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ResearchTeamMembers:P.I:RosieFlewittUCLInstituteofEducationCo-I:DrKateCowanUCLInstituteofEducationGrantprogramme:OpenCallResearchGrantGrantamount:£34,351Projectstartdate:18/09/2017Projectenddate:18/09/2018(withno-costextensionto31/01/2019)

PROJECTDETAILS

ValuingYoungChildren’sSignsofLearning:ObservationandDigitalDocumentationofPlayinEarlyYearsClassrooms

TheFroebelTrustFinalResearchReport

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ProjectsummaryObservationsofplayinearlychildhoodeducationhavetypicallybeendocumentedinpaper-basedformats(e.g.scrapbooks,writtennotes,printedphotographs)aspartofassessmentpractices.However,thereisagrowingtrendinearlychildhoodeducationtowardsusingcommercialsoftwaretorecordlearningindigitalformats,wherevideo,audio,photographsandwritingcanbecombined.Thesemulti-mediaformsof‘digitaldocumentation’offernewpossibilitiestorecognise,representandvaluechildren’smultiplesignsoflearninginnewways,andtosharethesenarrativeswithparentsandchildren.Yetthereislittleresearch-basedguidanceondigitaldocumentation,soearlyeducationassessmentpracticesruntheriskofbeingguidedbycommercialdriversratherthanbychild-centredlearningtheories.Inthisstudy,weworkedwitheducatorstodevelopanearlychildhoodpedagogyofobservation,documentationandassessmentthatbringsFroebelianprinciplesofthe‘uniquenessofeverychild’scapacityandpotential’and‘holisticnatureofdevelopment’todocumentationpracticesincontemporaryearlyyearssettings.Fieldworkincludedcasestudiesofchildrenaged3-5yearslivingwithdisadvantageand/orintheearlystagesoflearningEnglishinthreediversemulticulturalearlyyearssettingsinLondon.Thestudydesignwasframedbyamultimodalsocialsemioticperspectiveonlearning(Kress2010)andanethnographicapproachtosocialscienceenquiry.Datagenerationincludedvideorecordings,examplesofdocumentationofchildren’slearning,interviewswitheducators,parentquestionnairesandvideo-prompteddiscussionswithchildren.Thematicandfine-grainedmultimodalanalysisofvideoextractsresultedinrichfindingsregardingtheopportunitiesandconstraintsofdifferentapproachesusedbytheparticipatingsettingsintheirobservationanddocumentationofyoungchildren’slearning.

KeyFindings

a. Earlychildhoodeducationsettingshavediverseapproachestoobservinganddocumentingchildren’slearning,dependingonwhoandwhatthedocumentationisfor,andthisislinkedtoeachsetting’sethos;

b. PractitionersfoundithardertoobserveanddocumentchildrenwhodidnotcommunicateconfidentlyinEnglish,whospentextendedperiodsplayingoutside/inphysicalplay,andwhodidnotseekoutadultinteractionorproducethingsthatactedastracesoftheirlearning(e.g.drawings,paintings).Thishighlightedcharacteristicsofchildrenwhose‘signsoflearning’aremorelikelytogounnoticed;

c. Practitionersvaluedobservationanddocumentationaspartoftheirchild-centredpedagogy,yetfeltthiswasintensionwiththesummativeassessmentrequirementsoftheEYFSnationalcurriculum;

d. Parentsappreciateddocumentationoftheirchildren’slearning,andfounddigitaldocumentationmoreaccessiblethanpaper-basedformats.Parentperspectivesontheirchild’sdocumentationaddedvaluableinsightsfor

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practitioners,yetmostparentsdidnotcontributetotheirchildren’sdocumentation,irrespectiveoftheformat;

e. Childrenenjoyedreviewingandsharingtheirdocumentation,andthispromptedmetacognitivereflectionontheirownlearning.However,mostdigitaldocumentationsoftwareisdesignedforadultuseanddoesnotcurrentlyfacilitatechildren’sindependentaccessorcontributiontotheirowndocumentation;

f. Videowasidentifiedashavingvaluablepotentialforobservinganddocumentingchildren’splay,givingvaluetoaspectsofplaythatmightotherwisebeoverlooked,forsupportingreflection,andforlettingparentsandchildrenknowthatplayisvalued;

g. Videoobservationsanddocumentationpresentedchallenges:timeneededtorecordandre-watchmaterial;impactofdigitaldevicesoninteractionswithchildren;thedigitaldocumentationsoftwaredesigncreatingtensionswithenquiry-basedapproachestoearlylearning;

h. Theparticipatoryresearchdesignofthisstudysupportedpractitionerstoreflectcriticallyontheirownpractice,addresschallenges,andcreativelyimplementchangesrelatingtotheuseofdigitaltoolsandtheembeddingofcoreFroebelianprinciplesintheirobservationanddocumentationpractices.

NextStepsOurplanstotakeforwardthefindingsofthisvaluableandoriginalstudyfocusontheneedtopromoteassessmentpracticesinearlychildhoodeducationthatrecognizeandmorefullycapturetheholisticnatureofdevelopmentandeverychild’suniquecapacityandpotential.Nextstepstowardsachievingthisinclude:

1. Raisingawarenessoftheneedtorecognizeandvaluechildren’ssilentsignsoflearning,whichmaybehardtoobserveanddocumentandareoftenoverlooked;

2. Exploringthepotentialsofdigitaldocumentationforcriticalreflectiononlearning,includingusingvideoasatoolforpromptingchildren’sownrecall;

3. Supportingearlyeducatorstofindwaystoincludeparentsandchildrenindocumentationprocesses;

4. Workingwithdigitalsoftwaredesignerstoexploremoreaccessible,child-friendlydocumentationinterfacesthatsupportthedocumentationofenquiry-basedlearning,andproactivelyencourageparentalcontributions;

5. Developinganinternationalnetworkforresearchonearlyyearsdigitaldocumentation.

Theseaimswillbeachievedthroughongoingactivity,including:adisseminationeventthatbringstogetherpractitioners,academicsandsoftwaredesignerstosharekeyresearchfindingsandconsiderpotentialforchange(London,UK,January2019);presentationoffindingsatleadinginternationaleducationresearchconferences;publicationofacademicandpractitioner-orientedpaperstopromotethevalueforeducators,parentsandchildrenofobservationanddocumentationprocessesthat

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recognizeandvaluechildren’ssilentsignsoflearning;ongoingliaisonwithdigitalsoftwaredesigners;foundinganinternationalnetworkthatbringstogetherlike-mindedacademicsandpractitionerswhoshareacommitmenttoimprovingearlychildhoodeducationobservationanddocumentation.

ProgressTowardsAchievingTheseObjectivesInterimfindingswerepresentedattheInternationalFroebelSocietyConference(Hiroshima,Japan.September2018).FindingsandrecommendationswillbesharedattheReconceptualisingEarlyChildhoodLiteraciesConference(Manchester,UK.March2019.Paperaccepted),theAmericanEducationalResearchAssociationAnnualMeeting(Toronto,Canada.April2019.Paperaccepted)andtheUKLiteracyAssociationAnnualConference(Sheffield,UK.July2019.Papersubmitted).Thefindingswillbereportedin:CowanandFlewitt‘Towardsvaluingchildren’slearning’.InC.CameronandP.Moss(forthcoming)(Eds.)EarlyChildhoodEducationandCareinEngland:TowardsTransformativeChange.UCLIOEPress.CowanandFlewittarefoundermembersoftherecentlyformed,internationalnetwork:ResearchonEarlyChildhoodDigitalDocumentation(REDD),incollaborationwithresearchersattheUniversityofAgder(Norway)andtheUniversityofHelsinki(Finland).Asfounders,CowanandFlewittplantotakeforwardtheresearchfindingsthroughcomparisonsofinternationalpractice,fosteringjointpublicationsandsymposia,anddevelopingproposalsforfutureresearchprojects.

