Pedagogical Documentation: Module 2

Transcription

1 Pedagogical Documentation: Module 2 Facilitator Guide Purpose and Scope Module 2 builds on the learning from Module 1, which introduced Pedagogical Documentation, a practice that has been embedded in the world of childcare for many years and is an integral part of the pedagogy of Early Childhood Educators. Key Actions of Pedagogical Documentation 1. OBSERVE AND LISTEN In Module 1, educators explored pedagogical documentation, also referred to as pedagogical narration, as a way for educators to inquire into the relationship between the learner and the teacher. They investigated how the practice of pedagogical documentation is moving assessment beyond the attainment of curriculum expectations or outcomes, to a place where educators are using their classrooms as centres of research, observing and studying their learners in ways that transform their teaching practice. As well, educators began examining their personal beliefs and assumptions by reflecting upon their image of the child. They were asked to consider looking at learning through different lenses, always being aware that their biases and beliefs influence the way that they look at learning. The module also introduced the idea of pedagogical documentation as a way for educators to transform their practice and explored the benefits of pedagogical documentation for students, educators, and families. At the end of module, 2. DESCRIBE AND NAME THE LEARNING 3. INTERPRET AND ANALYZE WHAT WE SAW AND HEARD 4. HYPOTHESIZE AND DRAW CONCLUSIONS 5. REFLECT AND RESPOND 6. SHARE THE DOCUMENTATION educators were challenged to observe a student through the eyes of a teacherresearcher, rather than the lens of assessment, and to record their reflections. The purpose of Module 2 is to help educators develop an understanding of the process of pedagogical documentation. At the beginning of the module, educators reflect on previous learning by revisiting the terms used to describe the thinking and actions that are at the heart of this practice, which were introduced in Module 1. In order to support educators learning, facilitators should ensure that educators have an understanding of the pedagogical content knowledge explored in Module 1 before delving further into Module 2. Pedagogical Documentation: Module 2 Facilitator Guide Page 1 of 17

2 Throughout this resource, we value what educators are currently doing in their practice. Module 2 provides a space for educators to reflect upon their own practice and share their most current understanding of pedagogical documentation. Through videos, questions, and prompts, educators will develop a common understanding of the practice of pedagogical documentation. At the end of the module, educators will be challenged to practice the actions of pedagogical documentation. They will reflect on why the practice of pedagogical documentation causes them to think differently and how their teaching practice might change as they look at learning through multiple lenses. Specific Goals Educators will understand learning through multiple lenses practise observing, analyzing, interpreting, and responding with a different view Role of Facilitator Facilitators of the module take the stance of provocateur rather than expert. As creators of this professional learning resource, we recognize that everyone involved in teaching has expertise to share. We hope that the module will provide an opportunity for all participants to share their expertise, respectfully question and challenge ideas, use research (both academic and classroom) to support their discussions, and engage in collective knowledge building. We also hope that educators will test the theories presented, discuss the videos and research presented, and share their thinking with their peers. Thus, we have designed the module so that groups can decide how much time they want to spend on any particular segment. Our intention is to provide a resource that is responsive to the learning needs and interests of the learners. The seat, video, and activity times suggested onscreen are a guide for individuals only. Groups are meant to stop and discuss the content throughout the module. Facilitators should allow time for this, responding to the group s interests and interactions as well as any sticking points or questions that emerge. Facilitators may wish to preview the module and the Facilitator s Road Map in this guide to get a sense of how much time might be needed to work through the module at a comfortable pace that allows for deep discussion and reflection. Facilitators are observer-participants in the module. Ensuring that everyone has a voice at the table requires the facilitator to participate with a non-dominant voice. Careful listening and observation of the group dynamics will allow for thoughtprovoking questions to emerge and stimulate reflection. The language at the table should be that of inquiry and research: Pedagogical Documentation: Module 2 Facilitator Guide Page 2 of 17

3 I am wondering I ve been thinking about I m not sure, but I think I heard this am I right? What are you thinking and wondering? Do we need to? might this be what we re thinking? The is a modifiable Microsoft Word document of the module content, including the quotes, questions, and activities presented onscreen. These notes allow educators to concentrate on the content without having to take notes. They also provide space for educators to work on the suggested activities, record their own thoughts and reflections, and jot down ideas. Educators may customize the and add pages to capture the group s thinking, record points that emerge in discussion, and so on. Pedagogical Documentation: Module 2 Facilitator Guide Page 3 of 17

