Obstacles, of Course

Pedagogical Documentation: Module 2

eJournal

Welcome to your eJournal for the second module of our three-part Pedagogical Documentation online course. The eJournal is your place to record thoughts and reflections as you navigate through the segments.

Let’s review some of the language that we began thinking about in the first module. You will hear these same terms in this module and in the one that follows.

In the first module we focused much of our discussion around “knowing our learners” and thinking about the “whole child.”
We challenged ourselves to view learning differently by removing our “assessment hats.”
We wondered how our understanding of the students we teach would be changed if we took the time to become “kid-watchers” or, to be more formal, “teachers as researchers.”

Take a few moments to review the terms listed below and consider how your understanding of them may have shifted.

Pedagogical Documentation Terms

Knowing the learner

The whole child

Documenting learning

Observation

Teacher as researcher

Reflective practice

Inquiry

Module 2 Guiding Questions and Goals

The overall focus or question of this module is “how to do” pedagogical documentation. The second related question focuses on how “doing” pedagogical documentation can change your practice.

Module 2 Questions

1.How do you “do” pedagogical documentation?

2.How might your practice evolve, and what might it look like?

Based on these guiding questions, we have two broad learning goals. The first is understanding learning through multiple lenses. To do this effectively we need to focus on the role of teacher as researcher. As teacher researchers we observe our classrooms, our students, and our students’ learning all with questions in mind.

Our second goal—to practise observing, analyzing, interpreting, and responding with a different view—asks us to undertake this work as free from bias as possible.

Module 2 Goals

1.Understand learning through multiple lenses

2.Practise observing, analyzing, interpreting, and responding with a different view

Before we begin, we would like you to revisit and record any changes in your personal learning goals for taking this course.

My learning goals for this course are

Module 2 Table of Contents

Screen / Description
1 / Accessibility information
2 / Welcome and Module 2 goals
3 / Review of Module 1 key terms and concepts
4 / Two key questions: Understanding techniques and evolution of pedagogical documentation
5 / Module 2 goals
6 / Question 1: How do you “do” pedagogical documentation?
7 / Reflection on Module 1 activity
8 / Activity: Mapping your thoughts on teaching and inquiry
9 / Introducing Pat Tarr
10 / Supporting article: Pat Tarr (author)
Curiosity, Curriculum and Collaboration Entwined: Reflections on Pedagogical Documentation
11 / Supporting quotation: John Dewey (1998)
12 / Six actions (recursive) of pedagogical documentation
13 / Six actions (con’t)
14–15 / Stage 1: Observe and Listen (supporting video)
16–17 / Stage 2: Describe and Name the Learning (supporting video)
18 / Stage 3: Interpret and Analyze What we Saw and Heard
19 / Stage 4: Develop Hypotheses and Draw Conclusions
20 / Introduction of Question 2
21 / Question 2: How might your practice evolve, and what might it look like?
22 / Stage 5: Reflect and Respond and Stage 6: Share the Documentation
23 / Supporting video: Tamara and Kerri (FDK)
Studying Co-Constructed Negotiated Learning: Spiral Story
24 / Reflection: Thinking lenses
25 / Supporting quotation: John Dewey (1998)
26 / Activity Between Modules: Selecting a student to document
27 / Introduction to questions
28–32 / Check Your Understanding: Questions 1 to 5
33 / Request for feedback
34 / Citation of sources
35 / Closing sequence

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.

Between Modules Reflection

Between Modules 1 and 2, you took some time to observe a particular student you were wondering about.You reflected on your observation experience with these questions in mind.

Observation Questions

1.What surprised you?

2.What did you notice?

3.What are you wondering about?

4.How does this knowledge change your learning plan for this student?

These activities reflect part of the process of pedagogical documentation: observing and documenting learning from the position of a teacher-researcher, rather than a teacher-assessor.

Expanding the lens that we use when we view students engaged in the learning process changes our understanding of what it means to be a learner and a teacher.

A View of Learners

In Module 1, you studied and discussed with colleagues the following quote about how we view children. Please revisit and reflect on this quote before working on the activity on the next page.

We view children as competent, capable of complex thinking, curious and rich in potential. They grow up in families with diverse social, cultural and linguistic perspectives. Every child should feel that he or she belongs, is a valuable contributor to his or her surroundings, and deserves the opportunity to succeed. When we recognize children as capable and curious, we are more likely to deliver programs and services that value and build on their strengths and abilities.
— Early Years Policy Framework (2013), Ontario Ministry of Education

Questions

1.How does your image of the child influence the way you “look at learning”?

