The Story of a Project

When in Israel I was asked about projects... what do they look like, how long do they last etc etc

So this post is about how I have interpreted projects and how I have embarked on projects with children.

This post will also link to previous posts I have written on the subject which you will find at the end...

For me a project is a bit like the stage for a performance... there is so much that goes on behind the scenes... and on the stage the children play, explore, sing, dance, learn, experiment and interact while we teachers do the work behind the scenes to enable this... as Malaguzzi writes above... "the central role of the adult is to activate, especially indirectly, the meaning-making competencies of children as a basis for all learning" - the project "activates".

Or you could say it is like the microphone/megaphone - it give the child's voice more power to be heard - it gives them a focus to explore complex ideas, and for us as educators to learn with them.

Or that it is an adventure... a learning journey that can be of short or long duration and with detours here and there too to explore mini-projects and ideas and interests.

I have had projects that have been a week long, some that last a few weeks or a month or several months.. or even a year or more... a week long project is maybe more of a detour within another project... and it could be like yesterday's post about connecting dots... sometimes these mini-projects connect to the original long term project but you simply do not realise it until afterwards when you reflect on it and see that the children have been exploring the same ideas just from another perspective/theme.

In the posts below I have also linked in observation and also pedagogical documentation as posts to explore to better understand a "project". There is a lot of information exploring projects, my reflections on them - before during and after... so you get to see the whole process in a way.

Thinking about projects - exploring projects from the perspective how much is a teacher allowed to direct/lead a project, exploring the image of the teacher and not just the image of the child. About being open and also perceptive... about working with the children. About the project being the work of the educator... the children play and learn.

Progettazione - this is the word used in Italian in Reggio Emilia settings... and it has been translated into project... but it does not quite translate directly like that... so take the time to read about it... as it is almost a project for the teachers to learn about the children, about pedagogy etc... but this is done with the children too.

Observations... easier said than done - this post explores the start of a project... our observations of the children - to see what they are interested in, how they are evolving, what support they need, and what kind of project frame would allow us as educators to meet all these needs...

Raw Planning - once I have observed the children, know their interests and understand their needs... then I will start collecting ideas and questions and sort them by the curriculum (of course some ideas are not just one part of the curriculum but are cross curricula). This is a first initial collection of questions and ideas that then got expanded... I also know that not all these ideas will be used... but that I have them ready to work with the children. I also know beforehand how all the ideas connect to the curriculum to make sure I am giving the children a good foundation in accordance with the Swedish School Law

Reflecting on a week - spending time to regularly reflect on the course of the project is important... to ask yourself more questions about how the children are reacting to the project... what ideas are standing out the most, and why? do we need to change direction or not... can new ideas be incorporated into the current project concept? and what have I learned as an educator so far about the children, the way the week is designed etc

Reflections on a project - this post is my reflections of a project that lasted from mid August to the end of December... and shares that sometimes a project is more of the wrapping paper, or the outlet for deeper learning... in this case the magic powers project was more about the children being empowered.

Reflection on Through the Eyes of the Child prototype week - this was just a one week project that nestled itself within the International Fairy Tea Party exploration.

Beginners guide to Pedagogical Documentation - this is one of five posts... but if you click on the youtube version of the film you will also find the links to the four other sections of exploring pedagogical Documentation and how it can support you in your projects with children.

I hope these links gave you an insight into the potential of a project... it is not simply following the children's interests, but utilising those interests to frame their ideas, the development, their learning, their play. It is most certainly a collaboration with the children where the educator is as important as the child... that all voices need to be heard and respected. That we empower children to make decisions, to participate, to take responsibility, to play and learn... but we have the bottom line responsibility... in what we choose to provide for them, how we see ourselves as educators, how we view the child, being aware of the impact of all our decision making... keeping the children safe so that they can take risks.

Below are some quotes for further reflections

remeber listening is an important part of the project... to listen to find out what project, what direction, the needs, the ideas, and if a new direction is needed, or a new stimulus... etc etc... and listening happens in many ways... not just the words children say.

To the right you can see in the list of tags various projects that I have done while I have written this blog... you are welcome to check them out...

The Reggio Emilia Approach... the short version

Unlike many other pedagogies the Reggio Emilia Approach does not have specific models or written methods and thus makes it more tricky to define - especially if you want to keep it short... and over the years this has been a request I have heard being asked often.

This post has not been moved to my new blog

The art of learning - part one.

Over the weekend I have been in London with my daughters... we spent a morning in the Natural History Museum, and it has inspired this post...

I read the following...

 Which made me think of the Reggio Emilia Approach and the focus of the art studio/atelier as a language of learning. Using drawing and art as a method to look closer and to explore. This is something I have done over the years - myself as a child, and also as an educator. Art and creative expression has always been a strong path of exploration.

Below are some photos with comments about this art of learning...

In this session we explored the buildings of Stockholm... first the children explored google images to find a building that caught their attention and wanted to draw (as part of a background for a film we were making). The image was then printed out and the children drew and coloured them.
It gave the children an opportunity to explore architecture and how it has changed styles over history - as some chose building several centuries old, while some chose building that were decades or even a few years old. We saw the different shapes, and different purposes... gone were the basic square house with triangle roof.
We also took trips out to "find" their building in real life. To understand the size. The children developed an attachment not only to their own building choice but to all of them drawn by the group... and the parents all gave feedback on this that the children had become more interested in buildings, showed pride and knowledge about their buildings and the group's buildings and also had a greater understanding of the layout of the city that they lived in. So much learning triggered by drawing buildings... so much interest and curiousity sparked into wanting to know more

drawing maps was also a great way to develop a greater understanding of their local area... each child, together with their parents, drew a map of their route to preschool. We then created 3D maps with loose parts, and then also followed the map to each child's doorstep. The children learned so much about representation... about how they could draw a route, how buildings could be represented as squares etc. This encouraged the children to draw more maps, and also ultimately to start making their own designs/plans.

using a photo as a background enabled a child to better sort design ideas. To think about perspective, even if not fully able to use it yet. To think about the idea that people need to get from one side to another. This was the first of many designs that became more and more refined. Drawing became a way of learning how to incorporate all ideas, or of all ideas were worth incorporating or even feasible.

a vase of flowers in front... to learn that flowers are not always a circle with five petals around it... that there are many ways to draw flowers... as there are many different kinds of flowers... this is image one, where the child discovered that the first big flower made it hard to draw the whole bouquet... the solution was to draw extra flowers in the centre of the first large one... 

drawings can be a way to document a day, this is the drawing of my daughter aged 3.5 remembering the playground where she had been playing. I simply wrote down the words she instructed me to write.

