Organizing Anecdotal Notes in Portfolios
It is easy to tell that teachers are stuck on Post-it® Notes. When I presented at the 2007 North Carolina Head Start Convention, the conversation kept coming back to those all-important, but rather cumbersome, anecdotal notes. Many teachers write anecdotal notes in journals, on mailing labels, on index cards, in official forms, or on class record sheets. But the majority of teachers said they used those temporary little sticky notes until they can finally get to those portfolios.
A portfolio is the physical “home” for a child’s achievements and records. It can be a folder, a box, or anything that contains information about a child’s progress. The task of organizing Post-its within all that content is tricky and sometimes overwhelming. There are many ways to create an organized system that works for you. Here are a few of my suggestions:
- Attach these notes to relevant samples, photos, audiotapes, or videotapes.
- Make a chart of outcomes and objectives. Leave a blank column that is large enough for whatever type of pad or label you use. Stick the anecdotal notes next to the appropriate item.
- Use a weekly or monthly calendar. Affix anecdotal notes to the days on which the observations were made.
What is your system for recording and organizing anecdotal notes? We’d love to hear from you.
