May 2, 2017 — A co-author of an early childhood education practice called “Learning Stories” will give two public presentations on her work in Ventura on May 8 and in Santa Barbara on May 9.
CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Studies, Annie White, EdD., arranged for New Zealand educator Wendy Lee to speak in California for the first time on “Learning Stories,” a practice that is being adopted in the U.S. and in countries around the world.
Lee is co-director of the Early Childhood Learning and Exemplar Project in New Zealand. She created “Learning Stories” with Margaret Carr, Professor of Education at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. The practice was so effective in New Zealand that the Ministry of Education in New Zealand now uses it nationally to assess children’s learning.
“’Learning Stories’ is when teachers write narrative stories directly to the children to explain the children’s learning experiences,” White said.
With “Learning Stories,” early childhood education teachers write to a student instead of about a student, using informal storytelling to document what he or she did that day in school. This is used to assess children birth through kindergarten, and it involves children, parents, and families.
In the past, early childhood education teachers had to complete dry, time-consuming observations for the state assessment requirements called the Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP).
“Our teachers were drowning because it’s so tedious,” White said. “It lacked engagement with the families. “We restored joy into teaching and assessing children.”
With “Learning Stories,” teachers write something like “Henry’s Bus,” a teacher’s observations about how two-year-old Henry was coping with his new school.
“At first he wandered around the room,” the teacher wrote. “Then he saw the (toy) bus and smiled. He walked over to it and sat down.” Then, the teacher wrote to Henry: “You know how to find comfort in what is familiar to you when you come to our school.”
Then, the story is shared with parents and family, who add their own comments.
“We are happy that Henry is able to comfort himself. It looks like transition to toddler class is going well,” Henry’s parents wrote.
The teacher then writes a paragraph about what the vignette means about Henry’s development, and adds an element for curriculum planning, “add people and buses and stories about buses” to help Henry develop further.
Inspired by “Learning Stories” after a research trip to New Zealand, White developed “Journey of Discoveries” in partnership with a California Head Start Program. Her work, a prototype for a California version of Learning Stories, earned her a spot on the coveted 2015-2016 Simms/Mann Institute Faculty Fellowship.
White’s research project for the Simms/Mann Fellowship was to introduce “Learning Stories” to teachers at child development centers near homeless shelters in Santa Barbara.
“Young children who are homeless and at-risk can be in jeopardy of not experiencing trusting, caring relationships with adults,” White said. “Thus, it is essential to examine possible ways to build secure relationships with infants and toddlers.”
After Lee’s presentations, CSUCI students will present work they have done with children and Learning Stories in Santa Barbara County and Ventura County.
Lee will be speaking from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Monday, May 8 at Child Development Resources at 221 Ventura Blvd. in Oxnard. Spanish translation will be available.
On May 9, Lee will speak from 6 to 9:30 at the Santa Barbara Office of Education (SBOE), for CSUCI Goleta campus students. SBOE is the host and a partner of CSUCI for the presentation. CSUCI also partnered with UC Santa Barbara Child Development Centers and the Pacific Coast Association of Education for Young Children.
For this presentation, CSUCI is in partnership with the Ventura County Office of Education, Child Development Resources, Child Development Incorporated and Family Childcare Network.
To attend the Ventura County presentation, register at: https://vcoe.k12oms.org/eventdetail.php?id=128166
Priority registration will be given to CSUCI students. For more information, call Maritza Garcia at 805-437-1510 or email mgarcia@vcoe.org.
To attend the Santa Barbara presentation, register at:
Priority registration will be given to Santa Barbara residents. For more information, call Joyce Stone at 805-964-4710 ext. 4473.