learning to draw... both images are drawn by the same child - with a HUGE amount of frustration in between. The child was not happy with the fact that the drawing did not look like a cat, but a sun instead. So we took some deep breaths and I guided the child through the process... slowing things down and helping to sort out what could be seen. What shape is the head, how many eyes, and where are they, where do you find the nose, what shape is it, where is the mouth, is it happy or sad, what about ears... are they in the same place as your ears... can you see anything else that you want to put on your drawing (whiskers).
Afterwards the child was extremely pleased. This child needed support to take the time to observe and break down the observations into manageable pieces of information to draw.

learning to observe... not to just draw a horse with four legs because you know that horses have four legs... but to take the time to draw what you see... not all children could see all four legs depending on where they were sitting. This was a way to learn about perspectives... that we can all look at the same thing but see it in a different way.

the primary learning might not always be about the object or subject... it can be the social interactions... what happens when several children draw together... which side of the paper is up? How do the children collaborate so all ideas are represented... how do the children negotiate the space so all can reach... inspiration images were given (you can see a little of one to the left) but it was up to the children to work together how to be inspired and what to include... using previous knowledge of maps and buildings.

taking plans outside and drawing in a new way... plans on paper can help children learn to an extent... but using new methods the children are able to deepen their own learning... is their space for everything, do some things get in the way, why are they in the way.

using drawing to explore ideas... this was drawing how we listen. Instead of just talking about listening the children explored their ideas themselves through art and then explained their art to each other. This enabled the children to sort their thoughts - a bit like taking notes to a meeting, except this was with pre-writers.

drawing BIG outside - this is a drawing of me... the children drew round me in the gravel... they have then added wings as a way of transforming me into a fairy.

Sadly this post had a whole load more images, with notes about self portraits and other drawing  situations... but the images just kept disappearing and moving... so I took it as a sign that they should be saved for another day. When this sore throat of mine has gone and there is more time to reflect on the concept of the art of learning.

Metacognition and the preschooler...

This post can now be read in full over on my website...
Interaction Imagination...



This is a post I have been thinking about writing for some time after reading a comment that preschoolers are not capable of metacognition... and yet I have seen young children thinking about thinking... and using it to their advantage. I would say that metacognition features strongly in young children's learning... it may not always be verbalised the way adults are used to being able to recognise it as metacognition.

For instance children, from the very start, observe and learn. They watch others, test things and adapt what they see to their own context. This is easy to see when young children are trying out knew motor skills... they observe others doing something and then make the decision to try that out for themselves - they have to think about the movement, they have to consider whether they want to also try it... and then afterwards they assess whether they were successful or whether they need to do it a different way to be successful. Children are clearly thinking about their thinking and not just their actions and the experience.

With a group of preschoolers this thinking about thinking through physical activity can be supported as an educator by scaffolding the children to scaffold each other... some children learn to master climbing a wall, stone, tree or climbing frame faster than others and it is of benefit to encourage them to explain to their peers how they managed it... they think about their actions, they reflect on why it works and they share this and show this to their peers.
The advice is not always going to work (sometimes there are physical differences, for instance a taller child is going to be able to reach a better foothold that a shorter child cannot) - but they then think through this together and try to devise a new way for success.
I often film the children in their attempts... so they can look at what they are doing and learn from the footage. What they thought was a good idea does not look as successful on film, and sometimes what feels hopeless in real life suddenly looks more hopeful on film.
Getting the children to pause and reflect on their activity - not only opens up the opportunity to think about their physical thinking, but also creates a space to calm down and allow frustrations to die down so that only determination is left. Frustration can be a good thing - as long as it does not get overwhelming.

........

Reflecting on 2017

This year has been quite a different year for me, as I have not spent most of my time working in a preschool, especially the first half of the year.

I have focussed on writing blogposts and on trying to put a book together, and also on my work with the educators in Jenin Refugee Camp in Palestine.

Each year I have had my own "project" to explore... listening for a few years, play for peace and this year it has been democracy... this has impacted the posts that I have written. I do not feel like I become an expert in these areas, but I learn more about what I know about these subjects and how I feel about them, and how I can improve my own relationship with these words.
Creating a democratic classroom/democratic learning is so connected to both listening and play for peace... that I feel I will continue with this thinking for another year, I do not feel I have finished exploring democracy and being democratic with children.

During the year I have written posts that I am proud of and there are posts that seem to have struck a chord with others - they are not always the same posts...

I am proud of the fact that I challenge how we use words... not because I think people are wrong using them the way they are used... but that I add another layer, another perspective - and hopefully those that take the time to read my posts will be offered the chance to reflect and think about how they use these words, what their own reactions are and develop their own opinions.
My posts are not about me thinking I have got it right... it is about me exploring possibilities ... it is an open dialogue with my reflections that I share with those interested.

I am also proud of the fact that I participated in several online conferences, and right at the moment I am preparing for another one (Fairy Dust Teaching Winter Conference) where I will be talking about Natural Learning - I am proud of this because I have had to work with my own fears of speaking on phones/skype and recording myself - being "live" is so much easier, as I react to the audience - and I am a very visual listener, and also I move a lot when I talk, which is not entirely suitable for skype... but being a visual listener means I have become a talker with my whole body for the sake of other visual listeners! Stepping outside your comfort zone is such an important part of learning... we should feel safe, but there needs to be an element of risk when we learn... the risk of failing. And learning that failure is not a bad thing, but just a part of the learning process has been an essential for me to overcome some of my social fears.

I am also proud of my autism. That has also been a process for me in the last few years... working out, through the diagnosis of my son, that I am autistic has been an eye-opening experience. Suddenly the world makes so much more sense. I know who I am, I have spent long enough with myself to get an idea of that, but suddenly I have a better understanding of other people around me, of why I get so tired in social situations (I love being social, but I know now that if I am social active for a while I need time to pause afterwards to recuperate and reload my batteries... I see my son and one of my daughters become exhausted after every school day in part due to the social requirements of school).
My own autism has allowed me to understand the needs of other children who are not neuro-typical... to understand that there is an extra level of exhaustion in a day that neuro-typicals do not experience or even consider. And also that many descriptions of autism just do not apply to either myself or my children... this lack of empathy and imagination that is assigned to autism is just so incredibly far from the truth - but sometimes you just have to shut down the outward expression of emotions just to survive the day. In other words sometimes the empathy is so overwhelming that you are depleted of energy to such a level it becomes non-functioning, and to prevent this you put up a wall to shut out the feelings of others. I have walked into rooms where colleagues have been stressing so much (about things that are not worth stressing about... the children are noisy, they are not doing what you say fast enough) that I have had to walk out because I was absorbing their stress to such an extent that my heartbeat was in overdrive...  I accept the fact that children will be noisy (even though it is sound pollution) and that children will not do what you want them to, if they are not active participants - they will push boundaries if they have not been allowed to create those boundaries with you, or know why those boundaries are there.

