The five steps of documenting learning

Continuing with my reading into Chapter 7 we now start to look at the various steps involved in documenting the learning.  I was really interested to read that in this context learning is a verb rather than a noun - evidence of learning can be a test, quiz or final product, perhaps what we might have termed a summative assessment, but that the emphasis in the PYP has shifted now so that is is much more seen as the act of learning.  Here are the five steps:

1. Look for learning - this means actively seeking out the learning that will take place or is taking place and it can incorporate multiple media platforms and tools.  The interesting thing here is that many teachers shy-away from tools they do not know themselves.  We recognised this at my previous school by having each teacher and TA in a grade level become an expert in one particular tool so that all students in that grade had an adult they could call upon for advice.  In fact some of the students were also experts in other tools and were an additional and valuable resource.  Looking for learning also acknowledges that students have different preferences about how they learn - therefore the documenting does not have to be the same for all learners.
2. Capture learning - technology allows students to capture what is happening in the moment and also over time.  It's important to have the capturing devices (eg: iPads) available and sometimes this can be done collaboratively with students being assigned various tasks in the capture.
3. Reflect on learning - remember it is this step that moves the learning beyond simple display into a learning narrative as the documentation is now interpreted to make the thinking and learning more visible and/or audible.  Silvia writes that it is critical that teachers and students go through the process of interpreting and making meaning, before moving onto the next step.
4. Share learning - we all benefit from others who are willing to share, and therefore it's imperative that this action is reciprocated.  The shift from a culture of consumers to producers is an important practice in sharing learning with others, including the successes, failures and lessons learned.
5. Amplify learning - which means creating a ripple effect of potential learning extensions - so when you reach out to a wider audience than simply the class there are new possibilities for connections, discovering multiple perspectives, receiving expert feedback or discovering additional resources.

Photo Credit:  Gerd Altmann on Pixabay