The Empowered Educator - Analysis, Reflection and Evaluation in Early Childhood Programming.
One of the most important elements of Reggio-Inspired teaching is documentation. From experience, I know this can be one of the most intimidating pieces to implement. I want to share one example of a documentation panel I created along with my students in a first grade classroom. I want to share how I simplified this documentation […]
In Canada, Indigenous children are less likely to attend ECE programs compared to non-Indigenous children. This lag in attendance presents an immediate opportunity for policy intervention and a loo…
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. Ontario’s pedagogy for the early years: How Does Learning Happen (2014) is considered a pedagogical document. It suggests a number of pedagogical approaches to “nurtu…
A cheat sheet of education theorists and their research based teaching practices.
Providing meaningful documentation has many benefits in the early childhood classroom. Today I want to share some examples of meaningful documentation.
This post references the new Ontario Kindergarten Program (2016). If you teach outside of Ontario, or have not seen the document, you can access it online here: https://www.ontario.ca/document/kindergarten-program-2016?_ga=1.99075806.1582268480.1481239149 I believe there is immense value to all educators checking out the document, particularly the comprehensive front matter which I believe gives a great amount of insight into our current educational approach. _______________________ With a whole new Ontario Kindergarten Program in 2016 comes new opportunities to consider how we might observe, document, track, assess, and plan learning through the new lenses of the Four Frames of Learning. For many, changes may feel scary – but when employing an asset-based lens (as I try to do!), these changes can, and should be, seen as chances to grow and strengthen our practice. Coming into this year with new (and honestly, amazing!) Kindergarten Program hot off the presses, I was very excited to see how our practice would evolve. In a series of conversations with my teaching partner, we agreed that for a while things may feel “unknown” as we delve into the new document – and that was ok. We were adamant that we did not want to slap down a pre-existing method of planning/observing, and especially did not want to do things how we did it with the old Curriculum Document – as that did not honour this exciting opportunity to look closely at our practices and ensure they are aligned with the new document. Going into it somewhat blind felt tricky, but I am thankful to have a partner who is not afraid to just jump in and see where it takes us! So, where did we begin? At the front of our classroom space, we decided to put up a series of four corkboards, each one devoted to one of the Four Frames. We planned to use this space for keeping track of things that were done or said during play that may reveal an interest or future direction for learning. The idea was that we would both use sticky notes to jot down things that occurred during the day, link it to an expectation from the program document (which we had beside the board) and then stick it on the corkboard for the corresponding Frame. These observations can then be used to inform future plans. Our observation board in September As for planning, we decided to use an updated version of our last year’s planning sheet. Last year we designed a planning sheet that had a small section for each Learning Space in our room. This year, we added a small box in each space to indicate which Frame was being focused on in that area. At first, we considered completely re-designing our planning sheet to plan entirely through the Four Frames, but after some consideration we decided to stick with planning for each specific Learning Space, at least for now. By continuing to plan by each Learning Space would hopefully ensure that no Learning Spaces “fell through the cracks”. What led to that decision was the idea that we could use this year as a sort of research into which Learning Spaces in Kindergarten lend themselves well to the Four Frames (and if there are any that do not). I am a big believer in the approach of “don’t just do things because they’ve always been done that way”. We wanted to be able to look back at our planning sheets at the end of the year to investigate which Spaces make sense to keep in the room based off their links to the Four Frames, and which just seem to be there “because they always have been”. It's important to look critically at how we set up our classrooms as we consider the philosophies attached to the 2016 document. Our current planning sheet was seen as sort of a bridge from the old practice to the new. Our planning sheet, with spaces for Four Frames added For displaying our learning, I was really struck by the concept of “noticing and naming” the learning in play, as referenced in the new document. As advocates for play-based learning, my partner and I already did it, but we wanted to encourage other staff members, families, and the students themselves take part in the process of seeing the learning that happens naturally in play! We printed out a variety of photos we snapped of play so far this year, and invited multiple voices to use sticky notes to share what learning they saw present. Looking at documentation with multiple lenses is something we try to do as much as we can, as it brings a lot of new perspectives on play and learning to the surface. Our Noticing and Naming Learning Board Invitation to Notice and Name Learning in Play Along with trying new things and not just sticking to how they used to be done, my partner and I agreed that we wanted to be critical along the way about what new practices were working and what were not. Part of embracing the new document whole-heartedly may mean trial and error, and I think it’s totally alright (and crucial!) for educators to talk about what may not have gone right the first time, and to re-tool approaches when needed. Upon reflection, we felt the planning sheets were working and the notice and naming the learning board was well received. However, it became apparent to us both that our new observing plan (the four cork boards) wasn’t entirely working – yet! We allowed