Documentation

Documentation is a practice that I have only come to meet within the last three years-the learning curve has been huge! Those who are new to ELKP -or those who are still waiting for it to come to them-may have heard of documentation (or documenting) as a means of assessment or "making learning visible". It is essentially capturing the learning process. Documentation is not to be taken lightly, nor is it an easy undertaking, but it is one that I enjoy nonetheless. I feel great pleasure in reflecting on the children's learning, through the dissection of my own notes and thinking. My creative side gets much satisfaction from creating (what I feel) are beautiful displays of the children's work and thinking. Not only do I appreciate these pieces, but the children also. Pride beams in their faces and throughout their entire bodies when they see their images or work displayed in a aesthetically pleasing way in our classroom. The children will often recount learning experiences that have been documented, which, in turn, may then extend the experience or blossom into a new inquiry. Very exciting stuff.

Now, this is certainly not your traditional way of assessing children and that is where I, and I know many other educators, struggle with (well, only at first!). I am so fortunate to have such wonderful, collaborative colleagues who I often turn to when I need help or guidance. However, at the end of day, I have (and I hope you will) come to learn that documentation is truly an authentic and beautiful representation of who children really are, what they know and what they have learned.

Speaking of wonderful, collaborative colleagues, I would like to thank them for sharing this video. I hope that you watch, that you enjoy and that you gain some insight into what documenting is. I also hope that you too will see the value, the necessity and the beauty of documentation and will be inspired to try it in your program.

http://vimeo.com/36323323