Pedagogical Documentation, first introduced to us by the schools of Reggio Emilia, has many roles. It is a powerful visual form of communication, one that engages the reader and helps them reach understanding of children’s thinking, questions, and ideas. For teachers, it is a form of reflection, dialogue, and decision-making. Along with inquiry-based practice, it is a powerful tool that puts all of us – children, teachers, and families – into a collaboration that supports innovation in our classrooms.

Objectives

• To develop an understanding of the underpinnings of documentation; where it came from, its intent, and its effects
• To uncover the many forms of documentation, and when each type may be most useful, practical, and appropriate
• To dig deeply into our observations of children in order to make meaning of what children are doing and saying
• To step into the role of researcher, through the study of our documentation
• To use documentation to encourage dialogue between all protagonists
• To experiment with a small documentation piece, in order to understand how to ‘put it all together’ efficiently
• To explore the promise of raw documentation, on the spot and in the moment with children

Outline 
Session 1: Introduction and Foundations of Documentation

• The basic principles: What is the intent of documentation? Where did it begin and why?
• Forms of documentation: Choices of format and when to use differing types
• Observing closely and making decisions about what to document; the role of dialogue
• The language of documentation: Language matters!
• Inspirations from Reggio Emilia

Session 2: Inspirations

• Becoming a Teacher-Researcher through documentation. Observing, reflecting, responding.
• The asking of good questions – the role of curiosity
• Digging deeply into underlying meanings of children’s play
• Reflecting and Responding: Practice documenting an Ordinary Moment together
• Inspirations: Documentation from around the world.
• Making it practical – the promise of sketch notebooks

Trainer’s Profile

Susan S. is a teacher-educator and author who regularly consults with and supports early years practitioners in Canada, U.S.A, and other countries, both in person and online. She has worked in the field of ECE for 35 years, as a Director, Practicum Advisor, College Instructor, and designs and delivers PD for the Early Years Curriculum Framework in Nova Scotia. Her work is grounded in reflective and responsive practices.

She is the author of 4 books: Emergent Curriculum in Early Childhood Settings (2^nd ed.); Unscripted: Emergent Curriculum in Action; Pedagogical Documentation; and Inquiry-Based Early Learning Environments. 

Methodology

Workshop will include reflective practice in action, discussion, and sharing of experiences.

Platform

Zoom
A Zoom account is not required if you are strictly joining Zoom Meetings as a participant. An email invite will be emailed to you prior to the live workshop. Before joining a Zoom meeting on a computer or mobile device, you can download the Zoom app from the Download Center. Otherwise, you will be prompted to download and install Zoom when you click a join link.

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Target Audience

All adults who work with young children in early years settings, or work with teachers-in-training for the early years and primary age groups.

Fees
SGD300.00/person for all 2 sessions
E-certificate will be issued

Other Details
Duration: 2 days, 6 hours
Closing Date:  5 Apr 2021

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