4 Module at a Glance Pedagogical Documentation: Module 2 Segment Focus Videos and Activities Introduction Module TOC: Screens 2 5 Educators review pedagogical documentation terms revisit and reflect on personal learning goals consider guiding questions of the module Pedagogical Documentation Terms, Module 2 Guiding Questions and Goals Recommended Resources Mind-Sets and Equitable Education by Carol S. Dweck Making Learning Visible by Dr. Carol Anne Wien The Power of Documentation in the Early Childhood Classroom by Hilary Seitz The Relationship Between Documentation and Assessment by Carlina Rinaldi The Teacher as Researcher by Carlina Rinaldi Your Image of the Child: Where Teaching Begins by Loris Malaguzzi Question 1: How do you do pedagogical documentation? Module TOC: Screens 6 20 Educators discuss their experience of observing student(s) discuss and reflect on learning and teaching from an inquiry stance analyze and discuss a quote about the key actions of pedagogical documentation explore the six actions of pedagogical documentation practise the first four actions of pedagogical documentation Between Modules Reflection, A View of Learners, Teaching from an Inquiry Stance, A Holistic Perspective, Key Actions of Pedagogical Documentation, The How-to Aspects of the Process, Pedagogical Documentation in Action, Video-Viewing Activity: The Process of Pedagogical Documentation, Stages 1 6 Unpacking Quotes and Ideas John Dewey on pedagogical documentation Article: Curiosity, Curriculum and Collaboration Entwined: Reflections on Pedagogical Documentation by Pat Tarr Video Students in a Kindergarten Classroom Recommended Resources The Teacher as Researcher by Carlina Rinaldi The Nature of Teacher Research by Barbara Henderson, Daniel R. Meier, Gail Perry, and Andrew J. Stremmel Pedagogical Documentation: Module 2 Facilitator Guide Page 4 of 17

5 Question 2: How might your practice evolve, and what might it look like? Module TOC: Screens Between Modules Time: 3 weeks Module TOC: Screen 26 Educators practise the last two actions of pedagogical documentation consider how they might make changes to their current practice revisit the quote about pedagogical documentation Educators observe an individual, or group of students, to practice the six actions of pedagogical documentation to uncover student thinking and learning share their documentation with a partner consider the degree to which pedagogical documentation may inform their practice revisit and reflect on the articles and videos presented in the module share and connect with other participants to discuss new questions, thinking, and wonderings How Can Looking at Learning Through Multiple Lenses Benefit Our Practice? Dewey s Quote Revisited Video Studying Co-Constructed Negotiated Learning: Spiral Story Recommended Resources Documentation: Both Mirror and Light by Pam Oken-Wright Between Modules: Some Activities, Check Your Understanding Recommended Resources Opening Minds: Using Language to Change Lives by Peter H. Johnston As you work through the online segments, use the Facilitator s Road Map that follows to pause and/or guide the suggested reflections, discussions, and activities. The articles and videos listed as Recommended Resources are available online. Please note that some articles require purchase. Instructions for finding these resources are included in the Facilitator s Road Map. NOTE: The TOC in the online module indicates the time length for each screen. The time for the Accessibility audio file is included in the total time of the last screen in the module. There is also a running time count at the bottom at the TOC. The total time includes the audio file. If the online module freezes at any point, please select the TOC button, select a different screen, and then select the one you were viewing. Or, close the module, reopen it, open the TOC, and select the screen you were viewing. Pedagogical Documentation: Module 2 Facilitator Guide Page 5 of 17