My most read post this year is...
Pedagogical Documentation - a beginners Guide - session one
in fact all the sessions and  the film that I made in connection with this series were well read and watched.

Border Crossing from analogue to digital and back has been another well read post...
in fact this year has been the year where more Swedish people have been reading my posts. Which has been great, because I live and work in Sweden, so it feels good that I have a sort of relevance here too... not just sharing my story with others from around the world. Of course writing in English is going to have an impact on my accessibility here in Sweden... after a long day reading in a foreign language is not always the most relaxing.
I have written a post in Swedish, maybe even two... but my written Swedish is hampered by the fact I cannot write in the same style that I write English (well they are different languages) - and that I will try to use metaphors etc that really just do not work in the same way in Swedish. Sure I am understood, but it's different !! But maybe I should just embrace that too? Something to work on!

Another most read post has been...
The attitude of autism
this year has been yet another year of seeing the school system fail my son... the system has not found a way to ignite the joy of learning... which I see he has in other situations and he had before the school system has tried to enforce their one way of learning on him. He has as a result developed an attitude that really does not do him any favours... and as a parent is embarrassing at times, even though I understand why it is there, I hate the way others see him.
Anyway the principal/director/head of this school is now being replaced - so I am hoping next year will be a better year.

I am proud of introducing two new terms - that make sense to me, and hopefully will make sense to others... Original Learning (which I will continue to explore in 2018) and also together-led play/learning (rather than just child led, or adult led - so very much in tune with democratic learning that I had been exploring all year). You can read a post here...
Original Learning and together led play




In the latter half of this year I have started a project with Gästrikevatten (Gästrike is an area of Sweden in the Gävle area north of Stockholm - about 2 hours by express train). A board of children has been started to get the children more involved in their learning... to find out more about how children learn, and to get the children involved in designing learning situations for the children. This is very much about creating a democratic situation where the children are guided by adults... where they are seen as participants with equal value, where their words weigh as heavy as our adult words. It is an exciting project to be a part of... and I take my role seriously in lifting the voice of the child.


This year was the first time that I have not been working at a setting at the same time as the International Fairy Tea Party - a play event I started 5 years ago to celebrate play and imagination - to encourage educators and all adults to indulge in play and fantasy with the children. It is a worldwide event - anyone can join in... just look up the facebook page and say you want to be a part... in the lead up to the September equinox (where we are united by the same number of daylight hours regardless of where we find ourselves on the planet) if you let me know on the page the name of the party (it can be a school, class, nursery, family or imaginary name, and your location - (town/village is enough detail) then I can add you to the fairy map... which allows the children you are celebrating with to see how many others are celebrating play around the world with them. And by the sharing of images afterwards we get to see the similarities and differences of how we use our imaginations...
I have collected images for a film, a short film is available to see of the worldwide celebrations, and I am well behind schedule putting the longer version together... hopefully it will be done in the coming weeks)

I have also been working at a preschool as a substitute - which I have enjoyed, but also saw that the reason I left the preschool world this time last year is still very prevalent - still not enough support is being given to the teachers/educators working with the children... and yet they take all the responsibility... the system makes it hard for educators to give children what they know they need if they are not given enough time to develop they competence they need for the group of children they have (just any education is not right), enough time to plan together as a team, enough time to communicate with each other (or develop a mode of communication that actually works for all of the team). I saw hard working educators on virtual burn out and instead of being given the support to prevent fires they were constantly putting out fires. This is exhausting and non-productive for both children and educators.
I have written to the boss of this preschool twice, once in early autumn pointing out these things I  saw- where the response was management was aware of all of this and was dealing with it. I wrote again just before Christmas saying that I had not seen any support given to the educators and that the situation was unchanged. I offered that I could help -something that the educators there also asked me for, but I cannot do if I am a substitute, because then the children are the focus not the educators - these people need someone to go in and coach them and support them where they are now, they need to be lifted - their morale as much as competence development, and new strategies of communication and planning so they can support each other better in their roles.
I assume that these truths were hard to swallow - and I hope that the management takes me up on the role of coaching/supporting the staff. But I guess that is no easy thing from a person who has just been critical.

yeah... autism means you will get the truth from me... and the sad thing is that people do not want the truth, they want the sugar coated version, or the lies, even though they say they want honest people around them. Honesty is not easy to swallow, it does not always taste good... but it is a great place to start learning from.
I make social faux-pas probably more often than I should... I am still learning the at of sweet talking and sugar coating and lying. When put in the situation of lying to parents to save the face of settings I have worked at (yes I have been told not to tell the truth, and have over the years been threatened with court if I told the truth - or that "it would not be good for me" if I told the truth) then I have left these places, because it is just too socially exhausting for me to lie like that and work - it is not sustainable.
 In the end will all have to be true to ourselves, or at least comfortable with the lie/story we tell ourselves.

So I wonder what 2018 will bring?
Hopefully  a year where I can support other educators find their truth, their inspiration, their motivation...
I will be returning to Palestine, and hopefully also to Israel to meet with educators in both places to explore listening, democratic learning and play for peace.
I will continue my work with Gästrikevatten working philosophically with 8-13 year olds - and I would love to be able to do this kind of work with other groups of children too.
My trip to Pakistan has been put on hold until after the elections at the end of 2018 - as there are concerns for safety - but maybe there will be trips to other places?
I would love to travel more around Sweden... to share what I have been learning with them, and to be deeper inspired by the many amazing settings here.

Exploring documentation together...

This post will have it's main focus for educators that do not work together at the same setting but meet up in learning circles etc... of course this approach can be used by educators in the same setting too.

I will try to keep this as simple as possible by writing it in steps...
The aim of this post is to offer a kind of routine for educators to use when analysing the documentation and therefore supporting the reflection process and also explore the effectivity of the documentation.

