destination.

How can I become more Wu Wei?

The question in itself is a statement of intent. There is no need to become more Wu Wei but recognise when you are not; when you are exerting force and need to withdraw; when it is time for the child to lead and the educator to be led.

Find your Wu Wei and educate without effort. When was the last time you went somewhere unexpected with a child and it became an exciting learning experience for everyone?

What is an Educational Leader?

An Educational Leader (EL) is a designated person who will lead the development and implementation of educational programs in the centre.

What is the role of an Educational Leader?

The EL would be the advocate for developing a vision for child leaning and curriculum development which is complementary to the NQF and for the vision of the centre. The EL would seek to develop skills of all educators in areas of documentation, planning, observation, reflective practice, intentional teaching, pedagogy and play based learning.

Are educational leaders really necessary?

There are requirements within the National Quality Framework to have an appointed educational leader. The requirement for an educational leader is outlined in NQS 7.1 and NQS 7.1.4.

NQS 7.1 Effective leadership promotes a positive organisational culture and builds a professional learning community.

NQS 7.1.4 Provision is made to ensure a suitably qualified and experienced educator or co-ordinator leads the development of the curriculum and ensures the establishment of clear goals and expectations for teaching and learning.

This position needs to be formally designated in writing as outlined in Section 118 Education and Care Service National Regulations.

Why don’t all co-ordinators just take on the role?

Consideration to the appointment as an EL should be based on the co-ordinators ability to dedicate sufficient time to be successful with this extra role. Larger centres may have the resources to delegate this position to a suitable educator and alleviate the extra duty from the co-ordinator.

Using an educator in the role of an EL, would allow the separation of duties between administrative and educational programming which may arguably, allow the program to develop further with the dedicated resources of an independent EL.

Anecdotally services who have a dedicated EL have reported that their ability to produce documentation and develop a dynamic and successful curriculum have been assisted by making this role separate from other roles.

What attributes should an educational leader have?

Attributes of an educational leader would include:

• a desire and passion to develop and promote curriculum,
• to have an excellent understanding of the relevant framework for their setting,
• to be approachable and collegial in their approach to curriculum with peers,
• create opportunity for sharing of ideas and the development of excellent practice,
• to be willing and able to provide support to different people taking into consideration different learning styles,
• to have an understanding of the NQS and regulatory standards.

NOTE: There is no educational requirement set by the National Quality Standards for educational leaders, however a sufficient level of experience in their current setting would be beneficial to the role.

What strategies should an educational leader employ?

• Setting high expectations for teaching and child learning.
• Ensure quality recording of documentation and assessments to guide program development.
• Provide a system which ensures continuity of learning throughout the centre.
• Maintain accurate and up to date documentation for each child’s learning and progress for NQF outcomes.
• Be proactive in opening discussions around reflective practice and relating learning to the framework.
• Communicate with families about the development of the education program for their child and in general.
• Provide advice for educators where appropriate / necessary to improve interactions and intentional teaching practice.
• Link the program with local community organisations and groups where opportunity exists for cultural learning.

As an educational leader what should I be doing?

• How can you develop the skills and capacity of educators in a way that leads to improved outcomes for children?
• How are you creating opportunities for professional conversations about curriculum, achieving learning outcomes for children, pedagogy, child directed learning, intentional teaching, scaffolding and goal setting?
• What opportunities are exploited to share the collective knowledge of the team?
• How do you promote learning and development to families?
• What sources do you use or have been implemented to obtain opinions about programming from educators, families and children?
• How do you respond to feedback to help guide programming decisions?
• What strategies and processes are you using to lead the development of the curriculum?
• Are you setting goals for teaching and learning for educators and children?
• Are there any current studies or educational strategies which can be applied to your setting?

Conclusion

Educational leaders are integral to ensuring a consistent approach to improving curriculum for improved learning outcomes for children. The EL requires a clear vision to develop high expectations and an ability to work with educators to achieve the vision for the service.

References:

Guide to the National Quality Standard September 2013

Education and Care Services National Regulations September 2013

The role of the educational leader – Information Sheet.

“Intentionality is about educators being able to explain what they are doing and why they are doing it”¹.

The following questions are designed as a starting point to consider and provoke thought around intentional teaching practice.   They may be used to assist with documenting intentionality or in professional conversations to challenge current pedagogical practices.

These questions have been formulated from the Interpreting the Early Years Learning Framework: A guide for educators ².