6 Facilitator s Road Map Online Module Segment 1 Introduction Questions and Provocations Pedagogical Documentation Terms (Screens 2 3) Educators have an opportunity to revisit and reflect on the terminology of pedagogical documentation that was introduced in Module 1. Allow time for participants to review their reflective notes and share their thinking about the terms related to pedagogical documentation with a partner or small group. Provide the following frames to support educators to begin talking about some of the shifts in their thinking: - I used to think and now I am thinking - I am thinking this, but I have questions and wonderings about Create a three-column chart to capture educators shifts in thinking (e.g., What we think we know, What we continue to wonder about, What this might mean for our practice) and to develop a shared understanding of the terms. Consider revisiting this chart and adding to it, at the end of modules 2 and 3, to capture new thinking. Questions and Goals (Screens 4 5) As educators consider the guiding questions for the module presented on the screen, ask: - What other questions emerge from the two broad questions presented on the screen? - What additional learning goals might you as an individual educator have? - How might sharing individual questions and personal learning goals with the group impact on the collaborative, collective learning of the group? Module TOC: Screens 2 5 Pause for participants to revisit and/or reflect on personal learning goals. Establish a format that you can use for all sessions of the module (e.g., place, time, procedure, goals). In the online module, clicking on the TOC box at the bottom right will open a Table of Contents that you can use to navigate among the screens. Ensure participants are familiar with the Recommended Resources of Module 1 listed in Ongoing References below. Ongoing References Mind-Sets and Equitable Education by Carol S. Dweck, Principal Leadership, January 2010 (go to the National Association of Secondary School Principals website in the link and search the article title) Making Learning Visible Through Pedagogical Documentation by Dr. Carol Anne Wien, from Think, Feel, Act: Lessons from Research about Young Children, 2013, Ontario Ministry of Education. The Power of Documentation in the Early Childhood Classroom by Hilary Seitz (go to the National Association for the Education of Young Children website in the link Publications Young Children Search for Articles and Authors article title or author name) The Relationship Between Documentation and Assessment by Carlina Rinaldi, Innovations in Early Education: The International Reggio Exchange, 11(1), Winter 2004, 1 4. Pedagogical Documentation: Module 2 Facilitator Guide Page 6 of 17

7 Segment 2 Question 1: How do you do pedagogical documentation? Questions and Provocations Between Modules Reflection (Screens 6 7) Have educators revisit the idea of observing students through the lens of a teacher-researcher. Invite participants to share with a partner their observations of students that they made between modules by considering the onscreen questions. To set the context for the next conversation, have educators reflect on how their image of the child influences the way they look at learning and listen to children. Consider having them revisit the article Your Image of the Child: Where Teaching Begins by Loris Malaguzzi, which they read in Module 1. Alternatively, have them turn to the to revisit the quote A View of Learners from Module 1. Learning and Teaching from an Inquiry Stance (Screen 8) Use the onscreen graphic of questions to support the conversation about observation, documentation, and the teacher as researcher. Pose the following questions to deepen the conversation as needed: - Reflect on your role as teacher-researcher. Why did you choose this student? What were you hoping to understand about the student? About yourself? - How many times did you observe the student? In what contexts did you observe the student? What might you learn by observing this student in different contexts, including outdoors? - What did you do to try and diminish the lens of teacherassessor while you observed the student? How did you remain open to the unexpected? - What did you learn about the student? What more do you need to learn? What kinds of documentation will you collect next in order to help you know the child better? - How did your observations connect to the image of the child as a competent, capable, and curious communicator? - What are you wondering about your own practice as a result of these observations? After partners share the experiences and thoughts they had while observing students, invite participants to share some key ideas with the larger group that emerged from their discussion. To further support and deepen the conversation around the teacher as researcher, briefly revisit the Rinaldi article from Module 1 (see Recommended Resources, right) by having participants share one idea that resonated with them. You can record their key learning or have them record it in their. Module TOC: Screens 6 20 The classroom practice questions are meant to be reflective questions for individual educators. To bring them into in a whole group discussion, facilitators must provide distance from experience for the educators. Participants can revisit the quote about how we view children from Module 1. Have them turn to A View of Learners in the. Option In Module 1, if participants created a statement that encapsulates an image of the child that opens up learning avenues and influences teaching practice positively, you may wish to revisit and post it. In your role as facilitator, ensure all participants have an opportunity to share in discussion. Recommended Resources Your Image of the Child: Where Teaching Begins by Loris Malaguzzi, 1994, Child Care Information Exchange, 96 (go to the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance website in the link above Resources Free Resources) The Teacher as Researcher by Carlina Rinaldi, Innovations in Early Education: The International Reggio Exchange, 10(2), Spring 2003, 1 4. The Nature of Teacher Research by Barbara Henderson, Daniel R. Meier, Gail Perry, and Andrew J. Stremmel, Voices of Practitioners, 2012 (go to the National Association for the Education of Young Children website in the link above Publications Voices of Practitioners What is Teacher Research?) Pedagogical Documentation: Module 2 Facilitator Guide Page 7 of 17