1. Bring some documentation to the meeting. This could be a finished "published" piece of work that would be put up on the wall for the children, parents etc to read; or it could be s series of photos, film or text to reflect on. 
2. Divide the meeting into smaller groups - I would say not more than 4-8 people in a group. Decide on a time. How much time do you have for the meeting. Consider that the meeting should be divided into three parts. reading/note-taking; discussion in small groups; whole group reflection
3. IN SILENCE pass your documentation to the person on the right (I am assuming that you are sitting round a table). Each person reads, watches or listens (it can be a good idea with headphones), write down notes... 
4. the notes should cover some or all (or more) of the following questions/thoughts....
5. what is happening?
6. what learning can you see going on?
7. what are the children interested in?
8. what interactions are occurring?
9. if it is a finished piece of work... is the publication clear? Is there a good balance of writing/images? Who do you think the publication is aimed for? Are there any suggestions on how this could be improved. Could it be presented in another way?
10. how would YOU continue from this point, using the information you have.
11. could the information have been collected another way? How?
12. if you have a three hour meeting then you have an hour to explore EVERYONE'S documentation at the table. The WHOLE time there is silence, so that each person has a chance to explore the documentation and make notes without the influence of other opinions.
13. Once all the documentation has been analysed it is time for the small group dialogue.
14. Start with one of the shared documentations... the group then expresses their opinions from their notes. This is an opportunity for author to see if the published/finished documentation conveys the message that they have intended. For unfinished documentation it is an opportunity to see where the data could take them and gain tips on how this could be done. The idea is not to repeat what others have said, but to add, agree, deepen and also disagree with what has been said.
15. It is important to remember that this is not a competition on who has created the best documentation but a chance for everyone to extend their knowledge and experience of observing and documenting children.
16. The author can now share intentions, also drawbacks and advantages gained during their own experience. Sharing their own learning of their process. The questions and feedback from the others are also a great way to gain further insight.
17. It is important that everyone in the group participates... everyone has the responsibility to share their knowledge, queries and experience with others - this helps everyone to grow in their role.
18. it is important to be respectful when asking questions or disagreeing... and always be constructive in your critique and come with suggestions of possible alternatives (it may be that the author had considered the alternative but that it was not an option, and can give reasons for that)
19. always receive criticism with respect. Feedback, negative as well as positive is essential for developing your observational techniques and your documentation techniques.
20. When all the documentation has been discussed there can be a short break before starting the final dialogue/reflection
21. The final reflection is done with the whole group (if it is a small group to start with and there is no need to divide into smaller groups then this will simply be a continuation of the group dialogue)
22. Questions to reflect upon:-
23. did others see areas of learning that you, yourself missed (social, motor skills, cognitive)? why?
24. what suggestions for improving observation of the children have been offered (both by the author and others) that you want to test out. Why?
25. what suggestions for sharing documentation with others have been useful?
26. are there any observation/analysis/documentation techniques that you want to avoid in the future? why? What will you use instead?
27. This is a dialogue where you as an educator are offered the chance to dare to be wrong... it is OK to make mistakes and to own those mistakes we are given the chance to learn from them. If we have the need to get it right all the time it is much harder for yourself to improve and for others to learn from your experience. My personal motto is F.A.I.L. - First Attempt In Learning... it does not mean I like making mistakes, but it is a reminder to myself that they are great opportunity to learn, and to shed the school feeling that mistakes are wrong.
28. Our aim as educators is to LIFT each other... so always reflect on how to help each other develop better observational and documentation skills. NEVER just say something is wrong, you need to explain why you do not think it was the best approach and also give an alternative method... if you cannot do the latter then maybe think a little more before speaking.
29. it can be a good idea that someone take notes for the whole meeting, and that these are shared with everyone after, for further reflection.
30. Finish off with choosing 3 points that have resonated the most with you during the session... this could be a personal reflection or done as a group.

If this is done a regular basis (once a month) then there is the opportunity to take time to reflect on the previous meeting. There could be the idea that each meeting will have a theme to see how all the educators observe the same thing and offer the chance to learn many observational languages...

for instance one session could all be about language and communication (how do we observe children's language development) - by sharing observations of language development then there is a chance for all the educators in the group to see new ways of observing and recording this information. By having the sessions once a month or twice a month, there is time to observe the children over a period of time and collect information. The actual choosing of what documentation to take to the meeting is a process in itself... why that documentation, why not one of the others? is it that you are taking your best presented work? Why? Why not the work you feel least satisfied with in order to get tips of how to improve.

Another area of observation could be... social interactions, or gross motor skills, fine motor skills, maths in the everyday, creative expression, empathy, science etc etc...

It will depend on what you as a group feel have the greatest need to explore and to improve. Maybe you want to explore how to get the children involved in these observations and the documentation?

See Observations - easier said than done for more ideas about observing children - it also has links to other posts on a similar theme.

Part of observing children is in a way phronesis - that it is not just something that you can learn by reading... you have to keep on trying and gain experience, keep on reflecting and gain understanding, to keep on sharing and gain knowledge, and to keep on interacting to gain a feeling of this is what feels right...
You have to dare to not get it right until you find that sweet spot of your own and get into an observational groove that works for you at your setting.

Observations... easier said than done?

During the last two weeks of being with the educators from Jenin, Palestine I have had the opportunity to view Swedish preschools (Stockholm and Vaxholm) through their eyes...

One of their questions throughout the study trip has been how do teachers do observations... as all the teachers have talked about that the teaching is based on their observations of the children. Most of the preschools we only visited for a short time, so that made it hard for us to observe the educators observing the children... and the preschools we visited for a longer period of time said that they were not doing any activities with the children yet because they were observing them... but the educators from Jenin could not see how the children were being observed.
When I asked about this it became apparent that this was not something that was actually being done at the preschool... and when you start scraping at the surface of this there is more to it than just it is not being done. The preschools we visited for a longer period of time are located in a suburb of Stockholm where there is mostly immigrants (and I say this not as a loaded word, as I too am an immigrant in Sweden, but my British passport has made me, maybe, a more desirable immigrant and therefore easier for me to be accepted in the Swedish society - but I would also like to point out it was not plain sailing for me either) - but in this suburb there is a need for high quality preschools, with well trained teachers... the problem is that attracting well trained teachers to this area is hard, and the ones that are working there are under an enormous strain as many of their colleagues working with the children have no education/training with young children or children at all.

Of course this was unfortunate for the educators from Jenin who were looking forward to learning how to observe the children... as the people they were shadowing were also in need of the same support. ( I will go more into this in a later post)

So this post is born from that... a need to take a look at observations...

After the summer holiday/vacation the children return to preschool, and for some reason some preschools have felt the need to start from scratch... even with children that have been with them for several years... no activities are put on because "we are observing the children"...
My question is what is being observed? Also, what do the educators need to know to be able to meet the children's needs...
These are questions that can be written down before the summer, almost like a standard cheat sheet sort of thing...
a teacher needs to know...

• how has the child developed since before summer
• gross motor skills
• fine motor skills
• language and communication
• social
• emotional
• their interests

I think this is a good place to start... so to find out about these areas there is a need for activities to be able to see where the children are, and to be able to make plans for what each child and the group need for continued support through activities and interactions...