2.How does it influence the way you “listen to children”?

Teaching from an Inquiry Stance

The graphic below depicts teaching from an inquiry stance. Take a few moments to map the experiences and thoughts you had while observing your student. When finished, take a few minutes to debrief the experience with your partner. If you are working on your own, jot some notes in your eJournal.

A Holistic Perspective

Pat Tarr is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Calgary. Her current research supports educators who are using pedagogical documentation. She has published a number of articles that have established her as a leading researcher in this area.

One of her articles, “Curiosity, Curriculum and Collaboration Entwined: Reflections on Pedagogical Documentation,” will cause you to think more about the complexity of the work you are doing.

Please access the article by clicking the link on Screen 10 in the online module.

Read the article, and then to take a few minutes to consider the questions below. Or perhaps the article has raised other questions and wonderings. Discuss them with your partner and/or write some notes in your eJournal.

Questions

1.What lenses do you bring to pedagogical documentation?

2.Why is collaboration essential to pedagogical documentation?

Key Actions of Pedagogical Documentation

Throughout the first module and to this point in this module, we have talked about the importance of observing and documenting the learning process through the use of visible records such as photos, videos, audio files, and student drawings and writing. Take a few minutes to read the quote below.

Only after considerable analysis of what the documentation reveals, in terms of children’s theories, understandings and misunderstandings, will teachers be in a position to formulate hypotheses, predictions and projections about future learning experiences that have continuity with children’s current thinking, and that will challenge and engage a particular group of learners at a particular time and place.
— John Dewey (1998)

Some of the key actions of pedagogical documentation are mentioned in this quote:

analysis
formulate hypotheses
predict
project

We will revisit this quote later to determine other aspects of pedagogical documentation.

The How-to Aspects of the Process

The actions involved in pedagogical documentation are:

1.Observe and Listen: We make decisions about what we want to observe and listen to. We understand why we have made these decisions (we have questions and wonderings about this particular student or students that we want to answer).

As we observe and listen, we may find ourselves questioning or making comments to students during our observations. These interactions or“talk moves” should be intentional—to find out more about what the student is thinking. Every time we interject, we change the learning process. That is why it is important to record our intervention into the learning.

2.Describe and Name the Learning: We do our best to describe the learning without making assumptions and judgments. We simply try to describe what we see and what we hear in this encounter. Note that “naming the learning” is a challenging task. As classroom educators, we naturally tend to assess the learning or the actions of the learner. Our beliefs and assumptions can often cloud the pure description that is the foundation of this action of pedagogical documentation.

3.Interpret and Analyze What We Saw and Heard:Once we have described the learning we can begin to interpret and analyze it.

4.Hypothesize and Draw Conclusions:Begin to draw some conclusions about what we have seen and heard. If we have intervened in the learning we have the opportunity to analyze our own actions and how they impact on student learning and thinking.

5.Reflect and Respond: Reflecting on our documentation prevents us from “jumping to conclusions” and allows us to respond thoughtfully to the learning that we have documented.

6.Share the Documentation: By sharing our documentation with others—colleagues, students, parents—we can open up our own view of learning to discover new perspectives and possibly new ways to respond to the learning.

Although these actions are presented in a linear format and we have referred to them as stages,the process itself is very iterative. 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,” and revisit a piece of documentation to look at the learning from another point of view or with a different lens. For example, you may question your interpretation and choose to revisit a piece of documentation with a colleague. Or you may wish to revisit the documentation with a student to gain insight into their perspective on the learning.

(cont’d)

The graphic on the next page summarizes the process. Take a few moments to review the graphic and think about some of the actions that are involved in pedagogical documentation and your own practice. What would you consider changing or modifying?

Discuss your thoughts with your partner and/or write some notes in your eJournal or both.

Pedagogical Documentation in Action

Video-Viewing Activity: The Process of Pedagogical Documentation, Stage 1

Take some time now to view a videoclip of three students in a Kindergarten classroom. To engage fully in this activity you will need to work with a partner.

This video-viewing activity is broken up to followthe actions of pedagogical documentation. The questions included with each action serve as a guide. Please feel free to modify the questions to make them work for you, or to pose your own questions.

A final note: you can view the video as many times as you want. There isn’t a limit to the number of times you can view documentation. In many cases, you will find yourself reviewing a video to watch specific portions to confirm or question your observations, descriptions, interpretations, and reflections.

Please access the videoby clicking the link on Screen 14 in the online module.