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IntroductiontotheProjectManyearlyyearsandprimaryclassroomsinEngland,aselsewhereintheworld,arepopulatedbyanincreasingnumberofyoungchildrenwhoarelivingwithdisadvantage,childrenfromethnicandlinguisticminoritybackgroundsand/orrecentlyimmigratedchildrenwhoareintheearlystagesofadjustingtolifeinanewcountry.Whilstthisphenomenonreflectstheriseinglobalmobilityandaddsrichdiversitytotheearlyyearsclassroom,italsopresentsprofoundchallengesforearlyeducatorsregardinghowtorecogniseandvalueallchildren’softensubtle‘signsoflearning’.Recognisinglearningisparticularlycomplexsincelearningtakesmanyanddiverseforms,consistingofcombinationsofvisual,audibleandtangiblesigns(e.g.drawing,model-making,dance,storytelling,role-play),alongwithlesstangibleexpressionsofmeaning-making(e.g.children’softensilentnegotiationofsocialinteractionand/orcreativethinking,wherevisiblesignsoflearninganddecision-makingmaybeexpressedmoreephemerallythroughaction).However,suchsignsoflearningmayalltooreadilybeoverlookedordismissedwithouteducationalapproachesthatrevealandsupportthediversecontributionsandcapacitiesofalllearners,inmultipleforms.

Recognisingandvaluingallchildren’sdiversesignsoflearningisparticularlychallengingforpractitionerswhoareworkingwithintheconstraintsofaneducationalclimatewhereafocusonmeasuring‘standards’assumes‘homogeneityandstabilityrepresentthenorm’(CreeseandBlackledge,2015,p.20).InEngland,asinmanyothernationstates,earlyyearsandprimaryeducationhasundergonesignificantchange,partlyinresponsetotheglobaltrendtowardsmeasuringnationaleducationaloutcomesagainstinternationalbenchmarkingsystems(Ball,2013).Overcomparativelyrecentyears,therehasbeensustainedandsystemiceducationreformbasedontheprinciplesofraisingmeasurable‘standards’,withnationalandearlyyearscurriculabecomingincreasinglyprescriptive,andstandardisedmeasuresbeingusedforchildassessment,includingforyoungchildren.Thismovehasledtotheintroductionofaseriesofnewnationaltestsforearlyyearsandprimary-agedchildren,includingthePhonicsScreeningCheckfor5and6year-oldsin2012(FlewittandRoberts-Holmes,2015),anew‘Spelling,GrammarandPunctuation’testfor7-11year-oldsintroducedin2016androundlycondemnedbyKeyStage1andKeyStage2teachers(seehttps://teachers.org.uk/campaigns/primary-assessment),alongwithplanstointroducenationalbenchmarksfor‘BaselineAssessment’ofall4year-oldsatthepointofschoolentryfrom2020.Giventhatteachersandschoolshaveastatutoryandmoralobligationtopreparechildrenforsuccessinthesetests,thebreadthofthecurriculumonofferandchildren’saccesstorichandplayfullearningopportunitiesareatrisk.DiscussingtheeffectsofthestandardsagendainEngland,Alexander(2011)argues:

Thetestsimpoverishedthecurriculum;thenationalstrategiesandprofessionalstandardsimpoverishedpedagogyinbothconceptionandpractice…inmanyprimaryschoolsaprofessionalcultureofexcitement,

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inventivenessandhealthyscepticismwassupplantedbyoneofdependency,complianceandevenfear;andtheapproachmayinsomecaseshavedepressedbothstandardsoflearningandthequalityofteaching.(p.273)

WhilsttheEarlyYearsFoundationStage(EYFS)advocatesplay-basedlearningandhighlightstheimportanceofpractitioner-observation,thetop-downpressuresofastandardsandschool-readinessagendariskcompromisingachild-centredapproach.WithproposedplanstomaketheEYFSProfilenon-statutory,andongoingdiscussionregardingtheintroductionofbaselineassessment,thereisreneweddebatesurroundingthepurposesandformatsofassessmentinearlyyearseducation.

Thereisthereforeaneedtodevelopapproachestoearlyyearsassessmentthatarecongruentwiththebasicprinciplesofearlychildhoodeducation,andwhichconsiderthepotentialsandconstraintsofnewobservationtoolsandpractices.Thisstudycountersthepotentialimpoverishmentofearlyeducationassessmentbyencouragingpractitionerstore-engagewithyoungchildren’splayfulness,excitementandinventiveness,bringingFroebelianprinciplesofthe‘uniquenessofeverychild’scapacityandpotential’and‘holisticnatureofdevelopment’totheirongoingobservationanddocumentationpractices.Thestudyfocusedinparticularondevelopingthepotentialofnewformsofdigitaldocumentation,researchingthewaysthismightbeusedbypractitionersandsharedwithchildrenandtheirfamiliestorespectfullyvalueallchildren’sdiversesignsoflearning.

ProjectRationale

Observationhasalongandrichheritageinearlychildhoodeducation,recognisedparticularlyinthepioneeringworkofFriedrichFroebelandcontinuedbykeyeducationalistssuchasMariaMontessori,RudolfSteinerandSusanIsaacs.Froebel’swritingsincludedmanydetailed,naturalisticobservationsofbabiesandyoungchildren,suggestingthatkindergartenteachersshouldbekeenobserversofchildren(Froebel,[1826]1902).Froebelarguedthatobservationwasvitaltotheadult’sunderstandingoftheindividualchild,enablingsensitiveandmeaningfulinteractions,supportingtheteacher’sownlearning,andinformingtheirteaching.Froebeladvocatedthatthemostimportantfactsabouteachchildshouldberecorded.Froebelcanthereforebeconsideredoneofthefirsteducatorstoargueforthedocumentationofobservations(Lilley,1967).

WhilstFroebelianprinciplescontinuetohaverelevancetoday,thetools,practicesandcontextsforobservationanddocumentationhavechangeddramatically,andcontemporaryearlyeducationpractitionersfacemanychallengeswhenobservinganddocumentingchildren’slearning.Inanerawhenmanyearlychildhoodeducatorsareresponsibleforthecareandeducationofyoungchildrenfromdiversesocial,ethnicandlinguisticbackgrounds,andinaneducationclimateofincreasedtestingandnarrowskills-basedoutcomes,thisprojectexploresapproachestoearly

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yearsassessmentthatstartwiththechild.Ratherthanformalized,summativetesting,thisstudyexploredearlychildhoodeducators’waysofrecognisingandvaluingchildren’softensubtlesignsoflearningduringchild-initiatedplay,andweworkedwithpractitionerstopromotethisaspectoftheirpedagogythroughsharingandreflectingontheircurrentobservationandassessmentpractices.