The educators need to think about how to check for the motor skills - providing activities that allow them to see how the child holds a pen, or uses the pincer grip, how they can sit on the floor or a chair, how the child walks, runs, jumps (with two legs, one leg) how they go up and down the stairs, how they climb... doing games, going to play spaces, working with beads, drawing and painting can all help the educator to learn more about the child - and through note-taking, photos, films and reflecting together with colleagues there is the chance to make plans as to what sort of activities are needed in the future... if many in the group have weak gross motor skills then there is no point doing lots of sit down activities and getting them to read and write, it is a much better investment to get outside (and inside) to do climbing, running games, exploring the forest (where the ground is uneven) etc etc where muscles and balance can be developed and strengthened that are all essential for concentration - even for being able to sit in a chair... weak stomach and back muscles make chair sitting hard (not that children need to be doing sit ups... but through climbing, crawling and balancing on logs/beams etc they can be strengthened)

How do you observe a language? This is something that needs to be discussed in your group of educators (as with all the areas)... you can look for do the children follow one step, two step or three step instructions? How complex are their sentences... a few words or more... how is the pronunciation... is there a need for blowing bubbles, eating chewy food etc to strengthen mouth muscles... are they following the thread of the dialogue or are they often going off topic (pragmatic language development)... Language can be observed and recorded by writing down what they say in group meetings (verbatim, including what the teacher says, so that you can see the interaction) - through individual interviews (where you can find out more about what they are interested in, what they like to play and also what they want to learn... I LOVE asking that question... you always get some interesting answers... and I always try to ask so that the children cannot hear each other and influence each other's answers). You can also observe language through listening to their play... writing, filming how they communicate with each other... is there a child dominating the conversations, are there others getting frustrated because they cannot communicate as efficiently as they want to? etc etc...

For the last five years I have started the year with International Fairy Tea Party... and through activities covering fairies and magic I have observed the children and listened out for their interests... I have also met with their parents to talk about what the children were interested in over the summer, what they have learned, if any fears have developed or any passions arisen... this then allows me to see the whole child... my observations, the children's point of view through the interviews and the parents observations... it gives me a better chance of getting the direction of our learning journey together right...

Also working with the same children over a period of years also helps with this so much, as I do not need to build the trust between myself and the children every year... we can just continue from where we left off, and that is truly a beautiful thing.

The fairy tea party has been a great way to start the year, magic and curiosity baked into the activities that have allowed the children to bond together as a group, as they share wonderous experiences together, this creates a feeling of safety, it also kick starts their imaginations and creativity that has really helped with projects that have followed on from the fairy tea party. And since we start with the same tradition every year there is no need to invent the wheel every time... just the need to tweak activities to improve them or adjust them to meet the needs of the group. This means that there is more time for the educators to observe and reflect on the children and group, rather than on the activities. And since we have done this for many years with children from 1-5 with different interests over the years, we have a wide array of activities, interactions, experiences for the children to participate in documented and reflected on. Of course the first year will take a bit more thinking and reflecting... BUT everyone has to start somewhere, and it is a good investment to have some kind of start-up tradition that allows educators to focus on observing the children in a manner that is structured.

Free play should always be a part of the day, so I am not talking about structured the entire day.

The director/pedagogical leader should be key in supporting educators in finding strategies into how to observe children, how to observe their learning, what learning needs to be prioritised (at any given time, maybe there are situations that need to be responded too), how these observations are collected as data, and how this data is analysed to provide the basis of continued learning.

Here are some posts that might help with learning more about observation making...

Reflecting on the usage of the light table - this post includes my reflections of my observations, so that I can better understand how the light table is being used and also how it can be improved.

Painting with one year olds - my observations of a session with one year olds, and the reasons this activity was chosen with that particular child.

Painting by letter/Testing boundaries - this post shows how my observations and a dialogue with others prompted this activity to further explore how the children interacted with each other when it came to boundaries, to better understand how I could support these children in their social interactions.

Clay and two year olds - this post shares my observations of a group of two year olds working with clay.

Observations - the Sherlock Holmes approach - this post explores some of the thinking behind observing children... how we can discuss with colleagues, how we can be aware of how we are observing and why we are observing.

Making learning visible - this post is about how the children were enables to observe their own development. I also knew that some of the children did not like to draw anything that was less than perfect... and this is why the Leonardo da Vinci project was in part suggested (and embraced) as da Vinci believed in learning from mistakes and practising until satisfied... this Really did help the children.

Pedagogical documentation - this is the first in series of posts about pedagogical documentation... this one focuses on observations and collecting data... 

Democracy as a relationship - this is a reminder that observations should not be done in isolation, but together with colleagues, the children and the parents...

Progettazione - this post was written together with Debi Keyte-Hartland  and is about a more in depth look at projects, the Reggio Emilia Approach way... how observations and interpretations of those observations support how to proceed with activities, projects and interactions with the children.

Co-documenters - this post is a reminder again of how the children are an important part of the process... that they too observe and have an opinion of how you collect your observations and that they can be interpreted together.

Co-documenters (nu på svenska också)

Recently I read a post about documentation The Paradox of Pedagogical Documentation Misha writes "As co-researchers, it is our responsibility to be attentive and fully engaged with our students in an effort to nurture their investigations from moment to moment.  It is also our responsibility to make sure their learning journeys are made visible not just to parents and teachers, but also to the students themselves."

I agree that we are co-researchers but I also think that we are co-documenters - especially in the sense of the Reggio Emilia approach sense of pedagogical documentation... I do not feel that we should be producing documentation FOR the children, but WITH the children.
And if we are collecting data by documenting the children through photos, note-taking, filming audio, collecting work etc together with the children  and then analysing that with colleagues, parents and also with the children and then making plans based on the analysis with the children as well as colleagues... and then making decisions about what goes into the publications... digital, the wall, portfolios, online etc etc then we are not being voyeurs it is so much more than what the post states
"Documentation is the physical representation of teachers studying students, and as such it is a tool by which we share our observations and teaching strategies with one another.  It is a way for teachers to express a desire for respectful student interactions while demonstrating a commitment to honing their craft with each passing day."

Pedagogical documentation for me is in symbiosis with the children... they learn how to document their learning and see their learning, as do I... they learn from my processes and I learn from their processes... it is not so much about me being teaching and being present in the learning moments... but about being present together, of being aware of the learning that is happening, organically through play, and through the activities... for me it is not a tool that I use to learn about the children and show the parents, and the children what is being learned and achieved... it is a tool for both educator and child to use together and to explore the world together... if we are co-researchers then they need all the tools... if we are hogging the documentation tool then there is not balance.

And empowering the children with the documentation tool means that there are not those moments of a child saying "did you take a photo of me, can a I see" seen as an interruption, but seen as part of the child's natural curiosity.. and once you have met that curiosity and talked about why you take photographs, and how they get used, and use them WITH the children then the children start to understand the power of photographs in documenting their own learning, in documenting their memories. 