ourselves the freedom and safety to identify that our plan needed some work…learning is a journey after all! A journey, which has now led us here… "What's Happening in Room 109?: The Four Frames of Learning" Proudly presenting...our method to observe, plan and document learning through the lens of the Four Frames! (Larger Image Here) Based off our experience so far investigating the act of observing, planning, and documenting learning using the Four Frames, we created this display outside our room. I will now share a bit of the thinking that went into it. By desire, we tend to break things into sections. With that in mind, it was my initial instinct to separate the Frames and sort observations into each one. I think this speaks to our old Program document, which separated curricular outcomes into distinct subjects (Language, The Arts, Science, Math, etc.). However, the more familiar I get with the new document, and the more experience I have putting into action, the more I understand about the overlapping nature of the Four Frames. What I found difficult about the trying to sort observations into the Four Frames was that many expectations fall within two or three of the Frames (and this is a great thing!). I was left standing there with my sticky note wondering which board to put it on, given that what I observed may demonstrate Belonging & Contributing AND Problem Solving & Innovation. Personally, I love that the new outcomes overlap, as it really honours the complexity of learning and how many interactions through play can (and do!) involve multiple Frames. The overlap of the curricular pieces is a strength of this document, and it became apparent that our original plan to separate and sort observations into each Frame needed some re-thinking. This led to the idea of a four part Venn diagram, which would feature each Frame but honour the great deal of overlap that exists in the learning we were noticing. Close up section of display On the Venn Diagram we wanted to use our original sticky note observations, but thought about ways to include a more diverse sample of play and learning. I thought back to the "doing, saying, and representing" triangle I had seen so much in Professional Development sessions lately, and realized we could do a better job with featuring all three ways learning is demonstrated in play. We printed out photos (we use iPads to document with photos daily) but also wrote down snippets of conversations we've heard this year, and included actual work samples as well. I felt that this approach allowed for more learning to be featured in the Venn Diagram - and we had already collected this data already anyway, this was just a new way to display it. I love this triangle and am continuing to work towards ensuring a more even distribution between these three important factors. Another piece that we found difficult with our original plan was one that we hear about a lot – TIME! We noticed that often our “Educator Goals” section on our weekly plan was filled with “add more sticky notes to the observation board!”. Needless to say, we were observing, but we didn’t always find the time to write it down and sort it into a Frame. With the planning, documenting, and displaying of learning – along with the actual play and learning piece! - we were doing, there never seemed to enough hours in the day, and our actual "write down observations" piece often fell to the wayside. It was a combination of two things that led to my own personal “a-ha moment” in how to help the writing of observation process fit more naturally into our day. One was digging into the front matter of the new Program document, and the other was during a rich conversation on documentation at a Pedagogical Leadership with the Ministry of Education that my partner and I were invited to. I thought about the noticing and naming piece, and wondered why the documentation was happening separate from the observations. When shifting towards a Pedagogical Documentation stance, which I’ve been thinking a lot about lately, it suddenly clicked that the observing, noticing and naming, and planning pieces all fit together as one. Documentation isn’t just for the end point, it’s to capture what learning is present in play and to analyze and utilize that information to extend future learning. Of course we had no time for all the pieces…we were trying to do them all separately. By creating this large diagram on our display board and treating it as a living, breathing, evolving piece of Pedagogical Documentation, we were able to streamline our time and involve all these important tasks together. This honours the cyclical nature of Pedagogical Documentation and was a natural way to examine how the planning, observation, and documentation processes are intertwined, not separate. Part of our display Is this the perfect solution? No, it’s simply what works for us, right now at this time, at our current place on our learning journey. All educators will discover what works for them, but it’s my hope that at least some of this inspires your own thinking about what observing, planning, and documenting may possibly look like in our Kindergarten classrooms using our new Program document. If I could give any suggestions, I would say allow yourself the chance to try things, reflect on what didn’t work, and then try again! Given that it’s a new Program, nobody should have it figured out in a snap. Instead, like we do with our students, it’s through hands-on exploration with the new document that we will deepen our understanding of how our practices can and should adapt. We will continue to add, remove, and update the photos, quotes, observations, and work samples contained in this large graph and utilize that information in noticing, naming, and planning for further learning. It's been an exciting experience to watch how much our own practice has changed as we get to know more about more about the 2016 Kindergarten Program. It's an incredible document that I feel honoured to teach! In the comments below, I would love to hear how you are approaching observing, planning, and documenting in your own practice through the lens of the Four Frames, as well as any "a-ha" moments you have had this year. As I've said many times this year, it's such an exciting time to be teaching Kindergarten in Ontario!