8 In order to dig more deeply into the role of teacher as researcher, provide time for participants to read the article The Nature of Teacher Research (see Recommended Resources, previous page). Before participants begin to read, convey that Steven Katz, a researcher and professor at OISE who co-authored the book Breaking Down Learning Barriers to Transform Professional Practice, asks us to look at articles through a critical lens. Often we look for statements that we agree with when we read within a professional learning context. Invite participants to note questions, wonderings, uncertainties, and statements they may disagree with as well as points that they feel are important as they read the article. This will help support the stance of teacherresearcher. After reading the article, provide an opportunity for participants to share some of their thoughts. Pose the following questions to begin the discussion: - What are we learning about our role as teacher as researcher? - What might this mean for us as we consider our traditional role as teacher? - What questions do we have? - What challenges might we face? If you are working individually, record your questions and wonderings about the article in your for future reflection. As participants share their thoughts, add any new thinking to the chart or. Article: Curiosity, Curriculum and Collaboration Entwined (Screens 9 10) As participants read the article, have them highlight areas they are wondering about or questioning as they connect the content to their current practice. They may wish to record their questions and insights for later reflection. Invite educators to share their questions and wonderings with a partner or small group. Afterward, use the following questions to initiate and focus a whole-group discussion: - This article is written from an early childhood perspective. How might some of these messages apply beyond the early years? - What tensions exist when educators begin to look at learning beyond the assessment of curriculum expectations or developmental milestones? - How does our image of the learner as competent, curious, and capable of complex thinking influence the lens we use to view learning? This article is written from an early childhood perspective. As facilitators, we can help educators connect the messages of this article to their own practice by having them think about the questions in terms of their own students and classrooms. The messages in this article are applicable for all classrooms. Have educators reflect on their observation of students between modules, which they shared earlier. Pose the following questions for them to consider: - What lenses might you use as you observe learning? - What would be the benefit of revisiting documentation using different lenses? Pedagogical Documentation: Module 2 Facilitator Guide Page 8 of 17

9 - What might you notice if you viewed the documentation through the lens of the learner? The environment? Cultural background and language? Power dynamics and relationships? - How might looking at learning through multiple lenses change the way you think about a learner? Your teaching? Share or elicit that pedagogical documentation is a process that we engage in with others. We may begin the observation on our own. We may describe and name the learning on our own. However, because we bring our own bias and point of view to the observation, our multiple lenses are provided by others, who are also interested in knowing more about the complexities of learning and teaching. Ask: - What would happen to our description of the observation if we shared it with the children? What might they notice that we missed? Would the children begin to see themselves as researchers as they look at the theories and actions of their peers? - What would change for us if other educators, who have their own perspectives on learning, tell us what they see, hear, or notice? How would our interpretation of the learning change with multiple perspectives? How would sharing this documentation with educators impact on the collective knowledge of the group? - What insights would we gain by sharing this documentation with parents and families? How might they perceive their child in our documentation? Quote: John Dewey on Pedagogical Documentation (Screen 11) Facilitators may find it helpful to provide the following background information about John Dewey as context: - John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. Although he died in 1952, his thinking continues to influence pedagogy today. This quote onscreen speaks to the fact that the pedagogy underpinning the practice of pedagogical documentation is not new or even innovative. Use the following questions to guide a discussion: - How does this quote reflect current assessment practices? Assessment for learning? - Why is it important to analyze documentation in the context of children s theories, understandings, and misunderstandings? How is this different from assessing learning in the context of achievement of curriculum expectations or outcomes? - What does formulate hypotheses, predictions and projections mean? How might this action change what educators consider for next steps in learning? How does this support our role as teacher researchers? Pedagogical Documentation: Module 2 Facilitator Guide Page 9 of 17