There is one part of the post that I did not agree with at all... and that was doing audio recordings of the children without their knowledge... of switching on the audio recorder in the breast pocket and secretly gathering the children's words. There are so many etheical issues that I struggle with about this... I think if we are co-researchers then there needs to be an openness, there also needs to be an equality in the relationship... and also we as adults do NOT want to be recorded without our knowledge.
I have used audio recordings before, always with the children's permission, always with the device visible, and the children have always been able to listen to themselves as well afterwards. I believe it is an important part of respecting the child's integrity.

It is the same with photography... I ask their consent, but when you know a group well and you involve the group in the documentation then there is an unspoken connection - I listen to their body language, the children tell me when they do not want to have their photograph taken and feel comfortable saying "no" (which I think is an important skill to learn too, as they know that I value their opinion and that they have the right to decide about their bodies), they tell me when they want photos and what moments are important to them (not just from my child development theory point of view) - not posed shots but of what they have learned to do and what they have found or made or what they want to remember, or what they are proud of in that particular moment. Audio is a great tool as is filming for getting all the details and my group would let me know when to use these mediums too or when to write down things. It means documenting with the children in all parts of the process - not just collecting the data but also at the analyzing, planning stage so they know why we collect data and how it helps them in their learning and in my learning to be a better teacher - and talking about this with them. They are with decisions about what goes on the wall too.

My son is very clear about what images I may use of him... my daughters are too, but not to the same extent... he will see a photo and will remember the emotion... not just of the photo right then, but also just before or just after the photo was taken... and then he does not want that photo shared - because it is personal as the emotion had been strong, especially emotions he connects as being negative... sad or angry or disappointed etc... even though no-one else can see that emotion, he can...
I have amazing photos of him that I can never use, because he has a strong emotion connected to it... imagine if I chose to ignore him and put it on the wall for him to relive every time he walked past...  (or had never taken the time to enter a dialogue with him about the photo and just put it up, never knowing how he felt about the photo) - and he thinks others can see the emotion too like him... he does understand the logic better now that he is older. (that others do see or feel about the photo in the same way as him, only the positive moment of the actual photo).. but we are talking about young children here... who might not have fully understood the separation of emotions ...

I remember doing documentation before the digital camera... have they EVER made it all easier... and now there ARE easy ways to record children (with their permission) and not just big chunky tape recorders as there were before...
... and the whole waiting until the film was finished before getting to see the photos... not the instant fix of today... and the COST.... OMG taking photos was a much more thoughtful procedure then... and even so, so many images were just wasted as photos did not capture what you intended or caught the children in a strange facial pose... stuff I would never put on the walls, or portfolios or share with others... yet I see so many places put on walls and in portfolios really random photos... and not ones that tell a story, or maybe reflect the child as they want to be seen... I mean, as adults we are pretty clear on what images we want to share with others of ourselves... but for some reason it is OK to put up on walls and publish on FB etc images that many adults have never asked permission from the children (only their parents)... I have a hard time when families share films of their children having tantrums and meltdowns... sure film these things sometimes to learn, and to learn with the child (I have, and as I filmed I have told the child I am filming you now so that we can work out a way to help you calm down quicker in the future... but this has only been with children that have had a hard time with self regulation and have worked themselves up into half hour or longer meltdowns... when calm we would watch the film, the child had no memory of being upset, so the film was essential to understand what we were talking about and the start of working on strategies together... the child was 3 when I started this approach, I told the child could say no, we always deleted the films afterwards together, and the child was aware and we worked together to create strategies, that worked!!) - but I would never share these sort of films with others... even if the child agreed, they do not fully understand the implications as they do not have the years of experience to comprehend that yet.

For me being present is possible through and with documentation... especially when doing this WITH the children... I am aware that even IF I am 100% present I am going to miss things... like during philosophical dialogues with children, one teacher is the facilitator another is the one who writes... and when I read and look at film, or audio (when that is done too) or photos... I see things that I missed even though I was listening 100%... and for me that has been an important part of the pedagogical documentation... the part that allows you to put your view of the moment together with what the camera saw, or the audio heard, and importantly with how the children experienced it and colleagues too. It needs to be discussed with others... there is no way that we can see everything, understand everything no matter how present we try to be.
AND I am totally fine with us all coming with our own perspectives, that we look at the learning subjectively... I mean, is it even possible to be objective? We are humans with emotions! - what makes is so fascinating is the inter-subjectivity... learning about the perspectives of others and re-visiting our own understanding of the experience through their perspective... it opens up the opportunity to see things with a broader lens.


I think we have to accept that we cannot see and hear all... I think we can be present in the moment with documentation if we are including the children in the process instead of being voyeurs...

in the post it mentions the importance of a colleague, a co-worker - and as you have just read, I whole heartedly agree with this... we all have different skills that we can bring to the table, different ways of seeing, different ways of being present... and by working together rather than always dividing into small groups allows us to document moments in different ways... but then again sometimes small groups are better ... it is about listening to the children, to the group dynamic and working out a rhythm that works best for you all... educators and learners.

The post is valuable as it gets us thinking about how we document, and we need to question that... why, how, what and when... but it does it very much from the point of view that it is an adult that is documenting the children... this post is written from the point of view that if the children are involved in the documentation process, at all stages, then there will not be this feeling of not being present in the moment, of being an interference...
the documentation process becomes another area of learning for the children and educators... the children learn about their learning, they are in control more of what is important learning for them and what should be recorded (not always what you think) - they learn that their learning, their memories belong to them, not adults, and that they have the right to decide - sometimes they wanted me to publish things online and I would not, so I got the chance to talk about internet safety and about being aware of what you share online - and in today's society that is important learning - and yes preschoolers can learn this in a natural way without it being frightening.

Then I also think that if we are taking a step back from the children and allow them to get on with their learning, and not always being a hands on teacher then there is time to document, to take photos and films, to write notes...

Personally I never enjoyed audio documentation because I did not have the time to deal with it afterwards, if I took time to transcribe etc then it was time away from the children in what they are doing NOW... 
I do not record the minutia of every child's learning... each day every week... I am more a collector of moments together with the children, and those moments build up their learning story - sometimes there would be a need for details - often the pedagogical documentation was based on memories - talking with a colleague and recording that dialogue.

Time is something we never seem to have enough of... so documenting with the children felt a great way to save on time in the sense the documentation process did not take me away from the children all the time.

Isn't it great when you can read a post it it kicks starts a whole series of thoughts and reflections. This is why it is so important that we share with each other. And even though this post might seem rather critical of the post entitled "The Paradox of Pedagogical Documentation" I want to make it clear that I very much enjoyed reading the post and greatly value the questions it has posed, and needs to be posed.


