Teacher Documentation and It's Benefits in Early Childhood Education

Ink on paper is as beautiful to me as flowers on the mountains; 

God composes, why shouldn't we? 

~Terri Guillemets

I can remember when I used to take my drawing to my dad as a little girl. He used to stop whatever he was doing; ask me about it, gush over it and write down whatever I said…word for word.

As an early childhood education there are disagreements about how much or how often to praise. Praise vs encouragement, rewarding behavior, etc.
As a little girl I remember the time my father gave me. I wonder if preschooler remember that when we take the time to document their work?
Documentation and various transcripts of children’s words and discussions, photographs of children engaged in activities, play and representations of their thinking and learning using many medias are arranged are often arranged on the walls of the preschool classroom to document children’s work. All in all, it makes for a very print rich and personalized preschool environment.
Benefits of documentation can include:

• Making families aware of children’s experiences
• Maintaining parent involvement
• Allowing for teachers to understand children better
• Evaluating children’s work
• Providing a venue for children to recall and value their own work and the process of that work
• Facilitated communication and exchange ideas among educators.

-Facilitation of an overall sense of community, social development, and personal awareness and development for the child and among his or her peers.
I enjoy the personal time I get with the children when I document. I do consider it a bonding experience. It has helped me become a better listener, friend, and helped me to understand my children and even myself better.
What I have found is that what I am seeing in them, I see in myself…..
We are all growing and learning together.
That's something I not only love to document, but write about....
How about you? What do you really love to write about?