#CLD419 Tech: Take 2

Vasiliki Rombos
Mar 14, 2017
3 min read

On March 8th, I found myself waiting for 4:00pm again as I anticipated another class Twitter chat, this time discussing Pedagogical Documentation. Our chat was specifically focused on the article Ethical Issues in Pedagogical Documentation: Representations of Children Through Digital Technology by Anne-Li Lingdren. The main ideas we discussed were how educators were documenting, what successful pedagogical documentation looked like, and ethical issues related to it.

Pedagogical Documentation is "the careful, iterative process of examining and responding to the interplay between learning, the educator’s pedagogical decisions, and the student’s role and voice in the learning" (Ontario, 2015). This means that the educator is constantly observing children, by adding definitions and explanations to their actions, and making connections between their activities and their life.

The first theme covered was the difference in how educators were documenting in their settings, and whether educators would ever fully go paperless. While many educators have fully switched over to using applications, and others remain to use more traditional methods, the content of the document is what determines if it is pedagogical, not how it is presented. Based on the tweets and threads I was reading, one thing was clear, although digital technology is beneficial to capture and record children during their learning, without interpretation or connections, the content is made less valuable.

Image free from Wix (2017)

Photographing and recording children completing activities is a great way to share their day with parents and show them how their child is progressing. However, a second issue that arose during the Twitter chat about ethics, gave another perspective on this seemingly simple action. A large part of pedagogical documentation is the role that the student plays in their learning. This includes allowing themselves to be photographed and featured in classroom documentation. Although pedagogical documentation is described as "a method that makes it possible to see more and particularly to see the child" (Lindgren, 2012) this does not necessarily mean photographs of the child. It refers to seeing different perspectives on the child's actions. If a child wishes to not be included in photographs, the educator must respect their decision as they play a crucial role in their own learning. Instead, educators can ask to photograph their activity, still giving children that opportunity to reflect on what they did at that time, while also respecting their choices.

Image free from Wix (2017)

The documentation style that educators use often reflects how much time they have to make and complete their observations in their setting. When I brought up the question in the Twitter chat, it elicited 11 responses, with the mutual agreement that educators are not allotted enough time for documentation. As one of the most important roles that an educator takes on when they care for young children, documentation is vital in tracking children's development, and understanding how they are progressing and growing. Without enough time for documentation, educators will not be able to create thorough and well-detailed pedagogical observations.

By 5:00pm another great learning experience had come to an end, but I signed off with more knowledge than I had started with, and that's what Twitter chats are all about!