1. Power of Documentation for Early Childhood
Bobbie Jo Kite and Scott Mohan
April 5
CASA Conference

2. Brief Overview of Reggio Emilia
Reggio Emilia is a prosperous and progressive city in northern Italy.
Has a strong history of supporting early childhood education through private, parochial, and federal means.
For a short period after World War II, in , strong local initiatives arose.

3. Explicit recognition of the relationship or partnership among parents, educators, and children.
In the 1950’s, educational approaches were rapidly changing and Loris Malaguzzi, founder and director of the municipal schools in Reggio Emilia was inspired by different people that helped shape his philosophy.

4. Basic Principles of the Reggio Approach
The Image of the child
Teachers as Partners
The Three Subjects of Education: Children, Parents, and Teachers
The Emergent—or Negotiated—Curriculum

5. Children’s Relationships and Interactions Within a System
The Value of Relationships: Children in Small Groups
Collaboration and Interaction
The Role of Parents

6. The Power of Documentation
Projects
The Role of the Environment
Time

7. What is Documentation?
Documentation is the process of gathering evidence and artifacts of what happens in the classroom. Documentation is not only the process of gathering evidence and artifacts, but also a physical collection of evidence and artifacts, the reflection of that collection, or part of it, in a way that makes children’s learning visible to the children, to the teachers, to the other adults including families and visitors.
--Carlina Rinaldi (1994)

8. Power of Observation Cycle
The Power of Observation, p.93

9. Why Document Children’s Work?
Opportunity to capture the experience of a child discovering something about his/her world
Gives teacher new insight into that child
Insights can be shared with parents and used to formulate other experiences for that child
Documentation opens the doors of communication.
Child discovers something once that changes his/her perspective of the world--capturing that moment with series of pictures and short observations creates a memorable glimpse of the child’s daily life.
One of the first and most powerful step towards changing your practice/teaching.
Observing is listening with your eyes just like touching is a way of knowing something by using your fingers. By documenting, we are in essence documenting our own development as teachers
Offers vital information to teachers about themselves, their students, and it brings families “inside the story” of their children’s lives at schools and can create a testimony of work done with children as it is collected over time.

10. Documentation is a wonderful way to draw parents and visitors into our classroom and to communicate to them
Documentation begins from observation. Observation is on-going, part of a large documentation process or a documentation on its own.

11. Definition of Observation
We define observation as watching to learn. Observing provides the information you need to build relationships with individual children and enable them to be successful learners. We learn about children by carefully watching them, listening to them, and studying their work. Watching and listening to children helps us understand what they are feeling, learning, and thinking.
--The Power of Observation

12. Fostering Relationships
Positive relationships between children and teachers are the foundation for children’s exploration of and learning within the classroom (Howes & Ritchie, 2002)
Observing slows you down, giving you time to listen to children, to learn more about them.
Observing helps you appreciate children, their knowledge and respect their ‘being”.
Helps you become more aware when to intervene in ways to enable children to be successful learners
Develop trust in adults, kids are more likely to take on new challenges, ask questions when they are confused, curious, will keep on trying….also raises higher levels of achievement.

13. Questions to Help You Get to Know Children
Health and physical development
Temperament
Skills and abilities
Interests
Culture and home life
Approach to learning
Use of language
Use of body language
Social interactions with adults and peers

14. You as Observer What you bring to observing
Your culture
Beliefs about child rearing
Beliefs about appropriate ways to communicate
Beliefs about children’s independence
Going beyond cultural differences
Your Professional Expertise

15. Striving for Objectivity
Differentiating between what you actually see and your own opinions and interpretations of these actions
Objective and Effective observer
Tuning into individual children
Describing rather than labeling children’s behavior
Listening to children
Learning from families
Provide examples on page 42-43?
Examples from pages from power of observation book

16. What to Observe? Capture what actually happened
Capture not analyze it as it is happening
Collect information keeps it open for analysis and interpretation in the future
It is ok to refine your observation tools or how you observe/document children’s play over time
Observations should reflect time, process, actions of children or others during that time (stimuatlatenously or consecutively)
Can be tailored for any setting

17. What Can Be Documented? Process of students and teachers
Chronological process of a course of work
How students interact
How students influence one other in particular situations, parts of classroom or groupings
Every activity offers multiple possibilities
Chronological is the most common documentation--maybe the most used one. And probably the only one that is usually used by teachers. But can be a good way to start on documenting skills.
Documentation can help you learn to illuminate thinking, to see what was learned and what was not learned, evolution of behavior, questioning, maturity, responses and opinions. The development of relationship
Peel away the experience, look beyond the obvious, look at children’s perspectives

18. Where to Observe? Play Center time Outside play Academics
Social Settings

19. Deciding what to observe is primarily the responsibility of the observer
Even better if choice is shared by the group (adults who work together with that child)
Field of observation is limitless

20. How to Document? How you record must match your personal style
Can use several methods
Brief Notes (Quick written records)
On mailing labels
On index cards
On daily log
On a desk calendar
On masking tape
Anecdotal Notes (detailed, narrative accounts)
Running Records (narrative accounts in sequential manner)
Set up a system (forms, notes, folder, etc)

21. How Do I Record…
Matrices (grid to record a word, brief note or rating)
Tallies (count instances of particular event or behavior)
Diagrams
Sketches
Photographs
Videotapes

22. Brief Notes– using post its on a folder

23. The Power of Observation- page 80.
Literature Discussions Week of: March 12, 2008
A= Active participation P- Participated somewhat Q-Quiet
Names
Comments/Reflections
Andrew P
Responded to Steve’s ? about Gardiner’s motive
Anthony A
Katie Q
Recalled details of yesterday’s discussion
Nadine
Does she get the story? Try to talk to her 1-1
The Power of Observation- page 80.