Furthermore,thisstudyextendedandenhancedexistingpracticethroughexploringhowFroebelian-inspiredobservationmightmakeuseofthedigitaltoolsofthe21stCentury.Theportabilityofnewhandheldtechnologies(e.g.iPads)supportstherecordingofobservations‘onthego’and‘inthemoment’,offeringthepossibilitytogenerateimages,videoclipsandaudiorecordingsonthespot,ratherthanrequiringdocumentationtobecompiledretrospectively.Wherepreviouslypractitionersdocumentedobservationsofchildrenpredominantlyinwrittenforms,digitaldocumentationintroducesthepossibilityofcreatingnewhybridformatsthatincludestillimage,movingimage,soundandwritinginvariouscombinations.Changingtechnologythereforeinvitesnewpossibilitiesforwhatgetsrepresented,inwhatform,andtowhateffect,including,forinstance,howchildren’sactivity(suchasmovement,mark-making,speech)becomesrepresentedindigitaldocumentation(inwriting,photographs,videoclips,soundrecordingsetc.).Therearealsoimplicationsforwhodocumentslearningandwhohasaccesstochildren’srecordsoflearning,asdigitaldocumentationcanbesharedsecurelybothdirectlyandremotelywithchildren’sfamilies,andparentscanbeencouragedtocreatetheirownobservationsathome,andcommentontheirchild’sclassroom-basedexperiences.Theaudio-visualpossibilitiesofdigitaldocumentationalsopresentnewpossibilitiesforsharingassessmentwithyoungchildrenthemselves,mostofwhomdonotyetreadprint.

Therearecurrentlyseveralapplications(apps)beingmarketedastoolsforstreamliningandsimplifyingearlyyearsassessment,andtheirappealtoeducatorsisdemonstratedbytheirincreasinguptake.Forexample,theonlinelearningjournal‘Tapestry’reportsthatithasbeenusedtorecordmorethan50,000,000observationsforover800,000childrenacrossmorethan15,000settings(Tapestry2018–figurescorrectasof19thOctober2018),withthe‘2BuildaProfile’appreceivingmultipleawards(e.g.EducationResourcesAward2016;BritishEducationalTrainingandTechnologyAwards2014and2015)andreportedlybeingadoptedbyover100newsettingseveryweek(2Eskimos,2016).Asjusttwoproductsinarangeofavailablesoftware(alsoincluding,forinstance,‘Seesaw’,‘InteractiveLearningDiary’,‘Kinderly’and‘EYLog’),thegrowingmarketandincreasinguptakedemonstratesasignificantshifttowardsdigitalformatsinearlyyearsdocumentationpractices.

Despiterapidtechnologicalchanges,andacknowledgementinEYFSguidancethat“settingsmaychoosetorecordchildren’slearninginanywaywhichsuitstheirpurposes”(S&TA,2014,p.12),officialexemplificationmaterialscurrentlyillustrateonlypaper-baseddocumentation.Handbooksforpractitionersadvisingon

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observationandassessmentaresimilarlyoutofdate,offeringonlybriefdiscussionofformatssuchasphotographsandvideo(e.g.Hobart&Frankel2004;Arnold2015),withlittlementionofdigitaldocumentationsoftware.Thelimitedresearchinthearea(seeBoardman,2007;Lindgren,2012)leavesdigitaldocumentationsimilarlyunexamined,callingforurgentupdatestopolicyexemplificationandguidance.Currently,informationforpractitionersisavailableprimarilyfrommarketingmaterialsbysoftwarecompanies(e.g.‘YourDefinitiveGuidetoChoosingtheRightDigitalLearningJourney’producedbysoftwaredeveloper‘LearningBook’,2016),lackingabalanced,impartialandtheoreticallyfoundedbasis.Theneedforhighqualityresearch-basedguidanceishighlightedparticularlybypractitioners’useofinformalonlinespacessuchasforums,blogsandgroups(e.g.the‘On-lineLearningJournalGroup’onFacebook,currentlywitharound5,000members),whichsuggestthereisaproactivecommunityofdigitaldocumentationuserswhoareseekingfurtherinformationandsupport.

Thiscallsforresearchexamininghowcontemporaryobservationpracticesmightmakeuseofarangeoftoolsincludingthedigital,bothtocontributetotheoriesoflearningandassessment,andtoprovidespecificinformationandsupporttoearlyyearseducators.Withoutsuchresearch,theriskisthatthepotentialsofdigitaldocumentationwillnotbefullyexploitedandwillbedrivenprimarilybycommercialinterestratherthanbychild-centrededucationaltheoriessuchasFroebelianprinciples.Therearealsofinancialimplicationsfortheuseofdigitaldocumentation,sincesoftwaretypicallyrequiresannualsubscriptioncostsinadditiontohardwarecostsfordeviceslikeiPads.Thismeansthereisanimperativetoconductresearchdeterminingthepotentialsandconstraintsofdigitaldocumentationtohelpschoolsandearlyyearssettingsmakeinformeddecisionsaboutinvesting.

Theresearchprojectoutlinedinthisreportoffersoutcomeswithrelevanceforearlyeducators’practiceandthepotentialtoimpactonchildren’slearning,immediatelyinthecaseofstaffandchildreninthesettingschosenforthisstudy,andmorewidelythroughofferingcasestudies,guidanceandtrainingmaterialsforpractice,alongwithimplicationsforeducationpolicyandsoftwaredesign.Thisstudythereforesupportstheinformedandprincipleduseofnewdigitaltechnologies,basedinempiricallyandtheoreticallyfoundedtheoriesoflearningwhichreflectFroebelianprinciples.TheprojectnotonlyhaspracticalimplicationsforeducatorsbutalsoseekstocontributetoacademicknowledgeanddebatebybringingFroebelianprinciplestocontemporaryearlyyearspractices,offeringnewinsightsintotherelevanceofFroebel’sworkto21stCenturyeducation.

ProjectObjectives

Themainobjectivesofthisprojectwereasfollows:1.Toidentifyearlyyearspractitioners’perspectivesonhowtheyrecognise,documentandassessyoungchildren’slearning,focusingonchildrenin

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multiculturalclassroomswhoarelivingwithdisadvantageand/orareintheearlystagesoflearningEnglish

2. Toworkwithparticipantstodevelopanearlychildhoodeducationpedagogyofobservation,documentationandformativeassessmentusinghandhelddigitaldevicesthatisbasedontheFroebelianprinciplesofthe‘uniquenessofeverychild’scapacityandpotential’andthe‘holisticnatureofdevelopment’

3. Todevelopparticipatoryresearchmethodsthatblendtheperspectivesofpractitionerswithyoungchildren’svoices.

ResearchQuestions

1. Howdoearlyyearspractitionersrecogniseandvaluechildren’ssignsoflearninginmulticulturalclassrooms,particularlychildrenwhoarelivingwithdisadvantageand/orareintheearlystagesoflearningEnglish?

2. Howcanearlyyearspractitioners’observation,documentationandassessmentofchildren’slearningbeenhancedtoreflecttheFroebelianprinciplesof‘theuniquenessofeverychild’scapacityandpotential’andthe‘holisticnatureofdevelopment’usingdigitaldocumentation?

3. Howcanparticipatoryresearchmethodsaboutearlylearningbedevelopedtoblendtheperspectivesofpractitionerswithyoungchildren’svoices?

