This interactive workshop explores how studying and engaging with Learning Stories in both New Zealand and the United States has shaped and continues to influence our practice as educators. We will begin by sharing reflections from our own learning journeys, highlighting key experiences, ideas, and connections that have deepened our understanding of Learning Stories and their role in making children’s learning, relationships, and identities visible.

Participants will then have the opportunity to explore examples of documentation and consider how Learning Stories can be used as a meaningful tool for observing, reflecting on, and responding to children’s learning. Throughout the workshop, we will offer prompts for individual and group reflection, inviting participants to make connections to their own experiences and share perspectives with one another.

We will conclude by looking forward—considering possibilities for bringing Learning Stories into participants’ own settings and sharing resources that can support continued learning and exploration. A “parking lot” for questions, ideas, and feedback will be available throughout the session, allowing participants to contribute insights that can continue to inform and strengthen our collective practice.

This workshop can be presented in Spanish, English, and/or Japanese, creating opportunities for participants to engage and connect across languages and learning communities.

Audience: 3-6 years; Inclusion; Multilingual Learners; Family Childcare; Administrators; Policy Makers; Faculty/Higher Education; Parents