"Accountability Deserves Complexity"

After recent discussions with many teaching teams regarding the EYLF planning cycle, I paused and pondered why so many incredibly passionate, educated and dedicated teachers and educators are stumped by the ‘planning cycle’.

As someone who tends to think in visual terms, I have consistently discovered that visual imagery serves as a valuable tool in reinforcing new knowledge and concepts and enhancing understandings within my mind. So I tried to find a visual way of unpacking the planning cycle with these teaching teams.

The planning cycle is often viewed as a linear process, with a sequence of steps taken in order. The visual representation of the planning cycle needs to be viewed differently as I believe this is where the confusion starts.

Given my own teaching background is shaped by te ao Māori world views and Te Whāriki, I cannot help but be captivated by the powerful and profoundly accurate imagery of the woven mat. I believe this image forms the basis of my own understandings around the complex work we do as teachers and educators.

This line of thinking was recently affirmed when I was listening to the inspiring David Gilkes speak of the multifaceted nature of assessment. Assessment for, assessment as, and assessment of children’s learning.

Assessment is seamlessly interwoven throughout each stage of the planning cycle, permeating fluidly across the entire process not just at the beginning and end.

As David elaborated on this information, he shared a quote from Anthony Semann that resonated so deeply with the visual image I have been conjuring in my mind.

“Accountability deserves complexity” - Anthony Semann

The work of teachers, particularly in the field of early childhood education, is a complex endeavour that defies simplistic linear charts or images of a cycle. In our profession, we need to recognise that our work is characterised by non-linearity, adaptability, inconsistency, and responsiveness to the ever-evolving environment we operate in.

I envisage a mixture of a woven mat, drawing inspiration from the Maori whāriki, imagery from neuroscience of synapses connecting as new learning is discovered, and also the images shared by Dr Claire Warden that informed her ‘mesh work’.

Synaptic connections can be likened to a woven mat, where each connection represents a strand intricately interwoven with others, forming a complex and interconnected network. This parallel reflects the concept of mesh work, which recognises the interdependence and interplay of various elements in learning and development, mirroring the intricate weaving of synapses in the brain. The images of Te Whāriki, synaptic connections and mesh work highlight interconnectedness, integration, and the synergistic nature of learning and growth.

The whāriki, the mat, is woven, strand by strand, under and over, with no beginning and no end, it represents not only the aforementioned interconnectedness of all aspects of our work but the continuity of our work also.

"The visual metaphor of Te Whāriki as a woven mat encourages the idea that all the strands are of equal importance and interconnected." - Childspace

Just as a whāriki is created by weaving together different strands, teachers weave together diverse elements in their practice. They integrate curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, and children's interests and ideas, creating a cohesive and comprehensive learning experience. Like the interconnected threads of a whāriki, these elements are not separate entities but are rather interwoven and interdependent.

This highlights that our role extends beyond individual tasks and isolated areas of focus. Instead, they encourage us to consider the interplay and interdependencies that exist among observation, analysis, planning, implementation, and reflection—the various elements that make up our teaching practice.

Just as the brain consists of individual synapses connecting together and overlapping one another, strengthened by the amount of times we traverse those connections, the work of teachers involves a myriad of individual tasks and responsibilities that are interconnected.

Recognising that within the planning cycle there are individual stages but these stages are not discrete steps that occur in a strict sequence, but rather they overlap and intertwine, creating a dynamic, complex and iterative process.

Observation and data gathering serve as the foundation, as educators continuously observe children's dispositions, curiosity, discoveries, theories, perspectives, knowledge, skills, involvement in learning and contributions to their own learning and the learning of others. This informs the analysis stage, where educators critically reflect on the observations, data, and contextual factors to gain insights into children's thinking, developmental and learning needs and goals. With this understanding, educators engage in planning, designing experiences and environments that align with children's individual dispositions, interests, ideas and developmental goals. However, this planning is not fixed or linear; it is adaptable and responsive, allowing for emergent and spontaneous opportunities that arise in the learning environment. During implementation, educators actively engage with children, facilitating and supporting their learning experiences, while simultaneously gathering new observations and data to inform ongoing analysis and planning.

This process does not end with evaluation, reflection is not limited to the end of each month or the last step of the planning cycle; instead, it is an ongoing and continuous process for teachers. Yes we reflect at the end of a cycle, which initiates a new cycle of interconnected planning, but we are also constantly engaged in the evaluation of the effectiveness of our environments, resources, interactions, and intentions at every stage. This ongoing reflection prompts change, modifications and refinements to optimise learning outcomes and feeds back into the observation, plan and implementation of the current learning cycle. It's messy and complex.

Given the messy and multifaceted nature of our work as educators, it is understandable that a visual representation of our work as a simple circle or linear chart may lead to confusion. Im confused just trying to articulate the nature of our work, but here's my best attempt: our roles and responsibilities cannot be adequately summarised or encapsulated within such limited representations as a chart or a circle.

"Teaching young children is not a linear process; it is a complex web of interactions, observations, and responsive planning." - Early Childhood Australia

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By using the concepts of mesh work, synaptic connections and a whāriki as visual aids to reflect the true nature of our work, I hope teachers, educators are able to view the planning cycle differently but more than that, I hope that they and the wider community begin to appreciate the complexity and richness of our role.

Our work as teachers and educators is a multifaceted tapestry, where each action and decision impacts the whole fabric of a child's learning journey and the synapses that shape the growth of their developing brains. By recognising and honouring these interconnected aspects, we can truly begin to celebrate just how vital we are as professionals.

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"Early childhood educators embrace the non-linear nature of children's learning, recognizing that it is a journey filled with twists, turns, and unexpected discoveries." - Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA)

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Each mat we weave is just a square or piece of bigger mat, and each child who comes into our program has their own square, each group has a square.

Imagine the whāriki each teacher has created by the end of each year, let alone their career!!?