Methodology

ResearchDesignandMethods

Thisone-yearprojectworkedwiththreeinner-cityearlyyearssettings,usinganethnographiccasestudyapproachwhichofferedin-depthqualitativeinsightsintoday-to-dayobservationanddocumentationpractices.Animportantfeatureoftheresearchwasitsparticipatorydesign,involvingpractitionersasco-researchersoftheireverydayobservationanddocumentationpractices,involvingtheminidentifyingcasestudies,collectingdata,offeringanalyticalinsights,andexploringtherelevancefortheirownpractice.Similarly,theresearchdesignsoughttoblendperspectivesofpractitionerswithothersinvolvedinobservationanddocumentation,includingchildrenandparents.Arangeofqualitativemethodswerethereforeused,namelysemi-structuredinterviews,informalobservation(includinguseofvideoandphotographs),videoelicitationandopen-endedquestionnaires.Thiscombinationofmethodsenabledinsightsintothemany‘voices’ofthoseinvolvedintheobservationanddocumentationofplay,whilstexpandingthenotionofvoicebygivingparticularattentiontomultimodalcommunication,thatis,bynot

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assumingthatspeechisalwayscentraltomeaningmakingandbyrecognisingthatchildren’slearningisoftenexpressedthroughsilentmodesandmodalcombinations,suchastheiractions,gaze,gesturesanduseofobjects.

CaseStudySettingsandParticipants

Threeinner-Londonearlyyearssettingswereinvitedtoparticipatebasedonthefollowingcriteria:

a)highlevelsofdiversity(social,cultural,linguisticandethnic)

b)situatedindifferentinner-cityareaswithhighlevelsofsocio-economicdisadvantage

c)goodoroutstandingOFSTEDresults

d)arangeoftypesofearlyeducationprovision,recognisingthecurrentdiversityoftheearlyyearssector.

Afurthercriterionwasouraimtoreflectthediversityofprovisionintheearlyyearssector,sothefinalselectionincludedanearlyyearsunitinaprimaryschool,afreestandingnurseryschoolandaprivatechildcareprovider.Twoofthesettings(BurrellNurserySchoolandTreeHouseNursery1)wereknowntoCowan,andone(HargravePrimary)wasidentifiedthroughUCLInstituteofEducationcontacts.KeyinformationaboutthethreesettingsispresentedinTable1.

SettingName HargravePrimarySchool

BurrellNurserySchool

TreeHouseNursery

SettingType Earlyyearsunitwithinastatemaintainedprimaryschool

Statemaintainednurseryschoolandchildren’scentre

Privatechildcareprovider

AgeofChildren 3–5years 2–5years 10months–5years

NumberofChildren(Approx.)

90childrenacrossthreegroups

70childrenacrossthreegroups

85childrenacrossthreegroups

Ofsted Good(2016) Outstanding(2017) Outstanding(2015)

NotesonDiversity(takenfromOfstedreports)

EAL,SEN,disadvantageandproportionofchildrenfromminorityethnicbackgroundsallwellabove

EAL,SEN,disadvantageandproportionofchildrenfromminorityethnicbackgroundssomewhatabove

EAL,SEN,disadvantageandproportionofchildrenfromminorityethnicbackgroundsbelownationalaverage,

1Allnamesusedinthisreportarepseudonyms.

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nationalaverage.

nationalaverage.

butsomeculturalandlinguisticdiversity.

ParticipatingStaff Sharon(teacher)

Vanessa(teacher)

Jill(headofearlyyearsunit)

Dawn(teacher)

Jess(teacher)

Natalie(deputyheadofnursery)

Carla(SENCO)

Anna2(educator)3

Ruby(educator)

Nerida(pedagogista)4

CaseStudyChildren5

Aran(Kurdish/English;3years,6months)

Sita(Marathi/English;3years,11months)

Sushma(Telegu/English;4years,2months)

Harry(Albanian/English;3years,7months)

Jemma(Nepali/English;4years,4months)

Mateo(Spanish/English;4years,1month)

Aliyah(English,4years,3months)

Felix(English,3years;3months)

Marta(English/Italian,3years,10months)

Table1:Informationaboutthe3researchsettings

Followingtheethicalreviewprocessoutlinedbelow,theprojectwasdescribedtoamemberoftheleadershipteamineachsettingwhohelpedidentifyeducatorswhomightbewillingtoparticipateintheresearch.Twoeducatorswithresponsibilityforday-to-dayobservationanddocumentationofchildrenweresubsequentlyrecruitedasparticipantsineachsetting.Membersoftheleadershipteamsineachsettingmaintainedsomeinvolvementthroughouttheproject.Ineachsetting,threecasestudychildrenwereidentifiedindiscussionwiththepractitionerstoenablecloseconsiderationofobservationpractices,examplesofdocumentationandtoincorporatetheperspectivesofchildrenandfamiliesthemselves.Criteriafortheselectionofthesechildrenwere:

a) childrenwhowereconsideredbypractitionerstoberepresentativeoftheparticularpatternsofdiversityineachsetting

2Unfortunately,illhealthmeantAnnawasonlyabletoparticipateinFieldworkphases1-2.

3Theterm‘educator’isusedinthissettingtorefertoalladultsworkingdirectlywithchildren,

alsoreflectingthefactthatprivateearlyyearssettingsarenotobligedtoemployqualified

teachers.

4ThisItaliantermreflectstheinfluenceofReggioEmiliaonthesetting’spractice.Theydefine

theroleofpedagogistaas:‘Thepersonresponsibleforsupportingtheprofessionaldevelopment

ofeducatorsandstaff,collaboratingwiththemtomakechoicesanddecisionsabouttheirwork

withthechildren.’

5Ageatthestartofthedatacollectionperiod.

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b) childrenwhothepractitionersidentifiedashavingfewerdocumentedobservations,whoselearningtheyfoundchallengingtodocument,andwhotheywouldliketofocusonaspartofthisstudy.

EthicalConsiderationsTheprojectwasapprovedbytheUCLInstituteofEducationResearchEthicsCommittee,andwasguidedbytheBERAEthicalGuidelinesforEducationalResearch(2018),andtheNationalCentreforResearchMethods’guidancerelatingtoEthicalRegulationandVisualMethods(Wilesetal,2010).

Voluntaryinformedconsentwassoughtfromallparticipants,includingheadteachers,practitionersandparents,withvaryinglevelsofinvolvementoffered.Consentwasnegotiatedthroughtheuseofinformationsheets,opt-inconsentformsandopportunitiestomeettheresearcherandaskquestions.Voluntaryinformedconsentforthechildren’sparticipationwassoughtinitiallyonbehalfoftheirparents/carers,andsubsequently,withparentalpermission,theresearchwasexplainedtothechildreninage-appropriatetermsandtheirownconsentwassoughtthroughchild-friendlymeans.Allparticipantswereinformedthattheycouldwithdrawfromthestudyatanystageoftheproject.Throughouttheresearchprocess,theresearchersremainedparticularlyalerttothechildren’swellbeing.Childrenandadults’initialconsentwasconsideredprovisionalupontheprojectdevelopingwithinparticipants’expectations,aspartofaresponsiveethicalstancetoissuesastheyoccurredmoment-by-momentinthefield(Flewitt,2005).

