“Documenting the evidence of learning is the most important aspect of assessment in Kindergarten and is, indeed, an integral part of all assessment approaches. (Growing Success – The Kindergarten Addendum, 2016, p. 8) The term “pedagogical documentation” is currently used to refer to the process of gathering and analysing a wide range of evidence of a child’s thinking and learning over time and using the insights gained to make the child’s thinking and learning visible to the child and the child’s family. The process enables educators to support further learning for each child in the most effective way possible. Information about children’s learning is gathered from observations, notes, photos, videos, voice recordings, work samples, and interactions with children. That information, or evidence of learning, is analysed and interpreted by the educators in collaboration with the children and their parents or other family members to gain insights into the children’s learning paths and processes. The insights gained are the basis for determining next steps in the child’s learning. The monograph “Pedagogical Documentation”, in the ministry’s Capacity
Building Series, cites educational research in describing the benefits of reviewing and analysing evidence of learning:
One of the greatest predictors of new learning is prior knowledge and understanding. William (2011) outlines how educators can harness this predictive power by eliciting and interpreting evidence of students’ thinking. He suggests that assessing student learning [to support] instruction has proven to have “unprecedented power to increase student engagement and to improve learning outcomes” [p. 13]. Other researchers support this claim. Earl and Hannay (2011) suggest that through the rigorous use of evidence of student learning … educators are becoming “knowledge leaders”, pushing our understanding of teaching and learning to the frontiers of innovation [p. 191]. (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2012, p. 1) (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010, p. 36)
“The educators use their observations and documentation of the children’s thinking and learning to seek multiple perspectives – including those of the children themselves, the parents and other family members, and colleagues. The information gleaned from these various perspectives can provide greater insight into the children’s thinking and learning, enabling the educators to make the kinds of connections and pose the kinds of questions and prompts that will most effectively support and extend the children’s learning.” (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010, p. 24)
As children move naturally from noticing and wondering about the objects and occurrences around them to exploring, observing, and questioning in a more focused way, the educators document their thinking, what they are wondering about, their theories, and the ideas that pique their interest. They interpret and analyse the documentation to support their own inquiry and learning about how the children learn. Their analysis, which focuses on how the children’s thinking and learning relates to the overall expectations, informs the choices educators will make about how to further challenge and extend the children’s thinking and learning. It also serves as a guide to the level and type of support each child needs. The educators’ documentation and analysis make children’s thinking and learning visible and inform the path that educators take to support individual children’s learning. (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010, p. 25)
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2010). Growing success: Assessment, evaluation, and reporting in Ontario schools (First edition, covering Grades 1 to 12). Queen’s Printer for Ontario. https://www.ontario.ca/document/growing-success-assessment-evaluation-and-reporting-ontario-schools