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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
  1. How can pedagogical documentation be a learning process?
     1. Check your understanding
     2. Extend your understanding
     3. Apply your understanding
  2. How do teachers learn to document, and what does pedagogical documentation look like in classrooms?
     1. Check your understanding
     2. Extend your understanding
     3. Apply your understanding
  3. How does pedagogical documentation challenge the dominant discourse?
     1. Check your understanding
     2. Extend your understanding
     3. Apply your understanding
  Resources
Chapter 10

3. Apply your understanding

1. Reflect on the experiences and interactions you have had with young children in relation to the content in this chapter and in chapter two (Children as Citizens). What are some ways in which children might signal that they are comfortable with being observed or having their learning documented? What are some signs that they might feel uncomfortable with being observed? Are there any other ethical considerations you would need to take into account when engaging in these forms of teacher research? How do you respect children’s rights?

2. The tools and technologies used to observe children have changed substantially over the past 100 years. Reflect on your own lifetime—what new technologies have been introduced or how have old technologies been improved? Research apps and technologies that might be used in the classroom to facilitate observation, documentation, and the sharing of documentation with children and families. Are there some that would allow children to participate in these activities?

3. If your course has a field component where you have the opportunity to work with or observe young children, you may be able to practise some of the skills introduced in the chapter. Keeping in mind ethical considerations and the rights of the child to refuse to participate, complete a running record observation of a single child during play. You can also use an online video that has been recorded specifically for this purpose. Write (or type) everything you see the child doing and hear the child saying for about 15-20 minutes. If you are new to observation, you might find you have to observe for two minutes, then write, and go back to observing.

Once you have finished, go back to fill in details you might have missed. Then review your notes carefully. Assess which statements are strictly descriptions of the child’s actions and which are not. Separate the description from your own interpretations of the behaviour. Add to your interpretations based on your learning in the course and using the asset-based questions outlined in “Extend Your Learning”. 

You might also try out some of the different observation recording methods introduced in this companion. Practicing the skill of observation before you are the teacher in a busy classroom hones your ability to see and better understand children’s learning and their varied developmental assets.