PÅ SVENSKA

Nyligen läste jag ett inlägg om dokumentation - Paradoxen för pedagogisk dokumentation (länk finns högst upp) Misha skriver "Som medforskare är det vårt ansvar att vara uppmärksam och fullt engagerade med våra elever i ett försök att vårda sina utredningar från ögonblick till ögonblick. Det är också vårt ansvar för att se till att deras inlärningsresor är synliga inte bara för föräldrar och lärare, men också för eleverna själva. "

Jag håller med om att vi är medforskare men jag tror också att vi är meddokumentärer - särskilt i betydelsen av Reggio Emilia-tillvägagångssättet för pedagogisk dokumentation ... Jag tycker inte att vi ska producera dokumentation för barnen, men med barnen
Och om vi samlar in data genom att dokumentera barnen genom bilder, anteckningar, filmning, ljudinspelningar, samla barnens arbete mm tillsammans med barnen och sedan analysera det med kollegor, föräldrar och med barnen och sedan göra planer baserade på analysen med barn och kollegor ... och sedan fatta beslut om vad som går in i publikationerna ... digitala, väggen, portföljerna, online etc etc då är vi inte bara voyeurs - det är så mycket mer än vad Mishas inlägget berättar.
"Dokumentation är den fysiska representationen av lärare som studerar eleverna och som sådan är det ett verktyg för att vi delar våra observationer och undervisningsstrategier med varandra. Det är ett sätt för lärare att uttrycka en önskan om respektfull studentinteraktion samtidigt som man visar ett engagemang för att slipa på deras färdigheter med varje dag som går. "


Pedagogisk dokumentation för mig är i symbios med barnen ... de lär sig att dokumentera sitt lärande och se deras lärande, liksom jag ... de lär sig av mina processer och jag lär mig av deras processer ... det handla inte bara om att jag undervisa och är närvarande i lärande tillfällen... som att vara närvarande tillsammans, att vara medveten om det lärande som händer, organiskt genom lek och genom aktiviteterna ... för mig är det inte ett verktyg som jag använda för att lära mig mer om barnen och visa föräldrarna och barnen vad som lärs och uppnås ... det är ett verktyg för både lärare och barn att använda tillsammans och att utforska världen tillsammans ... om vi är medforskare då behöver de alla verktyg .också.. om vi ta över dokumentationsverktyget så är det brist på balans.

Att ge barnen makt över dokumentationsverktyget innebär att det inte finns några ögonblick på ett barn som säger "tog du ett foto av mig, kan jag se" som ses som ett avbrott, men ses som en del av barnets naturliga nyfikenhet .. och när du väl har träffat den nyfikenheten och pratat om varför du tar bilder och hur bilderna används och sedan använder dem med barnen börjar barnen förstå kraften i fotografier i att dokumentera sitt eget lärande och dokumentera sina minnen.

Det finns en del av Mishas inlägg som jag är inte överrens om ...  det var ljudinspelningar av barnen utan deras kunskaper ... att slå på ljudinspelaren i bröstfickan och hämta hem barnens ord i hemlighet. Det finns så många etiska frågor som jag kämpar med om detta ... Jag tror att om vi är medforskare så krävs en öppenhet, det måste också vara jämlikhet i relationen ... och vi som vuxna vill INTE att andra spela in oss utan vår vetskap.
Jag har tidigare använt ljudinspelningar, alltid med barnens tillåtelse, alltid med enheten synlig, och barnen har alltid kunnat lyssna på sig själva också efteråt. Jag tror att det är en viktig del av respekten för barnets integritet.


Det är detsamma med fotografering ... Jag frågar om barnens samtycke, men när du känner en grupp bra och du involverar gruppen i dokumentationen finns det en outtalad förståelse - jag lyssnar på deras kroppsspråk, barnen berättar när de vill inte ha sitt foto tagit och känner sig bekväma och trygga med mig för att kunna säga "nej" (som jag tycker är en viktig färdighet att lära sig också, eftersom de vet att jag uppskattar deras åsikt och att de har rätt att bestämma om sina kroppar), barnen berättar när jag ska ta bilder av dom och vilka ögonblick som är viktiga för dem (inte bara från min åsikt/kunskap om barnens utveckling) - inte poserade bilder men av vad de har lärt sig att göra och vad de har hittat eller gjort eller vad de vill komma ihåg, eller vad de är stolta över i det aktuella ögonblicket. Ljud är ett bra verktyg som filmas för att få alla detaljer och min grupp skulle låta mig veta när man ska använda dessa medier eller när man skriver ner saker. Det innebär att dokumentera med barnen i alla delar av processen - inte bara samlar in uppgifterna utan också vid analysen, planeringsfasen så att de vet varför vi samlar in data och hur det hjälper dem i deras lärande och hur jag lär mig att vara en bättre lärare - och pratar om detta med dem. De har beslut om vad som går på väggen också.

Min son är mycket tydlig över vilka bilder jag får använda av honom ... mina döttrar är också, men inte i samma utsträckning ...när han titta på ett foto kommer han ihåg känslan ... inte bara för fotot just då , men också strax före eller strax efter att fotot togs ... och då vill han inte ha det fotot delat - eftersom det är personligt pga känslan var stark, speciellt känslor som han uppleva att vara negativ ... ledsen eller arg eller besviken etc ... även om ingen annan kan se den känslan, kan han ...
Jag har fantastiska bilder av honom som jag aldrig kan använda, för han har en stark känsla kopplad till den ... föreställ dig om jag valde att ignorera honom (antagligen pga jag inte kunde förstå att en sådan glad bild kunde kopplas med någon negativ känsla) och satt upp den på väggen - varje gång han skulle gå förbi den skulle han då återuppleva den negativa känslan som han kopplade till bilden (kanske man ha aldrig tagit sig tid för att komma in i en dialog med honom om fotot och bara lägga upp det, aldrig få veta hur han kände om fotot) - han tycker att andra kan se känslorna också precis som han... han förstår logiken bättre nu när han är äldre. (att andra ser eller uppleva bilden på ett annat sätt än honom, bara ser det positiva ögonblicket i själva bilden) .. men vi pratar om unga barn här ... som kanske inte helt har förstått separationen av känslor - och barn med autism (som min son) kan detta dröja ännu längre att förstå ..

Jag kommer ihåg hur det var att göra dokumentation före digitalkameran ...  det ha blivit SÅ mycket lättare nu... och nu finns det enkla sätt att spela in barn (med deras tillåtelse) och inte bara stora klumpiga bandspelare som förut...