We have had numerous emails and blog comments regarding our Portfolio/Documentation Books. (Thank you for your interest and patience for this post!) Here is a little bit more information about them to help inform parents and other blog visitors. Each child in our class has a Portfolio/Documentation Book with their name and photo on the top. These folders are filled with clear sleeves to easily update what is included inside. After a trip to London England with YRDSB's Leadership Study Tour in 2011, our school team received great inspiration from their approach to early years documentation. At the two schools that we visited, we were impressed by their documentation notes, organization, and how well they made the learning in their classrooms visible. This inspired us to start something similar that would fit into our Bond Lake P.S. context here in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Below are some images (cropped for privacy reasons) of how the documentation templates look like. On the top is space for the child's name and date, the context in which the learning took place, and the level of support that was given by adults. (Educators circle whether it occurred indoors, outdoors, if it was child/adult initiated, whether the child was alone, in a pair, small group, or large group.) In the middle is a space for a photo of the child engaged in play-based learning, inquiry-based learning, or other curricular learning experiences. On the bottom of the template is space for educator notes (observations or dialogue between the children), next steps, the links to the curriculum, and who made the observation. Last year we also started to use this template for math interviews. Below is an example of an interview about ordinal numbers. The only difference, is that the image section has clip art of students in a line that matched our question about ordinal numbers. Another component of our Portfolio/Documentation Books are our monthly writing samples. Each day our students are expected to share their thinking through graphic communication (drawing/creative expression paired with writing) and post it on "Our Daily Writing Hangs Here" wall. The next morning we sit in front of the writing wall to discuss and give feedback for our writing. The writing samples then get placed into a filing cabinet, and saved until the child is asked to choose their two best pieces for the month. After the two pieces are selected (using our learning goal and success criteria that is reviewed each day during our feedback time) there is a reflection template that is filled out by the educator and the child to describe their work and next steps for improvement. These two samples then get placed within the Portfolio/Documentation Books. The purpose of these Portfolio/Documentation Books is to make visible our daily learning and discoveries. Learning in kindergarten that is play-based and inquiry-based requires many photographs, as we do not run a worksheet based program. Our hope is that students re-visit their learning and share it with their parents during Family Fridays. For our classroom, these templates were an excellent way to start documenting our students and making observations of their learning. Our next steps will focus on more in depth pedagogical documentation of our inquiries and math problem solving experiences. These experiences are more difficult to squeeze into one photo and a single page template. For this reason, we will sometimes use the template above and sometimes create the story of learning using a word processing program. I hope that this gives you a starting point, and that it better explains our process for you. There will soon be an interview available about this via the ETFO kindergarten page as well. Feel free to make a comment on this blog post about your impressions of these books, as well as other questions that you may have. I would be happy to clarify them for you! Please note that these Portfolio/Documentation Books include moments of learning and observations. More pedagogical documentation in the form of inquiry binders and panels are also used around our classroom. Those are not per child, but rather for small groups of children or the whole class.