10 - How do we capture current thinking in our documentation? What might this mean for our documentation practices? Six Actions of Pedagogical Documentation (Screens 12 13) As educators pause to consider the onscreen graphic of the six actions of pedagogical documentation, convey the following: - Although these actions are presented in a linear format and we have referred to them as stages, the process itself is very iterative. As a teacher-researcher using pedagogical documentation as a practice to uncover new learning about students and your own practice, you may find that you are constantly moving backwards and forwards through these actions for any number of reasons. As you move through each action, you may decide to go back, because the documentation is not providing you with any insight into the learning and teaching process. After pairs discuss the graphic, consider using the following background information, questions, and provocations to lead a whole-group discussion about the actions of pedagogical documentation: 1. Observe and Listen - We always begin our observations with an intended purpose or a focus. It could be simply trying to understand more about how to build a relationship with a particular child or how a child experiments and develops theories within an area of mathematics or language. As teacher-researchers, we can never be sure that what we have chosen to observe may be the right moment or even the right amount of time. We can predict and hypothesize the time of day, the learning opportunity, and the interaction that may give us a window into the learning. But sometimes we learn something completely unexpected and surprisingly different from what we might have intended to learn. We can learn something from every observation of children, if we are open to learning more about the whole child. - Why might it be important to observe learners many times and in multiple contexts during the flow of the day? - How might this practice help us better understand a child s understandings, misconceptions, and theories? - In pedagogical documentation, why is it important to observe learning in the context of the classroom environment (both indoors and outdoors), rather than a clinical setting that isolates the child from the environment? - How might our interaction with a child during an observation opportunity influence the learning process and change what we see and hear? - What might we learn from recording our questions, prompts, and provocations as part of the observed learning? - Why might it be important to vary the tools we use for observation? In order for participants to develop an understanding of the thinking behind each of the actions of pedagogical documentation, provide adequate time for them to consider the background knowledge and questions around the actions provided in this guide before they engage in the process. Facilitators may wish to capture the thinking as participants consider this information and share ideas and wonderings. As participants consider these questions, have them reflect upon the questions in light of their own experience of observing and listening to a student or students in their classroom between modules. Pedagogical Documentation: Module 2 Facilitator Guide Page 10 of 17

11 2. Describe and Name the Learning - Describing the learning is a challenge for many of us. We must be very careful to describe only what we see, hear, or notice in the documentation. We may use words like the child is listening attentively, but indeed if we are describing what we saw and heard, we have no way of knowing whether the child was listening at all. We might assume that the child is listening, but our task in this work is to describe only what we know. - What are some of the assumptions and judgments that educators might make as they view a video? Look at a series of photographs? View a student s drawing or writing? Listen to a recording of a child? - How does describing the learning support our observation skills? - Why might it be important to share documentation and descriptions of learning with colleagues? - How might listening to others descriptions of learning impact on our practice? Support looking at learning from multiple lenses? 3. Interpret and Analyze What We Saw and Heard - After we have described the learning, we can begin to look for the meaning behind the documentation. We can only analyze what we see and hear and make interpretations based on the documentation that we have captured. We can begin to pose theories about what we think might be happening, what the child might be learning or thinking, the possible reasons behind the actions, and so on. This is where looking at learning through multiple lenses becomes pivotal. If we only look at documentation through an assessment lens, will we be able to uncover the why of the learning? - Why is it important to link your interpretations directly to the documentation? - Why is it important to pose multiple theories or wonderings about the learning? - Why might it be important to share your analysis and interpretations with colleagues? Some frames that might support educators in linking interpretations are: - When I saw this I began to think - When the child did this I wondered - When I heard this this question came to mind 4. Hypothesize and Draw Conclusions - Each step in this process is valuable. After analyzing and interpreting the documentation using multiple lenses, you are ready to draw some conclusions from the observations. - What is it that the documentation is telling you? - How do you want to use this documentation? - What further questions do you have? - Do you need to have more documentation to support your theories and interpretations? - Does this documentation provide you with insight into the child? Into your practice? - Does it provide you with opportunities to respond, adjust, and change what you were previously thinking? Pedagogical Documentation: Module 2 Facilitator Guide Page 11 of 17

12 - Who is this documentation for? - Who might you share this documentation with? - Does this documentation capture the image of the child as capable and competent? - Should you keep this documentation? 5. Reflect and Respond - Good documentation should provide you with multiple possibilities and opportunities to respond to a child s thinking and learning. As you reflect on the documentation, you will find yourself making pedagogical decisions that may impact on the observed child, but also on other children in the group. Some of your pedagogical decisions may happen almost immediately (e.g., perhaps, if I provide many choices of writing tools, I may see a change in the way the child approaches writing). Others you may think about over time (e.g., I noticed that the questions I m asking are not allowing the child to pose an opinion or a theory. I have to pay attention to my questioning). - How do I reflect on my documentation? - How do I remain open to many possibilities for responding? - Am I thinking differently about how I might respond because of this documentation? - What more have I learned about this child? - What have I learned about my teaching? My values? My assumptions? - How will I use this documentation? What will I do with it? - How will I capture my reflections and possibilities for responding? - How might my response change if I share my documentation with my student? My colleagues? A parent? - Collaboration with colleagues is integral to the actions of reflection and responding to documentation. It is through listening to other points of view and interpretations of learning that we begin to move beyond how we might ordinarily respond to learning to testing out new possibilities. Reflecting upon documentation with a group builds the collective knowledge of everyone. 6. Share the Documentation - Sharing documentation is key to helping us think differently. By discussing the documentation with others, we are able to see other points of view, we are able to look at learning through different perspectives. - Who might you share this documentation with? - Why might you share documentation with a child? With a group of children? With the class? How would documentation support students as partners in their learning? - How might sharing documentation support students as researchers into their own learning? - What might happen if children documented their own learning? What might this look like? Who might they share this with? What questions and theories might they have? Pedagogical Documentation: Module 2 Facilitator Guide Page 12 of 17