Acentralethicalconsiderationoftheresearchwasthecreationofdigitalvideorecordingsanddigitalimagesofyoungchildren,bothduringtheresearchprocessandresultingfrompractitioners’digitaldocumentationofchildren’slearning.Thematerialincludedinthisreporthasonlybeensharedinrelationtothelevelsofpermissiongivenbytheparticipants.Thenamesofallindividualsandsettingshavebeenchanged,andimagesofparticipantsareonlysharedwhereexplicitpermissionhasbeengiven.

FieldworkThefieldworkunfoldedover6months,withvisitstothesettingsbyCowantakingplacetoeachsettingroughlyeverymonth,andonevisittoeachsettingbyFlewitt.Phase1Fieldwork(1month)beganwithone-to-onesemi-structuredpractitionerinterviewsandobservationsofdailypracticeinthesettingstogainanoverviewofearlyyearseducators’beliefsandpracticesaboutobservinganddocumentinglearninginchildren’splay.Thisphasehelpedestablishwhatgetsrecognisedandvaluedas‘signsoflearning’,andexploredthespectrumofcurrentandpossible

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futureformsofdocumentationineachsetting,fromtraditionalpaper-basedobservationstodigitalmedia.

Phase2Fieldwork(2months)focusedoncasestudiesofthreechildrenineachsetting,selectedinconsultationwithpractitioners.Semi-structuredgroupinterviewswereconductedwithpractitionersandmembersoftheleadershipteamabouteachcasestudychildandthechildren’sdocumentationwasconsidered.Thecasestudychildren’splay-basedlearninginarangeofcontextswasobserved(e.g.ontheirown,withtheirpeers,inadult-ledsituations).Parentsofcasestudychildrencompletedaquestionnaireregardingtheirperspectivesontheirchild’sdocumentation.Toseekthechildren’sperspectives,theresearchersharedtheirdocumentationwiththem,andvideo-recordedtheseinteractionstonotetheirresponsesinmultiplemodes,includingandbeyondlanguage.Thisphasethereforelookedatspecificcasesofobservationanddocumentation,andsupportedpractitionerstoreflectonlearningthattheyfeltwasdifficulttocapture,givingrisetosuggestionsfortheuseofdigitaltechnologiesinPhase3.

Phase3Fieldwork(1.5months)involvedgivingeachsettinganiPadMiniandaskingthemtovideorecordinstancesofthecasestudychildren’splay,focusingonthesignsoflearningthatwereidentifiedasbeing‘hard’todocumentinthepriorresearchphases.Thevideorecordingswerethenwatchedbackjointlybytheresearcherandpractitioners,andthesereviewsessionswererecorded.Thisparticipatoryapproachgavepractitionerstheopportunitytoformulatetheirownlinesofenquiryandtobeinvolvedindatacollectionandanalysis,withthevideostimulatingreflectiononaspectsoftheirunderstandingthatmighttypicallybehardtoexpress(Reavey,2011).

Phase4Fieldwork(1.5months)Duringthisfinalfieldworkphase,semi-structuredgroupinterviewswerecarriedoutwithpractitionersandleadershipstaff.Thisincludedtheresearchersharingemergingfindingsoftheprojectandaskingthepractitionersfortheirresponses.Theintervieweeswerealsopromptedtoreflectontheirobservation,documentationandassessmentpracticesinlightoftheresearchproject,andtoconsiderhowtheirobservationanddocumentationsystems(digitalandnon-digital)mightchangetorespectfullyrecogniseallchildren’smultipleandvariedsignsoflearning.

AnalysisDatacollectionandanalysiswasshapedbyaframeworkthatbringsFroebelianprinciplestomultimodalsocialsemiotics(Kress,2009;BezemerandKress,2016),seekingtonoticeandmakevisiblechildren’smanyandvariedsignsoflearning,includingtheiruseoflanguage(s)andsilentsignsoflearning(e.g.gesture,gaze,movement,useofobjects).Amultimodalapproachwasparticularlyaptforresearchingclassroomswithhighlevelsoflinguisticandsocialdiversityduetoits

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focusbeyondlanguage,andreflectsFroebelianprinciplesthroughitsfocusonchildren’smultiplecapacitiesandtheholisticnatureofmeaning-making.DataAnalysiswasongoingduringandafterthedatacollectionphase.Allinterviewdatawastranscribedandanalysedthematically,supplementedbyobservationalfieldnotes,photographs,videorecordingsandexamplesofdocumentation.Thevideorecordingsofthecasestudychildrenwereanalysedusingaspectsofmultimodalanalysis,focusingattentiononmodessuchasaction,gesture,gaze,mark-making,useofobjects,speechandwritingassignsoflearning(Jewitt,2011;Cowan,2014a).Thevideogeneratedbythepractitionerswasre-viewedjointlywiththeresearchertoelicitpractitionerreflectionontheirownobservationalpractice,andtoidentifypractitioners’viewsonthepotentialsandconstraintsofvideotools(Jewitt,2011).Analysisacrosstheentiredatasetgeneratedkeythemesinrelationtotheresearchquestions,namelywhatdoesanddoesnotgetrecognisedas‘signsoflearning’inearlyyearsclassrooms.Findingswerecomparedandcontrastedwithinandacrossthethreesettingsthroughuseofatabularanalytic‘matrix’.Throughouttheresearch,thepractitionerswereencouragedtocontributetoandcommentonin-progressanalysistoensurethatthefindingsrespectfullyincludedtheirviewsandperspectives.Regularmeetingsbetweentheresearcherssupportedthesharingofinterpretationsandclarifiedanalyticinsights.Thefindingsofthisstudyarepresentedbelow,organizedbythemainthemesthatemergedfromanalysis.Whilstitisnotpossibletogeneralizewidelyfromthissmall-scalequalitativeenquiry,theexamplesanddiscussionbelowofferrichinsightsintoobservationanddocumentationpractice,withrelevanceforresearchers,practitionersanddesignersofdigitaldocumentation.

Findings

Thefindingsarepresentedintwoparts.PartIrespondstothefirstresearchquestion,whichsoughttoidentifypractitioners,parentsandchildren’sperspectivesonexistingobservationanddocumentationpractices.PartIIrespondstothesecondresearchquestion,workingwithpractitionerstodevelopapproachestoobservationanddocumentationpracticesusinghandhelddigitaldevices.Thethirdresearchquestion,relatingtodevelopingparticipatoryresearchapproachdescribedabove,isinterwoventhroughoutbothsections.