• Did you model a new skill and allow opportunity for children to practice the skill?
• Was a child challenged to extend their understanding or learning? How was questioning used in this context?
• Was there an instance or an opportunity for collaboration between the educator and child? Was a child given the opportunity to take the lead during the activity?
• How was encouragement used to support and motivate a child during a task?
• Was an item/area of interest identified where children could further explore or investigate?
• Was there sufficient opportunity for children to use their imagination and creativity to investigate, or hypothesize and express themselves?  If not was the activity too restrictive?  If so how could the activity be modified for in the future to encourage imagining?
• Was explicit teaching practice necessary during the activity? What instruction was given? What were the circumstances?  Was this appropriate for the situation or activity in hindsight?
• As an educator were you active in listening and creating authentic, meaningful shared conversation? Were children encouraged to lead conversations?
• Were connections made for children by comparing and contrasting ideas?  What was the context and content of the connections which were made?
• Was there a need to negotiate due to conflict?  Was the educator able to provide scaffolding to allow children to see another side to the argument or issue? Was a resolution reached?  How was the issue finally resolved?
• Are the children you are working with viewed as capable and competent?  Are there provisions in the program or activity to provide choice to encourage autonomy and agency?
• Is there an opportunity to extend the activity through further investigation?   Would further research solve any unresolved issues encountered during the activity?
• Do you encourage children to ask questions? How do your responses to questioning encourage or discourage further inquiry?
• Are children involved in reflective practice about an activity or an outcome?  Can a child build upon prior learning by revisiting and thinking of alternate possibilities?
• What was your understanding of a child’s ability prior to the activity?  What steps did you use to provide a supportive framework to move forward and attain a higher level of achievement?

Summary

The National Quality Standards (NQS) require educators to be intentional teachers, to be “deliberate, purposeful and thoughtful in their decisions and actions” ¹.

Intentional teaching requires educators to challenge children’s ideas and provide opportunity for extending those ideas; to involve others in collaborative tasks; to be encouraging and supportive; to provide scaffolding and to be active listeners; to make connections, to explain, to investigate, to co-construct, to develop hypotheses and test them; to provide choice, to give instruction and to model relevant skills.  It is through these interactions, a child learns and so does the educator.

Have you got intentionality in your practice?

References:

1. Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace, Educators My Time Our Place, Educators’ Guide to the Framework for School Age Care in Australia. p. 42 & p. 85
2. Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations 2009, Interpreting the Early Years Learning Framework: A guide for educators, Draft for trial, April, pp. 35–36.

What is Agency?

Having agency means, ‘Being able to make choices and decisions to influence events and to have an impact on one’s world’¹.

As children develop a sense of agency they realise that they have the ability to make their own decisions and to control their own lives. A sense of agency is an important part of a strong sense of identity ³ and has been identified as a foundation to learning and wellbeing ².

Why document agency?

The National Quality Framework (NQF) and National Quality Standards (NQS) both specifically highlight agency as a key concept to a child’s development.

NQF Outcome 1.2 Chilldren develop their autonomy, inter-dependence, resilience and sense of agency.

NQS 1.1.6 Each child’s agency is promoted, enabling them to make choices and decisions and to influence events and their world.

Providing sufficient documented evidence of a consistently applied pedagogy, promoting agency, is beneficial in meeting the assessment and rating process.

Detailed documentation also enables objective assertions to be made about a child’s development of agency. Undocumented anecdotal evidence will only provide subjective assumption to be concluded. Therefore high quality documentation will provide accurate evidence and show commitment to promoting effective learning and agency for children.

Documenting agency in the QIP

A centre’s values and physical environment can influence the development of a child’s agency. The Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) allows a centre to outline their strengths or specify key improvement areas for QA 1 (element 1.1.6) where perceived deficiencies are identified.

What opportunities are there in your setting for children to make meaningful decisions and choices about things that affect them?

How do you enable children to make a range of choices and decisions to influence events in their world?

Documenting agency in planning

Many pre-planned activities can promote agency for children, which may seem contradictory to the understanding of agency as ‘free choice’. However, planning an activity requested by a child can empower, give ownership and establish that their opinions matter and that they can ‘influence events in their world’.

When writing a child requested activity, state within the document how the idea came about. Outline discussions that were had with older children or interpreted cues given by younger children without verbal communication skills.

Documenting agency in observations

Observation is a simple way to provide evidence of children developing agency in a centres programming. Make an intentional link to NQF outcome 1.2 within the observation and specifically discuss how agency was encouraged or developed.

What problems were encountered and what solutions were formulated?

Was there an instance where the educator needed to take control and why?

Was there an opportunity to extend the activity/interaction in planning future activities?

Documenting agency in a written reflection

Reflective practice allows an educator to outline where success or areas for improvement for either the child or themselves were identified. This can be applied to agency for a child and the way in which the educator facilitated the learning and development.

Was the child actively involved in decision making or were they a reluctant participant?

Was there a consequence to the choices made by the child and was scaffolding provided by the educator, or peers, within the situation?

What were the child’s emotional responses over the course of the interaction e.g. joy, persistence or frustration etc?

What could be improved or implemented in the future to further extend a child’s agency?

Did you have pre conceived bias as to what the child was capable of achieving? If so did this have an influence on how you interacted with the child and their agency?

Conclusion

Promoting agency cannot be prescribed, but being aware of the importance of agency and providing consistent opportunities which are documented shows a commitment to the intent of the NQF and NQS.

How do you support children to develop a sense of agency?

References

1. Early Years Learning Framework p45
2. PROMOTING CHILDREN’S AGENCY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION: Angela MASHFORD-SCOTT* & Amelia CHURCH**Novitas-ROYAL (Research on Youth and Language), 2011, 5 (1), 15-38.
3. EYLF Postcards – Thinking about the EYLF – Thoughts to inspire.