Pedagogical documentation: Pedagogical documentation is a reflective process which is part of the Reggio Emilia approach. It has taken different forms but aims to make learning visible by collecting photos, videos, recordings, and artefacts in the classroom while encouraging children’s participation. The teachers analyze this documentation, often seeking input from children and families, and then present it in visual/textual form.

Learning story: Learning stories involve children in the process of documenting an event or occurrence in their everyday learning. Learning stories are shared with families who can then add their comments to the story. They are often used for the purposes of assessment.

Zone of proximal development: Vygotsky conceived of the zone of proximal development as the distance between what the learner can achieve independently and what they can achieve with support from an expert adult or peer.

Dynamic assessment: Dynamic assessments are formative assessments that measure what the child is capable of doing with the assistance of an expert adult or peer. That is, it focuses on their potential, emerging knowledge, and how they are able to use knowledge in new situations.

Mediated learning: Mediated learning is an interaction where the adult intentionally conveys a particular skill or meaning to the child and offers encouragement so the child will relate it to another idea or experience (Feuerstein and Lewis-Benham 2012). For example, focused conversation can be used to help children listen, focus, and ask questions. 

Scaffolding: Scaffolding is an instructional strategy in which the adult or expert peer provides temporary supports in order to allow the child to eventually use these skills and understandings independently (Wood, Bruner, and Ross 1976).