Documentation Design + Summer Learning

As you all know I have been instructing the Kindergarten course to teachers and early childhood educators at York University... We have been deep in discussion about pedagogical documentation and have found the work of Dr. Carol Anne Wien and Susan Stacey to be very insightful for our learning journeys.
 

Here are a few of the resources we have looked at:

Article - Learning to document in Reggio-inspired education (Wien, Guyevskey, & Berdoussis) 

Website - Making learning visible with pedagogical documentation (Think, Feel, Act - Ministry of Ontario)

Book - Pedagogical documentation in early childhood: Sending children's learning and teachers' thinking (Susan Stacey)

When I heard Susan Stacey speak at a workshop, I was inspired by one of her hands-on tasks to work in a group and make design decisions for a documentation panel.  

I tried something similar in my Kindergarten course, and gave them work samples, photographs, and a transcription of conversations from my recent flower research study paired with bristle board, scissors, rulers, glue sticks, markers, and extra paper for captions, titles, etc.

Here is a closer glimpse into our process:

It was clear as I documented the students (educators-adult learners) how valuable this experience was for them professionally.  Some even approached me to say, I have yet to try "going public" with my documentation in fear of this intricate process.  I thoroughly enjoyed observing their negotiations and collaboration.  

There are so many aspects of documentation to consider:

• the audience
• the title (or mini thesis)
• the organization of data collected
• the selection of data (editing down photos, transcripts, video clips, and work samples)
• the visual appeal (visual literacy) - everything matters from the white space around images, to the borders, to the text,  font, colours, overall layout, detail in photographs, etc.
• the overall message or focus - what it is you are trying to communicate (students' learning and educators' thinking)

Still interested in learning more?

Join me over the summer in the following opportunities:

1) York University Blended Kindergarten Course Part 1, 2, and Specialist - Summer 2017 at Richmond Hill High School (July 4, 5 online, 6, 10 online, 11, 12 online, 13, 17 online, 18, 19 online from 8:30-4:00 p.m.) To register for click here. *This is for teachers and RECE's !

2) Ontario Reggio Association 25 hour Certificate Program - "Environments that Support Learning Interactions" at the Seneca Lab School (July 24 - July 28 from 10:00-3:00 p.m.) To register click here. *This is for teachers and RECE's !

3) Fully Online Fairy Dust Teaching Conference, "Cultivating Curious Minds" 15 hour Professional Development Certificate - View/Participate presentations at your own time. (Starting July 10, 2017) To register click here. *Early bird discount with $100 USD savings ends June 10th!!!

4) Any of my upcoming TransformEd Tea Talks (100 Languages, Provocations and Loose Parts - The Third Educator - Popular ECE Approaches, Theories and Concepts) or Summer Symposium (Celebrating Creativity through Inquiry) To register click here. Special sale on until June 7th - Free eWorkshop - details here!

No matter how much reading a teacher has done about the Reggio Emilia approach, 

or how strong [his/] her intellectual grasp of documentation, 

the first aspect of the progression will be to develop habits of documenting.

-Wien, Guyevskey, & Berdoussis