Documentation with a purpose

Why do so many of us find managing documentation so challenging?

Since the introduction of the National Quality Framework (NQF) in 2012, the education and care sector has grappled with finding a way to document children’s learning and the educational program in line with the expectations and requirements of the NQF. The introduction of both national learning frameworks and legislative and quality standards has led to a shift in how documentation is viewed and enacted.

The intention of these national policies has always been to set a benchmark and create consistency in approaches. Unfortunately, an unintended consequence has been to shift the focus from documentation as a pedagogical practice to a view of documentation as a compliance requirement that is directly tied to an assessment and rating result. Prioritising approaches that have been seen to ‘meet’ or ‘exceed’ requirements as opposed to building a rich picture of what children know, understand and making learning visible to families and the broader community.

Changes to initial training for teachers and educators has also led to new graduates and educators underprepared to understand and apply many contemporary early child practices and operate confidently within the requirements of the NQF. Overarching organisational standardisation has also contributed to the stifling of rich high-quality, collaborative pedagogical documentation.

A key underlying issue that threads through all of these bigger picture issues comes down to a much more micro level of an eroding of confidence and knowledge in:

• what is actually required
• the components of pedagogical documentation, emergent curriculum and other contemporary practices
• the professional confidence to challenge the status quo and find a way to document with purpose.

So how do we find our way back to meaningful, efficient pedagogical documentation? This article is intended to guide readers through that process.

Unpacking pedagogical documentation

So, what exactly is pedagogical documentation? It is an approach that is ‘more than recording events – it is a means to learning about how children think and learn’ or a ‘process to explore all of our questions about children’ and even a ‘way of listening to children that helps us to learn about children during the course of their experiences and to make the learning visible to others for interpretation’ (Pedagogical Documentation: Why? When? Who? What? Where? How?).

In essence it is key part of our professional practice in identifying and planning for children’s learning. Imagine if we shifted our focus of trying to record things so we are compliant or meeting the requirements to recording information to better understand children and how we can progress their learning. Including building a broad base of their funds of knowledge, their learning styles and preferences and planning inquiry-based projects and learning environments in response to what they want to know more about, skills they are practicing and positive dispositions for learning.

Start with knowing what’s required

A very helpful tip for anyone wanting to make changes and build confidence in doing something in a regulated space is know well what is actually required. This is tricky for education and care services in Australia as the information is spread across multiple policy documents. There are 3 places to look for in terms of guidance on what documentation (in terms of the educational program) is required. Including the:

• approved learning frameworks
• National Law and National Regulations
• National Quality Standard, Quality area 1.

The advice is very broad, high level and never prescriptive in terms of methods of documentation and actual numbers of records. Here is a very high-level summary across all 3:

• The educational program based on and delivered in line with the learning frameworks
• There must be a written program including contents and operation
• Educators are required to document child assessments and evaluation of learning and development in relation to the learning outcomes
• Assessment and planning is cyclical and critical reflection for individuals and groups drives the program.
• Families are informed about the program and their child’s participation and progress.

This content is covered in more detail in the Educational program and practice guidance course

Focus on recording learning and our plans for teaching

Sometimes we can get sidetracked with methods that don’t necessarily serve our purpose well or in fact meet the requirements. So now that we know what is required, it is clear that there is a strong focus on documenting learning that has happened and the teaching planned to progress learning. A really good next step is to take a good look at what we currently recording and critically reflect on whether the learning is visible.

Why not take some time as a team to review samples of your documentation and analyse it in terms of:

• Is the learning evident?
• Does it map to the learning outcomes?
• Are we planning for learning or activities and interests?
• Do we rely on photos without any context, annotations or analysis?

What if we prioritised quality over quantity and formats?

One of the things that goes hand in hand with high-quality pedagogical documentation is letting go of numbers and specific formats to just simply focusing on writing meaningful information that is all about learning. Trusting in yourself or your team of educators if you are a leader, to prioritise collaboration with colleagues and connecting with families to interpret, analyse and record what you have observed and what you think it tells you about children’s thinking and potential learning pathways.

Finding ways that are effective and efficient ways to do this may mean steeping away from a set quota or focus children and letting go of onerous practices such as learning stories or daily photo sharing. Involving the children and documenting with children can also make the process feel more natural and achievable. It also benefits children as they become aware of connected with their own learning progress and effective strategies to solve problems and overcome challenges.

Support to improve

We hope you found this article of interest and maybe have a fresh new perspective on documenting with purpose and connection to your pedagogy. the start of the year and helped you to prioritise what is important. If you would like to know more, check out our resources to support you to implement high-quality programs and practices.