PartI:ExistingDocumentationPracticesandPerspectivesThethreesettingsinvolvedinthisstudyreflectthediversityoftheearlyyearssector,spanningprovisionincludinganearlyyearsunitinaprimaryschool,afreestandingnurseryschoolandaprivatechildcareprovider.Theyalsodemonstratedarangeofdifferentapproachestoobservinganddocumenting

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learning,reflectingtheEYFSguidancethatsettingscanchoosehowtheyrecordobservations(S&TA,2014).Thediversityofapproaches,andthedifferingethosthatunderpinnedeachapproach,demonstratesthatthepurposesofdocumentation,includingwhoandwhatdocumentationisfor,variesfromsettingtosetting.Toillustratethediversityofapproaches,andtogivecontexttothediscussionoffindingsthatfollows,theobservationanddocumentationpracticesineachsettingarefirstoutlined.HargraveSchoolTheearlyyearsunitofthislargestate-maintainedprimaryschooloccupiedanannextothemainbuilding,wherearoundninetychildrenwerebasedinaseriesofinterconnectedclassroomsequippedwithcontinuousprovisionandaccesstoanoutdoorarea.Childrenofnurseryage(3-4yearsold)andreceptionage(4-5yearsold)sharedthesamespacefull-time,withdailyactivitiesconsistingofwhole-groupsessionswherenurseryandreceptionchildrenweremixed,small-groupsessionswherenurseryandreceptionchildrenwereseparate,andtimeforbothagegroupstoengageinfreeflowplayindoorsandoutdoors.Theteachersexplainedthatthereceptionchildrenhadmoreadult-ledsessions(suchasphonicsandmaths)andlessfreeplayinpreparationfortransitiontoYear1.Thedecorationofthespace,ascanbeseeninFigure1,emphasisedformalelementsoftheEYFSsuchasphonics,numberandearlywriting.Inthisway,theethosofthesettingseemedtobeinfluencedbytheprimaryschoolofwhichitisapart.

Figure1:SpecialBooksinHargraveSchool

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Thesettingwasstaffedbytheleaderoftheearlyyearsunit,threeteachers,threenurserynursesandanumberofothersupportstaffsuchasteachingassistants.Keyworkerresponsibility,whichincludedcompilingdocumentationforeachchild,wasdividedsothatteacherstookresponsibilityforreceptionchildren,withnurserynursestakingresponsibilityforthenurserychildren,andtheearlyyearsunitleaderoverseeingpracticeandtakingresponsibilityforcompilingassessmentdata.Asthechildrenengagedinplay,whetherfree-floworadult-led,adultswouldwriteshortobservationsaboutthechildren’slearningandtakephotographsforthechildren’s‘SpecialBooks’whichformedthebasisofthesetting’sformativeassessment.TheteacherVanessaexplainedthatthestaffarerequiredtomakejudgmentsaboutthechildrento“assesstheirlevels”againsttheEYFSProfile,whichtheywoulddobydrawingontheirknowledgeofthechildrenandobservationsrecordedintheirSpecialBooks.

Figure2:Aran’sSpecialBook

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TheSpecialBookswereindividualA3paperscrapbooks,featuringthechild’snameandphotographonthefront,andcontainingobservationsandothermaterialrelatingtothingsthechildhaddoneorcreatedintheearlyyearsunit.Thisincludeddrawings,paintings,collagesetc.(describedbypractitionersasthechild’s‘work’)alongsidephotographsofthechildengaginginactivities.TheSpecialBooksincludednoteswrittenbythepractitioners,whichwereusuallyabriefsummaryofwhatthechildhaddone,oftenimplicitlyrelatedtoanaspectoftheEYFS(e.g.Figure2–‘Aranrotecountsobjects1:1to6’).TheSpecialBookswerestoredonhighshelvesinareasoftheclassroomwhereteacherskeptotherpaperwork(seeFigure1),outofreachtochildrenandparents.Thebookswerenotgiventoparentsorchildrentotakehome,duetoconcernsaboutthebooksgettinglostordamaged,asthe2ndclassteacher(Sharon)explained,“Wedon’triskit”.However,onceeveryhalftermtheearlyyearsunitwouldholda‘show’invitingparentstovisitandseesomethingthechildrenhadbeendoinginthesetting(e.g.learningarhyme,orre-tellingastory),withtheSpecialBooksoutondisplayforchildrenandparentstolookattogether.Whilstallparentswereinvitedtotheseevents,workandothercommitmentsmeantnotallparentswereabletoattend.Attheendofthereceptionyear,parentsandchildrenweregiventheirSpecialBooktokeep.Withmultiplestaffwritingobservationsandtakingphotographsofthechildren,theearlyyearsunithadasystemoflabeledcontainerswherestaffcouldplaceobservationsofchildrenforthekeyworkerstolaterputintotheSpecialBooks.Inthisway,allstaffcontributedtotheSpecialBookswhilstkeyworkerstookoverallresponsibilityforcompilingthem.ThestaffadmittedthatitwasdifficulttokeeptheSpecialBooksup-to-date,withnewobservationsbeinggeneratedeveryday.TheuseofSpecialBookswasanestablishedpartofpracticeinthisearlyyearsunit,partlyinformedbytraditionwithinthesettingandpartlyinfluencedbypracticetheyhadseenatothersettings.AsVanessaexplained,“WhenIcameheretheywerealreadydoingthis[usingSpecialBooks]”andsheexplainedthatwhenvisitingotherschoolsformoderationmeetings,“everywherewe’vebeentheyusesomekindofbooktoputworkin”.Thesettinghadpreviouslytrialedthedigitallearningjourneysoftware‘2Simple:2BuildaProfile’tocompileobservationsofthechildrendigitally,butthestaffhadmixedfeelingsaboutitseffectiveness.Vanessalostseveralobservationsduetoaproblemwithsavingthemandexplained,“Ijustfeltreallydisheartenedbyitall,andthenIthoughtI’djustgobacktothis[SpecialBooks]becauseIknowitworks”.Sharonsharedmorepositiveexperiencesof‘2BuildaProfile’,suggestingitmadeiteasiertoshareobservationsbetweenteammembersandcreatedneaterdocumentationthanhandwrittenobservations.However,ultimatelytheteamfelt“itwasn’treallyworththemoney”andhaddecidedtoreverttopaper-baseddocumentation.Sharoncontinuedtosometimestypeandprintoutherobservations,concernedaboutthelegibilityofherhandwriting,andwas

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experimentingwithotherdigitaltoolssuchasusinganaudiorecordertoreflectonheruseofquestioningandtorecordthechildren’sspeech.BurrellNurserySchoolState-maintainedBurrellNurserySchooloccupiedthegroundfloorofanoldVictorianhouse,withfamilyroomsforthechildren’scentreontheupperfloors.Thenurseryofferedprovisionforaround70children,someattendingfull-timeandsomeattendinghalfdaysoracombinationofsessions.Themajorityofchildrenattendingthissettingwereofnurseryage,3-4yearsold,althoughafewchildrenweredelayedentrytoreceptionandtherewasasmallgroupoftwo-year-oldseligibleforfundednurseryplaces.Allchildrensharedthesamespace,aseriesofinterconnectedclassroomswithcontinuousprovisionandfree-flowaccesstotheoutdoors.Themorningandafternoonsessionsendedwithactivitiesinsmallgroups(e.g.songs,stories),whilemosttimeineachsessioninvolvedfree-flowplayandopportunitiesforchildrentoengageinadult-ledexperiences.Theorganizationofthespace,andthetypesofprovisiononoffer,gavethechildrenahighlevelofautonomy.Forexample,achild-sizedwoodworkbench,withrealhammersandnails,wasroutinelyavailabletoallchildren.ThesettingidentifieditselfashistoricallyhavingaFroebelianethos,withapriorheadteacherandoneofthecurrentteachers(Jess)havingbeenFroebeltrained.Morerecently,membersoftheleadershipteamhadbeeninvolvedinalearninggrouprelatingtoReggioEmiliaandenquiry-basedlearning.Thesettingwasstaffedbythreeteachers(onewithmainresponsibilityforthetwo-year-olds),aswellasnurserynursesandteachingassistants,overseenbytheheadofthenursery,deputyheadandSENCO.Teachersandnurserynursestookkeyworkerresponsibilityforindividualchildren,whichincludedcompletingassessments,writingreportsandmeetingwithparents.Allstaffwouldwriteshortobservationsaboutthechildren’splayduringeachsession,andthesewouldbecompiledbythekeyworkerintoafolderusedforformativeandsummativeassessment.ThisfolderconsistedofadaptedEYFSstatements,whererelevantwrittenobservationswouldbeattachedasevidenceofparticularaspects.Thechildren’srecordswerestoredintheupstairsofficeareaofthesetting,occasionallysharedwithparentsandduringparents’evenings,butprimarilyusedformeetingEYFSassessmentobligations,andgiventothechild’sschoolwhentheyleftnursery.Inadditiontotheassessmentrecords,BurrellNurserySchool’sdocumentationconsistedof‘MemoryBooks’.TheseA3paperscrapbooksweresimilartothosefoundinHargraveSchool,butusedindifferentways.Thefrontcoverofeachbookincludedthechild’snameandaphotographofthechildwiththeirfamily,andtheinsidepageofeachbookincludedthefollowingdescription: Dearparentsandcarers,

