Planning for Successful Learning

Planning, tracking and Monitoring

Planning for Successful Learning

In the Early Years

Planning in the early years should be a balance of responsive and intentional to meet children’s needs and interests. A familiar and enabling environment and a progressive approach to skills and knowledge development, where children are encouraged to explore and consolidate their understanding, ensures continuous progression in learning.

Staff observations of children should inform planning and support children to make connections across learning and in the wider world. A variety of approaches support the planning process in the early years. A commonly used approach, floorbooks promote children’s voice, allow children to revisit prior learning, and build on prior knowledge. They also document progression of learning, providing opportunities for assessment, allowing children’s skills to be scaffolded.

Other approaches include 3D mind mapping and planning meetings with individuals and small groups of children. Informal planning includes responsive actions and professional dialogue.

Realising the Ambition, national practice guidance for early years in Scotland, contains further guidance on planning ‘Into practice - observation, planning and facilitating learning responsively and intentionally’.

The Primary & Secondary Context

Before learning takes place:

Before starting a lesson, staff should plan with a clear understanding of the Curriculum for Excellence outcomes and experiences and how these can be ‘bundled’, or the Course Assessment Specification for the senior phase.  During this process, staff should set specific, skills-based learning intentions and success criteria that are both challenging and achievable.  Furthermore, it is essential to assess learners' prior knowledge and readiness by reviewing previous assessments or conducting pre-assessment activities, including digital, which can help identify knowledge gaps or particular needs. Staff should also consider any barriers to learning, such as additional support needs, additional learning requirements, or accessibility issues, and prepare differentiated strategies to accommodate these. Digital tools can be used to support this. Planning engaging and varied activities will help ensure that every learner has access to the material in a way that resonates with them. Finally, selecting appropriate assessment methods—whether formative or summative—will provide a framework for monitoring progress throughout the lesson. Again, digital tools can underpin this.

During Learning

During the lesson, staff should create an inclusive, supportive environment that encourages active participation and engagement using varied teaching strategies, such as collaborative tasks, practical activities, multimedia resources and, most importantly, staff should plan for active learning/thinking strategies. 

Ongoing formative assessment during lessons is crucial; practitioners can use high-quality questioning, think-pair-share, and other assessment for learning (AfL) techniques to gauge understanding in real-time. Providing timely, constructive feedback encourages learners to reflect on their learning in real time and make adjustments, fostering a growth mindset. Digital tools can support this. Staff should remain responsive to the needs of the class, ready to adjust pacing or offer additional explanations or support, such as video explanations, if necessary, ensuring that all learners are working toward the lesson's success criteria.

After Learning has Taken Place

After the lesson, staff should evaluate its effectiveness by reviewing learners work, self-assessments, peer-assessments and any formative or summative assessments completed. This reflection process should identify any persistent gaps in understanding and assess whether the learning intentions were met across the class.