13 - What would be the benefits of sharing documentation with colleagues? - Why would you share documentation with parents? What might this look like? - Documentation is meant to do more than inform. How would you welcome the interpretations and responses that parents may have on the learning? Video: Students in a Kindergarten Classroom (Screens 14 20) Watch the video. Afterward, provide ample time for pairs or small groups of participants to work through the onscreen videoviewing activity that focuses on the actions of pedagogical documentation. Use the notes below to facilitate each part of the activity. Depending on the needs of the group, you may wish to spend more time debriefing certain actions. 1. Observe and Listen Once participants are comfortable with the video s context and flow, they can begin to record their observations. Convey that when first beginning to observe children involved in group work, it may be easier to start your observations by watching the actions and interactions of one student. This will make describing and naming the learning more focused. 2. Describe and Name the Learning Prior to sharing their descriptions of learning, have participants remove any assumptions or evaluative language. Reinforce that their descriptions should be pure description. Ask participants to check each other s descriptions to make sure they are descriptions of what we see and hear, not what we think or assume. We can only come to understand what children might be thinking by what they say, do, or represent. Have participants work in groups to share their descriptions. Invite each group member to share one thing they saw or heard and then have each subsequent group member share another single thing, until everything they saw and heard has been shared. This process builds relationships and focuses the conversation on the student, avoiding the possibility of having educators feel uncomfortable because they may have missed something. Descriptions can begin with something as simple as I saw a girl with a striped dress or as complex as I saw the girl in the striped dress place a blue translucent paper over her eyes and look inside the overhead projector, where the fan is located, and then look at her friend through the paper, and then place the paper over her friend s eyes. 3. Interpret and Analyze What We Saw and Heard Use the onscreen prompts to unpack the various perspectives and lenses that educators use as they interpret what they saw and heard. The video shows three Kindergarten children engaged in play and inquiry at an overhead projector, learning in a context where they are not sharing ideas orally with one another. As teacher-researchers we need to puzzle through this learning encounter to try and understand what the children are learning and thinking. As the onscreen facilitator notes, multiple viewings of the video may be necessary. This is true of all video documentation. When sharing video documentation, share a brief context for the documentation and then show the video to give viewers a sense of the flow. For this work, you may choose to replace this video with a video that represents the learners with whom you are working. The video should depict students in the context of active learning. Educators can use the, Video-Viewing Activity: The Process of Pedagogical Documentation, Stages 1 to 6, to record their observations, thoughts, wonderings, and questions as they practice the actions of pedagogical documentation. Parts 5 and 6 of the videoviewing activity correspond to Question 2 of the online module, How might your practice evolve, and what might it look like? which begins in the next segment of the module. You may wish to have participants take a break before working on these parts of the activity. Pedagogical Documentation: Module 2 Facilitator Guide Page 13 of 17

14 4. Hypothesize and Draw Conclusions Use the onscreen prompts to facilitate the conversation around this action of pedagogical documentation. In addition, ask: - What are we thinking about as a result of this documentation? Why? - How might we respond to this documentation? - What are we continuing to wonder about? - What kind of documentation might we need to consider next as a result of our interpretations? In what contexts? Pedagogical Documentation: Module 2 Facilitator Guide Page 14 of 17