Thisisyourchild’sMemoryBook.Itbelongstothemandismeantasawayofcollectingthoughtsandideasthatareimportanttothem.Itcouldbe

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aleafthattheyhavefoundonthewaytoschool,oraskillthattheyhavejustmasteredsuchasclimbingtothetopoftheclimbingframe.Itcouldbesomethingtheyhavemadeandtakenaphotographof,orapictureofapersonoraplacethatisimportanttothem.Everychildwilluseitdifferently.Theadultroleistorecordthechild’svoice,gestures,andfacialexpressionsatthetimeofentryandwheneverthechildisrevisitingtheirbook.Ifthereisanexperience,achievementorobjectthattheywouldliketoincludefromhome,pleasesupportthemtodothis.Thisshouldproveapowerfullinkbetweenhomeandschool.Pleasetaketimetositandshareitwithyourchild,listeningtotheirthoughtsandrecordingthemiftimeallows.WehavefoundMemoryBookstobeawonderfulwayoffindingoutwhatmakeseachchild‘tick’,andavaluablewayofensuringchildren’svoicesareheardwhenadultsareplanningandobservingchildren.Enjoy.

Figure3:Mateo’sMemoryBook

Duringthenurserysessions,thechildrenweresupportedtoaddtotheirmemorybooks,includingtakingphotographswithadesignatedchildren’scamera,whichtheycouldprintonaminiprinterlocatedatchild-height,andwereencouragedtosticktheseintotheirbookinwhateverwaytheywished.Theadultwouldusuallywriteasmallexplanationalongside,oftenscribingthechild’sownwords,ordescribingtheirfacialexpressionsandgestures.Forexample,inFigure3Mateohasstuckinphotographsofchicksthathadhatchedinnursery,andtheteacherhasrecordedhisspeechandlaughterwhenrevisitingtheMemoryBookseveralmonthslater.AsJessexplained,“Mostschoolsyougoandseealearningjourneythat’squiteadultled,andthis[MemoryBook]wasreallythatwewantedthechildtousethisas

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theirvoice”.TheMemoryBookalsofedintoassessment,withtherecordssometimesindicating‘SeeMemoryBook’.ThelocationoftheMemoryBookssupportedthechildren’sautonomyinaccessingandaddingtothem.Theywerelocatedinlow-levelcontainersinthenurseryclassrooms,accessibletothechildrenaspartoftheircontinuousprovision,andtoparentsatdrop-offandpick-uptime(seeFigure4).Unliketheassessmentfolders,whichfollowedthechildtoschool,theMemoryBooksweregiventothechildattheendoftheirtimeinnursery.Whilstparentswereencouragedtolookattheirchild’sMemoryBookwiththem,thestaffatBurrellNurseryhadsimilarconcernstoHargraveSchoolaboutbooksbeingtakenhome,withJessexplaining,“Wehavehadsomedisasterswhereabook’sgonehome-it’sbeennearlyfull,andit’snotcomeback”.

Figure4:MemoryBooksatBurrellNursery

BurrellNursery’s‘MemoryBook’approachhadbeendevelopedoverseveralyears,influencedbythesetting’sFroebelianlegacyandtheirinterestinReggioEmilia,leadingthemtoseeksystemswhichemphasisedthechild’svoiceandsupportedindependence.AswithHargraveSchool,thesettinghadbeenputoffusingdigitalformsofdocumentation,suchasonlinelearningjourneys,afteracolleague’sexperienceoflosingobservations.

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TreeHouseNurseryTreeHouseNurseryprovidedprivatechildcareforchildrenaged10monthsto5yearsintwoconvertedbuildingsonaresidentialstreet,withapproximately85childrendividedintothreegroupsbyage.Thisstudyfocusedonthegroupofchildrenaged3-5years,whowerebasedinalargeopen-planupstairsroominthemainbuilding.Thenurseryofferedextendedopeninghours,withtheroutinesofthedaybasedaroundmealtimes.Eachsessionincludedtimesforwholegroupactivityordiscussion,followedbyfreeflowplayopportunitiesandarangeofexperiencessupportedbyadults,includingongoinglong-termprojects.Childrenhadtimetabled(ratherthanfree-flow)accesstoanoutdoorareaonthegroundfloor.ThesettingtookparticularinspirationfromReggioEmiliapreschools,includinghavingan‘atelier’studiospaceadjacenttothemainroom,whichwasusedtodevelopthechildren’sproject-basedenquiriesemergingfromtheirinterests.Thesettingwasstaffedbyanumberofeducatorswithvariousearlyyearsqualifications,includinganartist-educator‘atelierista’anda‘pedagogista’whosupportedtheeducators’pedagogicaldirectionanddevelopment.Asintheothertwosettings,TreeHouseNurseryusedakeyworkersystemwherebyallstaffsupportedandobservedallchildren,withkeyworkerstakingresponsibilityforindividualchildren.Educatorsreceived‘profiletime’outoftheroomduringthesessionsinordertodocumentexperiencesandprojectstheywereleading.

Figure5:ObservationGridUsedatTreeHouseNursery

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Figure6:Felix’sTapestryProfile

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Unliketheothertwosettingsinthisstudy,TreeHouseNurseryuseddigitaldocumentationsoftwareratherthanpaperscrapbooks.Asthechildrenengagedinplay,whetherfree-floworatanexperiencesupervisedbyanadult,staffwoulduseiPadstotakephotographsandvideos,whichwerethenaddedtoobservationsontheonlinelearningjournal‘Tapestry’.Writtennoteswerealsosometimesrecordedinnotebooksorobservationgrids(seeFigure5)thentypedupintoTapestrylater.Tapestryinviteseducatorsto‘tag’individualchildreninobservationsandselectlinkswithstatementsfromtheEYFS,forassessmentand‘tracking’acrosscohortsofchildren.Tapestrydictatestheoveralldesignofthedocumentation,includingthepositioningofphotographsandvideosasthumbnailsatthetopoftheobservation,followedbywrittennotesunderneath,withlinkstotheEYFSatthebottomofthepage,followedbyaspaceforparentcomments(seeFigure6).SubscriptionstoTapestrystartfrom£53peryearfor12childrenupto£600peryearfor400children.ObservationsinTapestrycanbeviewedbyanystaffmemberwithpermittedaccess,andifparentshaveregisteredtoreceiveTapestryupdatestheyreceiveanemailwheneveranewobservationfeaturingtheirchildisadded.Parentsandotherauthorizedfamilymembersareabletoviewallobservationsfeaturingtheirchild,addobservationsoftheirown,andtocommentonobservationscreatedbythenursery.

