Reading Margaret Syverson’s The Wealth of Reality, I came across a section pertaining to the Learning Record, a system of academic observation and evaluation which I am presently using in my master’s class Writing for Electronic Communities. On page 192 Syverson describes the Learning Record as “an integrated approach to literacy research, pedagogy, and assessment, [providing] one model for an ecological account of the development of students as readers and writers.” Its funny, in the process of creating writing, I never usually consider the effects ecology may have on my writing, nor that my ideas may stem from anywhere other than my own cognitive cache. Syverson not only emphasizes the importance of acknowledging cognitive distribution, but also puts forth the Learning Record as a prime example of a teaching method that can be instrumental in recognizing research, pedagogy and assessment, a plausible practice which can be effectively used by both teacher and student that also considers the importance of ecology in the creation of all types of work.
The Learning Recordwas originally developed in my home country, England, by Myra Barrs, in response to teachers frustrations over current evaluation procedures. Myra Barr’s version is called the Primary Language Record, and as I read Syverson’s description of what the PLR entailed, my memory started to stir and I began to recall the process of evaluation I was taught as a child back in Britain. Primary school starts at the age of four years old until the age of eleven. During this time there is an emphasis on three core subjects, English, Math and Science; these three subjects are controlled through governmental agencies depending on the region of the country. I attended Primary school from 1987-1994 and I can definitely recall the use of PLR-like systems of evaluation, all of the time. There was a system of whenever you finished reading a book, each student had to give an observation of what the book was about, why you liked it, what you struggled with and what you think you could do in the future to improve your reading abilities. The same process was followed with written language. When I look at the examples Syverson gives on page 238 of the California Learning Record, I was surprised that it resembled the same evaluative process I was given in Primary school. The only problem I have, is that back then we were not given an explanation of what we were doing, as primary students we just did what we were told and reacted to the questions asked, rather than thinking about the larger scheme of the evaluation process. In essence, we were not given the PLR that is probably used today, but a form of one that did not exactly offer much for the student. It seemed, instead, like a documented process that would better help teachers guide students in the right direction, almost like a journal of where we were struggling so he/she could help us in the areas we were weakest. The Learning record, adapted from the PLR is definitely an improvement on what I was taught to use. Today’s PLR and LR make more of a conscious effort to involve the student in a manner that helps them recognise their achievements, weaknesses and areas of improvement, all taking into account environmental and situational influences on the individual. All I really know is that when I am recording observations and taking into account outside factors that influence my work, I am able to come to terms with my own level of progression much more easily than in a regular class that merely documents grades. Whether my primary teachers were trying to encourage this sort of documentation and observational behavior when I was a young child, I don’t quite know, but I am glad that more and more academic institutes in Britain are adopting PLR and are beginning to expand its potential, just like they have in the United States, including students at an older age.
Some of the features of the PLR:
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| • | “Its grounding in a coherent theory of children’s language and literacy development. This theory draws on a wide range of international research and is set out clearly in the Primary Language Record Handbook accompanying the Record, which has sold more than 100,000 copies in the UK, USA and Canada |
| • | The possibility the PLR offers for recognising and documenting children’s very different learning styles within common frameworks |
| • | The clear recognition that the PLR gives to cultural and linguistic diversity, and its systematic inclusion of children’s first languages in the documentation of their linguistic progress |
| • | The fact that parents and children’s views are included in the PLR, and that it promotes meaningful parental involvement in children’s education |
| • | The potential that the PLR offers for structuring portfolio assessment, and providing information about children’s progress for teachers, parents, and wider audiences |
| • | The value of the PLR in staff development, and the framework it offers for teacher education and professional development, as well as for the observation of children” |