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By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. As someone who has been asked often to teach pedagogical documentation to students and professionals, I grapple with the process and all it entails. It is difficult to…
Meaningful observations: Examples of documented observations Moving from description to analysis To move beyond description to detailed analysis and interpretation of observation takes time and practice. It also involves developing a strong understanding of the influences that have an impact on teachers’ ways of seeing, interpreting and understanding children’s actions. Rich and effective observations are built on careful attention to both the practical skills involved in recording and the skills of critical self-reflection. Developing the practical recording skills of specificity, directness, mood and completeness helps teachers produce clear and easily understood observations. The quality and clarity of the observation is particularly important because teachers’ capacity to engage in critical self-reflection depends on effective observation with rich detail. Through critical self-reflection, teachers review their ways of observing and create new possibilities for seeing, interpreting and understanding children’s learning. Every teacher analyses and interprets what is observed in different ways based on their beliefs and assumptions about teaching and learning, the influence of their teaching experiences and the strong influences of their own childhoods. For example, some teachers may record an observation by describing what they see in a photograph or while observing children, focusing primarily on the physical elements. Others may attend to the social relationships between children, examine how children relate to objects, or use language that reflects their own feelings as they observe children’s interactions. There is no one way of observing that is "true" or objective, as every individual observes through the lens of their beliefs, experiences and perceptions. However, while observation is never a neutral process, it is essential to critically examine those influences that shape teachers’ ways of seeing and recognise the filters that limit what is seen and how it is interpreted. Annotated examples To illustrate the process of moving from description to analysis, three examples are provided of a teacher observation based on one experience in a kindergarten setting. The three examples demonstrate the difference between: • a simple description of what happened (Example 1) • a minimal attempt to interpret events (Example 2) • a detailed description of events with interpretation and analysis (Example 3). Example 3 clearly links observation, interpretation and analysis to future learning possibilities for children. Each example is shown first as a simple observation, with comments on its strengths and weaknesses; then as an observation with interpretation and analysis, again, with comments; then once more, as a basis for informed planning. This clearly demonstrates the value of having a rich observation to draw on. Focus questions As you read the examples; the following set of questions will help you to examine their quality. The questions will also assist teachers when developing their own observation records. Please consider the attention to detail, the depth of interpretation and the degree of critical reflection that is reflected in the examples. Observation • How clear is the observation? • Does it focus on significant learning? • Does the observation clearly identify the learning? • Does the observation provide specific details such as the date, time of day and length of time spent on the learning experience, the learning context in which the observation was made, the number of children and adults involved, and the type of materials and resources used? • Does it provide information about the non-verbal actions, expressions and gestures? Interpretation and analysis • Is it clear how the teacher arrived at this interpretation from the information in the observation? • Are clear links made to the kindergarten learning and development areas? • Has the teacher identified whether the learning is in a familiar or new situation and the level of support the child required? Learning possibilities • Do the learning possibilities relate to the observation and significant aspects of learning identified? • Will the learning possibilities help promote further learning in the targeted area and are they relevant to the child? After exploring the questions above, consider the critical questions in terms of your own observations. Critical questions • What is it about this scenario that drew my interest and why? • How do my assumptions about children’s social and cultural backgrounds shape what I observe or focus on, as well as how I interpret and record actions? • How does my social and cultural background influence what I see or don’t see? • What influences the ways that I prioritise and shape learning opportunities? Observation and documentation When you have photographs or artefacts of children’s work, you have a glimpse of the learning that may have taken place. When you include children’s voices and anecdotes you have the beginnings of a valuable observation. When you add interpretation and analysis of the learning taking place, you have substance. Observation with documentation is about substance. Examples: Observation Examples: Observation, interpretation and analysis Informed planning: learning possibilities and intentional teaching Reflection questions What aspects of your practice need further development so that: • observations are clear and focus on significant learning • interpretation and analysis align with the observation and make links to the kindergarten learning and development areas • there is evidence about whether learning occurred in a familiar or new situation, and what degree of support the child required • learning possibilities relate to the observation and significant aspects of learning • learning possibilities are relevant to the child and the related learning and development areas. Provided by the QKLG Professional Development Program
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One of the most important elements of Reggio-Inspired teaching is documentation. From experience, I know this can be one of the most intimidating pieces to implement. I want to share one example of a documentation panel I created along with my students in a first grade classroom. I want to share how I simplified this documentation […]
Transformational lessons don't just happen. They require planning, mindfulness, and a commitment to shift away from educational approaches of the past.
