The disposition to document: the lived experience of teachers who practice pedagogical documentation - a case of study

In recent years there has been a great deal of attention paid in early childhood settings to pedagogical documentation, a practice that has developed in the preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy. Following upon the devastation of World War II, educators, parents and children began working in this small city to reconstruct their society and to build an exemplary system of education for young children. This system has become known as the Reggio Emilia approach. A hallmark of the Reggio Emilia approach, pedagogical documentation, is a way of making visible the learning processes by which children and teachers work in early childhood centres. It may include anecdotal observations, children’s work, photographs, audio and video tape recordings, and children’s voiced ideas. An integral part of the documentation is the teacher’s reflective commentary. Pedagogical documentation can also be a focus for linking theory and practice. This qualitative instrumental case study involved looking at the personal qualities that have enabled three particular teachers located at an early childhood centre in Seattle, U.S.A., to embrace with enthusiasm the practice of pedagogical documentation. What are the lived experiences of these teachers? Do these teachers demonstrate particular attributes that foster “disposition to document”? Three teachers, along with two of the school’s parents, participated in a series of interviews which were analysed for significant themes. Subsequent conversations with the participants confirmed the initial themes I had drawn from the interview data. A relationship of reciprocity emerged - working with pedagogical documentation fostered dispositions that each teacher already had, while at the same time, these teachers were drawn to the Reggio Emilia approach because it resonated with them in an intuitive way. Pedagogical documentation demands a high level of intellectual commitment and a passionate engagement with one’s teaching. Parallels were also found between pedagogical documentation and phenomenological research.