15 Segment 3 Question 2: How might your practice evolve, and what might it look like? Questions and Provocations Video: Students in a Kindergarten Classroom (Screens 21 22) 5. Reflect and Respond Convey that after drawing some conclusions about the student learning that is documented, we can begin to think about how we might respond to the documentation. Good documentation will cause us to think about implications for our teaching practice as well as possibilities for growth in student learning. As we try to view the documentation beyond the lens of assessment and curriculum, the possibilities for responding become much greater. Module TOC: Screens Recommended Resources Documentation: Both Mirror and Light by Pam Oken-Wright, Innovations in Early Education: The International Reggio Exchange, 8(4), 2001, It is important to record these possibilities for all participants to see. Then each educator will walk away with different possibilities and reflections from the video in addition to those based on their own classroom experience. Use the following prompts to initiate a discussion and generate a list of the possibilities: - What are the various possibilities that emerge for student learning? For teaching practice? How has viewing this video together helped us see the multiple ways to respond to learning? - What might you try first after this discussion? Why? - How will you know your response is making a difference? What kind of evidence will you collect? What context? 6. Share the Documentation Use the onscreen prompts to facilitate this part of the activity. The online facilitator suggests that educators record their major takeaways from this process. Have group members talk about what this process meant to them and record their thoughts. Ask: - What did you learn from this process? - What are you wondering about? - What happened as a result of sharing this process with colleagues? - What might happen if this video was shared with parents? - How might you support one another to continue this work? Convey that it is important to record these takeaways for all of us to reflect on and respond to. The process of pedagogical documentation may be new to many of us, and it is important to recognize that we learn as we go and we begin with what we can manage. Encourage educators to revisit these reflections as they become more familiar with the practice of pedagogical documentation. As educators went through the process of examining documentation together, they supported each other s thinking. Multiple views and perspectives were brought into the discussion through each phase of the documentation process. Having colleagues puzzle through this video documentation together allowed for each educator to look at learning in a different way and to deepen their understanding of the relationship between learning and teaching. As the online prompt suggests, we would like educators to think about what the sharing of documentation meant to them. Pedagogical Documentation: Module 2 Facilitator Guide Page 15 of 17

16 Video: Studying Co-Constructed Negotiated Learning: Spiral Story (Screens 23 24) Have educators view this video twice. On the second viewing, invite educators to record the points that resonated with them and then discuss these points with a partner or small group. Pose the following questions to take the conversation deeper as needed: - How does pedagogical documentation support the pedagogy of play and inquiry? - How does pedagogical documentation build collective ownership of the learning? - How does pedagogical documentation support the study of learning and teachers as researchers? - How does reflection on documentation support responsive teaching practices? - Why might educators choose to collect a series of photographs, rather than a single photograph? - How can the practice of pedagogical documentation provide an opportunity for children to study their own learning? - Why might educators and children choose to revisit documentation repeatedly over time? - How does documentation support relationships between students? Between students and teachers? Between parents and teachers? Between parent and child? Return to Dewey Quote (Screen 25) As educators reflect on the onscreen quote, say: - We shared this quote at the beginning of the module. After going through the actions of pedagogical documentation and reflecting on how pedagogical documentation is integral to our work as teacher-researchers, let s take some time to reflect upon how our interpretation of the meaning of this quote might have deepened. - How does pedagogical documentation support the teaching pedagogy proposed by John Dewey? Pedagogical Documentation: Module 2 Facilitator Guide Page 16 of 17

17 Segment 4 Between Modules Questions and Provocations Activities (Screen 26) As educators consider the activities onscreen, you may wish to summarize, elicit, or list the following as best practices of observation for pedagogical documentation: - Observe without judgement. - Record only what the child is saying and doing. - In group work, you may choose to focus on one child only. As educators begin observing their chosen student or group, have them share description notes with a partner or small group. Colleagues can consider: - Have you removed any assumptions, judgements, interpretations? Is this pure description? - As you work through the actions of pedagogical documentation and share your analysis, interpretations, and responses to the learning with your partner or group, how do their analysis, interpretation, and reflections impact on your thinking about the student and your practice? Module TOC: Screen 26 Approximate Time: 3 weeks Option Interested educators may want to conduct a book study of Opening Minds: Using Language to Change Lives by Peter H. Johnston, 2012, Stenhouse Publishers. Participants may wish to complete Check Your Understanding as a self-check of the module s content. Encourage educators to revisit the videos and research articles presented in this module, and to connect and share their thoughts with each other before beginning work on the next module. Between modules, educators may wish to record new questions, thinking, and wonderings in a journal to critically reflect on the process of pedagogical documentation. Between modules, facilitators are encouraged to check in with participants to determine any areas that may be benefit from further exploration and/or discussion before beginning the next module. Pedagogical Documentation: Module 2 Facilitator Guide Page 17 of 17