Digital Record Keeping
Joy and Pete have wide experience in the theoretical and practical aspects of digital record keeping. We have produced a booklet (see link to the left) called From Observation to Reflection, it has been the highest selling book of all time with Joy and Pete
The issues range from digital cameras, photo editing and selection, computers, printers, inks, cost of consumables, right through to producing journals and the children's own portfolio using well considered, linking and informative language.
Documentation with portfolios and journals
How can we move away from development tick the boxes checklists and towards accurate and sensitive recording of individual children’s development?
I have been working on what may be described as organic and emergent documentation. I began with a foundation that what we record either randomly or with purpose will reflect particular children’s interests and abilities as well as make known our own biases. From this foundation, I believe we have the material that makes it possible to reflect on a child development as well as our own viewpoints and involvement. Is it important that we itemise in photographic form each item of a standardised checklist so we can prove to others that we have considered all aspects of each child’s development?
No, I think that not only is this impossible, it is not a natural progression from our statements about individual children. I also understand that in most cases the photograph tells much of the story, our task is to also report the context, conversations and considered reflections about how we can encourage further exploration, value the child’s efforts and integrity, without labouring the point about which foot was used. I am not sure that we can use standardised methods or create a one size fits all model, instead I am interested in each practitioner developing ways to meet the challenges and to constantly search for and develop new creative answers to the question.
How can we create a daily journal that records the reality and reports on individual exploration as well as shared experiences without resorting to a kind of court reporting style? I acknowledge that it is not possible to document everything that happens in a day, our environments, experiences and interactions are so rich and varied that it is difficult to do them justice, I acknowledge that documentation takes creative energy, risk taking and a lot of time. Ethics and sensitivity are essential ingredients, so is a sense of what will interest and inform families as well as ways to record the development and exploration of ideas.
This last year I have been working on ways to incorporate ‘clouds’ [irregular shapes] that contain words like:
- Making links [referring to past events and the story so far]
- Provisions [ what materials, experiences and environments are we planning?]
- Observations [what is happening?]
- Reflections [what might be happening here and what can we do?]
- Projections [where might this idea lead?]
As well the ‘clouds’ I have been exploring ways to include small articles from the Curriculum Documents or other materials that are available to support our reflections and inform families. I am constantly trying to invent ways to stay out of the box-like constrictions of the past.
These two aspects are constantly under review, always changing, works in progress, never finished, never perfect, warts-and-all responses to the challenge.