Pedagogical Documentation as a Tool of Teacher Research: Two Teachers’ Experiences

• In Event: Roundtable Session 25
  In Roundtable Session: Teacher Research: The Role of Inquiry in the Elementary Classroom

Abstract

This paper documents our experiences as a classroom teacher and lead teacher as we investigate and develop our practice of pedagogical documentation, a tool of teacher research in the Reggio Emilia municipal schools in Italy. We reveal how we changed our practice of documentation from a display of student work to one of examining and analyzing student learning through an on-going, iterative process of data collection, review, analysis and curriculum planning. We learned that using documentation in this way promotes a deeper understanding of student learning, aids in assessment and encourages and supports research into our practice.

Authors

• Amanda Humphreys, The Bishop Strachan School

• Shelley van Benschop, The Bishop Strachan School