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A parent eyes something on the wall in the hallway near her child's classroom. She stops and looks across the entire wall, as if trying to determine where to start. She moves to the left a bit and scans the bulletin board posted farther down. At one point she nods as if in agreement and mouths a yes. Another parent approaches and turns to see what is on the wall. He too is mesmerized by the documentation of what one child discovered about pussy willows by using an I-scope lens.
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS might ask, "What is documentation?" or "Is this documentation?" They sometimes wonder, "Can my bulletin board be documentation?"
What is documentation?
Knowing what is documentation is the first stage of understanding the process. Katz and Chard offer this explanation: "Documentation typically includes samples of a child's work at several different stages of completion: photographs showing work in progress; comments written by the teacher or other adults working with the children; transcriptions of children's discussions, comments, and explanations of intentions about the activity; and comments made by parents" (1996, 2).
Effective communication
An effective piece of documentation tells the story and the purpose of an event, experience, or development. It is a product that draws others into the experience-evidence or artifacts that describe a situation, tell a story, and help the viewer to understand the purpose of the action.
When used effectively, consistently, and thoughtfully, documentation can also drive curriculum and collaboration in the early childhood classroom setting.
Formats that work
A bulletin board can be a form of documentation, but there are any number of other possible formats, including a presentation board containing documentation artifacts and/ or evidence (documentation panels), class books, portfolios, slide shows, movies, and other creative products.
The format that documentation takes can be as varied as the creator's mind permits. Because documentation should provide evidence of a process with a purpose, whatever the format, it should fully explain the process, highlighting various aspects of the experience or event.
Audience and purposes
Successful documentation formats reflect the intended audience and purposes. In addition, the format selected will depend on the individual preparing the documentation and how the children are involved in the experience.
For example, if one teacher...