1.Observe and Listen

1.View the video once to get a sense of the learning experience.

2.With your partner select one student who you will observe.

3.Observe and record as much as you can about the student.

Video-Viewing Activity: The Process of Pedagogical Documentation, Stage 2

Now that you have observed a student, you will engage in the second action of the process—describing and naming the learning.

We often want to skip this part and move right to interpretation and analysis, but as teacher-researchers it’s critical that we take the time to describe what we are seeing and hearing.

Take 10 minutes after watching the video again to discuss and compare your description of learning with your partner.

2.Describe and Name the Learning

1.What is the student saying, doing, and representing?

2.What do you notice about the student’s learning?

Video-Viewing Activity: The Process of Pedagogical Documentation, Stage 3

The third action of the process is interpreting and analyzing what we saw and heard.

This video clip is challenging because the lack of verbal interaction forces us to rely on our powers of observation. On the plus side, the fact that we don’t know these students helps us to approach the video with an open mind.

Select two or three of the questions below and take 10 minutes to discuss with your partner. If it isn’t possible for you to work with a partner, select a similar number of questions and record your responses in your eJournal.

3. Interpret and Analyze What We Saw and Heard

1.What does this documentation reveal about the student’s ideas, interests, feelings, opinions, and theories?

2.Does the student have any working theories, assumptions, misconceptions?

3.What does it show about the environment and how it affects behaviour, interactions, and relationships?

4.What does it reveal about the student’s strengths and abilities?

5.What do you think the student has learned previously? What evidence supports your theory?

6.What do you think the student is learning from this experience? Why do you think this?

7.What surprised you?

Video-Viewing Activity: The Process of Pedagogical Documentation, Stage 4

Reflect on the discussion you had as you interpreted and analyzed the video documentation.

As partners, consider the following questions and record your responses in your eJournal. If you are not working with a partner, make notes in your eJournal.

4. Develop Hypotheses and Draw Conclusions

1.What do we think the evidence is telling us? About the learning? About teaching?

2.What assumptions can we make?

3.What is missing? What more do we need to learn?

Video-Viewing Activity: The Process of Pedagogical Documentation, Stage 5

When we reflect upon and respond to documentation that we have collected, we are thinking about Question 2 of the module: How might your practice evolve, and what might it look like? As we move into the next action of sharing the documentation, we continue to explore this question.

As a wrap-up to this activity, discuss these final questions with your partner. If you are working on your own, complete a reflection of the activity and your primary take-aways.

5. Reflect and Respond

1.How does this documentation cause us to think differently about the student’s thinking, the environment, the learning materials, our teaching?

2.What could be the next steps for learning and for teaching?

3.Who could we share this documentation with? Why?

Video-Viewing Activity: The Process of Pedagogical Documentation, Stage 6

The final part of our pedagogical documentation process focuses on sharing the documentation—with colleagues, with students, or with parents.

6. Share the Documentation

For the purposes of this activity, we would only ask that you consider the potential audience for this piece of documentation.

How Can Looking at Learning Through Multiple Lenses Benefit Our Practice?

Kerri and Tamara are partners working together in a full-day Kindergarten in Northern Ontario. In their classroom, Junior Kindergarten and Senior Kindergarten students work together in an inquiry- and play-based environment

In this video, Kerri and Tamara share some of their insights and learning around how documentation has allowed them to co-construct learning, make changes to their environment in response to student voice, and think differently about inquiry, moving from the simple to the complex.

Click the link below to access the video on the Ontario Ministry of Education’s Student Achievement Division website. Scroll down the webpage to find the video.

Studying Co-Constructed Negotiated Learning: Spiral Story

Reflecting on Tamara and Kerri’s experience, consider these questions with a partner. If you are working on your own, select one or two questions. “Map” your current practice and consider how you might make changes. For example, you might want to use a thinking frame like this:I used to do (think) this…now I am doing (thinking) this…but after viewing this video, I am wondering about doing this…

A Thinking Lens to Guide the Discussion

1.How can we be open to the unexpected as we observe and listen to students?

2.What are the different lenses that we might use as we observe and listen to students?

3.How does the lens we use influence what we “see” and “hear”?

Dewey’s Quote Revisited

Let’s revisit Dewey’s quote on documentation. Where our process departs is the continued focus on reflecting and sharing documentation.

What this quote illustrates, and what we touched on in Module 1, are the long roots of the philosophy of pedagogical documentation on multiple continents. This speaks to its enduring power to enrich learning in the classroom for both students and teachers.

Between Modules: Some Activities