24. Examples of Matrices

25. The Power of Observation, page 83.
An example of tally sheet
Date: 3/21/08
Children’s participation during group times
Morning circle
Discussions
Story time
Alice I
IIII
Brandon II
Bria
The Power of Observation, page 83.

26. When do I intervene? Three basic questions before intervening
Should I step back and give children the space and time they need to make a discovery or solve a problem independently?
Does the child need me to step in and help?
If I step in, what should I say or do?

27. Revisiting the Practice of Observation
Observations begins with your wondering about a child
Collect Data
Reflect on what you have learned
Interpret what the child did and said
Respond on the basis of that interpretation
Review your observation notes at end of week—see how much you have learned!

28. Power of Observation Cycle
The Power of Observation, p. 93

29. Using Observation to guide instruction
Observations provides a way to look at the development in all domains
Useful and helpful for assessment periods
To create window inside the daily life of children
Helps with Curricular Planning

30. Curricular Planning Capturing kids interest Web planning Provocations
Community resources

31. Sharing Your Observations
Internal uses:
Teacher notes
Assessments (IEPs, IFSPs, Report Cards)
External uses (for community):
Newsletters
Bulletin Boards
Story Boards
Class Books
Student Showcases

32. Goals of Sharing Targeted info Targeted audience
Think about what you want to share
Your goal for sharing?
Misconceptions: Playing vs skills and learning

33. Uses Of Documentation For children to reflect on their own work
For children to connect to and reflect on other children’s work
For adults to reflect on children’s work and discuss about where their work might go next
For families to experience the work and explorations of their children
To document children’s growth over time
To develop a complex and detailed picture of the child in all developmental domains
To provide a resource for the wider community of educators to understand children’s learning better
To share with everyone what is happening inside a school
Impossible to give out a detailed list of options for documentation
Whatever method is used, it should serve to inform people of the experience
I've seen children react to their own experiences through documentation, share experiences with others (peers and parents)
Parents use to interact and connect experiences with their child (more language opportunities for both )
Here are some ways documentation is used in the reggio way

34. Types of Documentation
Quote Board
Skills Board
Sequencing Board
Reflection Board
Project Board
Story Board
Works in Progress
Everyday Life
Environmental Projects
Products of Interests or discussions
Particular experience or event
Self-managed projects
Works in Progress
Everyday life can include notes from each day of class, comments/dialogues from students over the year, Daily agenda, etc
Products of interests/discussions--emerged from discussions or interests of students and adults, can extend over days, weeks or months--can be individual or small group (specific experience that happened during class, during a trip and/or an aspect of an event that is of an interest to the child or the group--rather than the main event itself (I.e. inside of seeds--from a trip to the farmers market)
Works in Progress-- emerging from class event (field trips, topic of study) or events that occurred at home or in lives (that becomes class interest)
Doc boards are a great way to exhibit the children’s interactions, projects, skills, concepts, reflections, stories, and words in the classroom.

35. Quote Board Used for dialogue between one other
Put in quotes and keep it word for word (English or ASL GLOSS)
Used when children choose not to extend on activity or project

36. Skills Board
Analysis of skills and concepts learned during specific activity
Anecdotal record of a child
Visible and clear explanation
Can easily add to portfolio
Toddlers Skills Board

37. 2nd/3rd grade Skills Board

38. Sequencing Board When play is extended
Steps into achieving the final product
Objective and clearly stated
Significant items such as drafts, drawings, materials, etc

39. Reflection Board Review of a child’s own work or event Own feedback
Process own thoughts, feelings, senses of event

40. Project Board Running Record style--details needed Trial and Error
Cause and Effect
Review process, planning, doing
Experiences and exploration

41. Story Board Stems from child’s actions, activities, ideas
Attracts others
Broadening play
Think of it as a story (Beginning, Middle, End)
Usually an event that attracts the majority of the class
The Rug Story (Eileen)

42. Particular event board

43. Science Fair Documentation

44. Work in Progress On-going Similar to Portfolio
Opportunity for students to re-visit anytime
Recalls information
Provokes communication, interaction, and learning

45. Works In Progress Binder

46. Works In Progress-- Folders

47. Looking At Your Class Think about the ways you are already documenting
Examine your list of your current practices
All types serve different purposes
May be missing in some but may be included in some
Make observation part of your daily schedule.
Are there spaces where photos are displayed?
Do you have a notebook to write yourself notes?
How are experiences captured currently?
How is student work collected? Is it re-visited?
By collecting a list of what is already occurring, you will be able to further develop your skills and existing structures instead of beginning anew.

48. A word of Encouragement
“Lack of resources isn’t an excuse, it is a challenge.”
“I am a dreamer, but I am not the only one.”

49. Sources Much of this information is adapted from:
Gandini, L. (1997) Foundations of the Reggio Emilia Approach.
Hendrick, J. First steps towards teaching the Reggio Way.
Jabalon, J. R., Dombro, A. L., Dichtelmiller, M. L. (2007). The Power of Observation
Wurm, J. (2005) Working in the Reggio Way.