... och hur vi väntade tills filmen var färdig innan vi fick se bilderna ... inte den snabba lösningen som idag ... och kostnader.... OMG att ta bilder var en mycket mer omtänksam procedur förut... och så så så många bilder var bara bortkastade, eftersom bilderna inte fångade vad du tänkte eller fångade barnen i en konstig ansiktsställning ... saker jag aldrig skulle sätta upp på väggarna eller i portföljer eller dela med andra ... 
Idag ser jag på många platser att man sätta upp bilder på väggarna och i portföljer som verka vara slumpmässiga samlingar av foto...  de berättar inte en historia, eller kanske inte heller speglar barnet som de vill ses... vissa bilder verka helt random. 
Jag tycker att det finns få vuxna som vill ha vilken bild som helst på väggen så att alla kan titta på - men av någon anledning är det OK att ställa ut bilder av barnen (på väggen eller online)  som många vuxna aldrig har begärt tillåtelse från barnen (bara deras föräldrar)... 
Jag är tacksam över nya regler kring barnens bilder online. 
Jag har svårt när familjer delar filmer av sina barn som har raserianfall osv...  visst kan man filma barnen om man ska använda den för att hjälpa barnet med sin egen självreglering (jag har gjort detta men också hade barnets tillåtelse.. något vi pratade om innan som ett sätt att lista ut hur vi kunde hitta strategier som kunde hjälpa barnet att lugna sig snabbare i framtiden (för barnets skull... dvs att raseriutbrottet skulle inte längre störa barnets lek på samma sätt)... men det har bara varit med barn som har hade svårt med självreglering och tillbringade längre sträckor i en stressad stat... när vi var lugna såg vi på filmen, barnet hade inget minne om att vara upprörd, så filmen var nödvändig för att förstå vad vi pratade om och vi började jobba med strategier tillsammans ... barnet var 3 när jag började detta förhållningssätt, jag berättade att barnet kunde säga nej (och barnet gjorde det ibland), vi tog alltid bort filmerna efteråt tillsammans och barnet var medveten och vi arbetade tillsammans för att skapa strategier, och det fungerade !!) - men jag skulle aldrig dela den här typen av filmer med andra ... även om barnet var överens om det, för att yngre barn förstår inte fullt ut konsekvenserna eftersom de inte har lika många års erfarenhet. 

För mig är det möjligt att vara närvarande medan jag dokumentera... särskilt när man gör det med barnen ... Jag är medveten om att även om jag är 100% närvarande kommer jag att missa saker ... som under filosofiska dialoger med barn, en lärare är facilitator, en annan är den som skriver ... och när jag läser och tittar på film eller ljud (när vi spela in) eller foton, ser jag saker som jag missade trots att jag lyssnade 100% ... detta har varit en viktig del av den pedagogiska dokumentationen ... den del som låter mig ställa min syn på ögonblicket tillsammans med vad kameran såg eller inspelingen hörde och viktigare med hur barnen upplevde det och kollegor också. Det måste diskuteras med andra ... det finns ingen möjlighet att vi kan se allt, förstå allt, oavsett hur nuvarande vi försöker vara.
Och jag är bekväm med att vi ​​alla bidra med egna perspektiv, att vi ser subjektivt på lärandet ... Jag menar, är det ens möjligt att vara objektiv? Vi är människor med känslor, erfarenheter och kunspaper! Inter-subjektiviteten gör det hela mer spännande... lär sig om andras perspektiv och återbesöker vår egen förståelse av erfarenheten genom perspektivet ... det öppnar möjligheten att se saker med en bredare lins.

Jag tror att vi måste acceptera att vi inte kan se och höra alla och allting ... Jag tror att vi kan vara närvarande i ögonblicket med dokumentation om vi inkluderar barnen i processen istället för att vara voyeurs ...

i Mishas inlägg nämns vikten av en kollega, en medarbetare - och som ni har läst håller jag helt med... vi har alla olika färdigheter som vi kan ta med till bordet, olika sätt att se, olika sätt att vara närvarande ... och genom att arbeta tillsammans snarare än att alltid dela upp i små grupper kan vi dokumentera stunder på olika sätt ... men ibland är små grupper bättre ... det handlar om att lyssna på barnen, gruppens dynamik och utarbetar en rytm som fungerar bäst för dig och alla ... vuxna och barn.

Inlägget är värdefullt eftersom det får oss att tänka på hur vi dokumenterar, och vi måste ställa frågorna... varför, hur, vad och när ... men inlägget gör det utifrån åsikten att det är en vuxen som dokumenterar barnen ... min inlägg skriva utifrån åsikten att barnen är involverade i dokumentationsprocessen, i alla skeden, då kommer det inte att finnas en känsla av att inte vara närvarande i ögonblicket, att processen av att dokumentera stör...
Självklart ska det vara balans... man ska inte gömma sig bakom en kamera heller...

dokumentationsprocessen blir ett annat område för lärande för barnen och lärarna ... barnen lär sig om sitt lärande, de har kontroll över vad som är viktigt att lära sig för dem och vad som ska spelas in (inte alltid vad man tror) - de lär sig att deras lärande, deras minnen tillhör dem, inte vuxna, och att de har rätt att fatta beslut - ibland ville de att jag skulle publicera saker på nätet och det vägrade jag, så jag fick chansen att prata om internetsäkerhet och om att vara medveten om vad man delar online - och i dagens samhälle det är något som barnen måste verkligen behärska - och ja förskolebarn kan lära sig kring detta på ett naturligt sätt utan att det är skrämmande.

Jag tror också att om vi tar ett steg tillbaka från barnen och tillåter dem att fortsätta med sitt lärande och inte alltid är en "hands-on" lärare - så finns det tid för att dokumentera, ta bilder och filmer för att skriva anteckningar. .. Vi måste skapa aktiviteter som tillåter barnen att ha makt, och kräver minimalt vuxen styrning. Handledning istället för att kontrollera allt.

Personligen njöt jag aldrig av ljuddokumentation eftersom jag inte hade tid att ta itu med det efteråt, om jag tog tid att transkribera osv då var det tid borta från barnen.

Jag dokumentera inte varje detalj av varje barns lärande ... varje dag varje vecka ... Jag är mer av en samlare av stunder tillsammans med barnen, och dessa stunder bygger upp en inlärningshistoria - ibland behövs detaljer, ibland det räcka med ett slags rubrik av vad som ha hänt - ofta var den pedagogiska dokumentationen baserad på minnen - pratar med en kollega och spelar in/skriva ned den dialogen.

Tid är något vi aldrig verkar ha nog av ... så dokumentation med barnen kände som ett bra sätt att spara tid i den meningen att dokumentationsprocessen inte tog mig bort från barnen hela tiden.


Det är så givande när man läsa ett inlägg som sparkar igång en hel rad tankar och reflektioner. Det är därför det är så viktigt att vi delar med varandra. Och även om det här inlägget kan tyckas ganska kritiskt mot inlägget "Paradoxen för pedagogisk dokumentation" vill jag klargöra att jag tyckte om den väldigt mycket och värderar de frågor som den ha ställt och måste ställas upp.