Figure7:iPadsinTreeHouseNursery

TheiPadswerereadilyaccessibletotheeducatorstoenablethemtorecordobservationson-the-gothroughoutthesessions(seeFigure7).Educatorssometimesinvolvedchildrenintakingphotosorvideothemselves(seeFigure8)andlookedatthesetogetheronthescreen.TheTapestryprofileswerenotreadilymadeavailabletothechildren,althoughsometimesdocumentationfromTapestry(especiallyphotos)wereprintedoutfordisplayinthesetting.Attheendofthechild’stimeinthenursery,aprintedPDFversionofthechild’sTapestyprofilewasgiventofamilies,consistingofwritingandphotographs(novideos).

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Figure8:AliyahusingtheiPad

WhendiscussingtheuseofdigitaldocumentationatTreeHouseNurserycomparedtoherpreviousexperienceofusingpaper-basedsystemsinanotherearlyyearssetting,Rubycommentedthatshefeltitsavedconsiderabletimeandmoney.However,thestaffatTreeHouseNurseryalsoreportedtheywerelookingforadigitaldocumentationsystemthatwasmorealignedwiththeirReggioEmiliaethos,andthattheyhadmadeseveralcarefulchoicesabouthowtouseTapestrytoreflecttheirapproach.Forinstance,inTreeHouseNursery,Tapestryobservationstendedtobebasedongroupexperiencesratherthanindividual‘snapshot’observations,oftenfeaturingseveralchildrenthenlinkedtoindividualchildren’sprofiles.Theobservationsalsoincludedtheeducator’sownreflectionsonthelearningexperience,whichtheyexplainedwastosupportdepthofenquiryandhelptheirongoingplanning(seeFigure6).ThesettingwasalsousingTapestrytodocumentlonger-termproject-basedenquiries,whichtheydidbycreatinga‘child’profilenamedafteraprojectthatcouldbetaggedeverytimeanobservationwasrelatedtotheproject.AsNeridareflected,“Thethingisthatweareusing[Tapestry]inadifferentwaythanmostsettingsareusingit”.DifferencesandSimilaritiesinObservationandDocumentationPracticesTheseexamplesofobservationanddocumentationpracticeshighlightthatallthreesettingsbelieveditwasimportanttoobserveanddocumentyoungchildren’splay,butthatthereweresignificantdifferencesbetweensettingsintermsof:

o theformthedocumentationtook(paper-basedordigital)o whenthedocumentationwasmadeaccessibletoothers(regularly

accessible,onlineaccess,oroccasionalinvitedaccess)o whowasinvitedtocontributetoit(parents,childrenoronlypractitioners).

Thesedifferencesinday-to-daypracticehighlightdifferencesinwhoandwhatobservationanddocumentationwereconsideredtobeprimarilyfor,withthe

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practitioners’preferreddocumentationformatsfurthershapingwhatwasrecordedandhowitwasused.Acrossallthreesettings,thepractitionersexpressedbeliefsthatdocumentationwasvaluableformultipleaudiences.Forinstance,Neridaexplained,“Thepurpose[ofdocumentation]istohelpus,theparents,andthechildren,andeveryoneinvolvedintheprocess,toshowthemthelearning,thatisthemaingoal”.Similarly,Vanessasaid,“Wespokeaboutthis…aboutwhothesebooksareactuallyfor.Imeanaretheyforus,forourplanning,forourassessment,aretheyforthechildren,aretheyfortheparents?Andactuallytheyarekindofforallofthat.”Whilstallthesettingsconsideredtheseintertwinedpurposes,eachseemedtoemphasizeaparticularaspect.InHargraveNursery,theinfluenceoftheschoolseemedparticularlytoshapeobservationanddocumentationpractices,indicatedinthediscussionabouttheusefulnessoftheSpecialBooksfor‘doingchildren’slevels’andthesnapshotobservationswhichtendedtorelatetoparticularlyformalaspectsoftheEYFS,suchascountingandrecognizingcolours.Thelocationofthedocumentationonahighclassroomshelf,andthelimited,teacher-controlledopportunitiesforparentsandchildrentoviewthedocumentation,positioneditastheteacher’sproperty.Consequently,childrenandtheirparentsonlyrarelycontributedtotheSpecialBooks.InBurrellNurserySchool,theMemoryBookscentrallyemphasizedthechild,beingpredominantlycreatedbyandforthechildrenthemselves.Thissettingforegroundedthechildren’sautonomyandagencyinthedocumentationprocess,withthepractitionersdescribingtheMemoryBooksasa‘voice’forthechildrenandanexpressionoftheirdifferentpersonalities.Forinstance,referringtowhenthechildrenfinallyleftthenursery,theclassteacherDawnsaid,“It’sjustalovelythingtogivethechildtotakehomeandI’msurethechildrenfeelthatit’squitepreciousbecausetheydidit.It’stheirs”.Theforegroundingofthechild’sagencyintheirdocumentationwasalsosignifiedthroughthelocationoftheMemoryBooksintheclassroom,atchild-heightandcontinuouslyaccessible,andthroughthesupporttheyweregivenbyadultsandresources(e.g.child’scameraandminiprinter)thatenabledthechildrentomakesuitableitemswhichtheycouldchoosetoaddtothedocumentation.InTreeHouseNursery,theroleoftheparentwasemphasizedtoagreaterdegree.Here,thepractitionersmentionedtheeasewithwhichobservationscouldbeimmediatelysharedusingtheTapestryappsystem.Theyvaluedthebenefitsthishadforcommunicatingwithbusyparentsandhelpingreassureparentsthattheirchildrenwerehappyinthesetting.Forinstance,Rubysaid,“[Felix’sparents]requestedmoreobservations…TheywantedtoseemorebecauseIthinktheyfelthewouldbecryingalldayandtheydidn’tknowwhatwasgoingon,soTapestryallowedustoshowthemveryquicklythatthatwasn’tthecase”.ThelocationoftheiPadsinthenurseryandthedesignoftheTapestrysystemmeantthattheirpersonaldocumentationwasnotparticularlyaccessibletothechildren,unlessparentschose

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toshareTapestrywiththechildathome.Inthisway,parentswerepositionedasthemainconsumersofthedocumentation.Whilstthesedifferingemphaseswereidentifiedthroughthesettings’day-to-daypractices,itisworthreiteratingtheinterconnectednessofthethreeaspectsabove.Forinstance,TreeHouseNurseryalsoemphasizedtheimportanceoftheirTapestryobservationsforreflectionandplanning,HargraveSchoolspokeaboutthejoyofparentstakinghometheirchild’sSpecialBookattheendofreception,andBurrellNurserydrewuponthecontentoftheMemoryBookswhencompilingtheirassessmentrecordsfortheinstitutionalsetting.Inthisway,thestudyfoundthatpractitionersacrossthesettingsrecognisedtheintertwinedpurposesofdocumentation,althoughoneaspecttendedtocometotheforeineachsetting.Itispossiblethatthesedifferencesinemphaseswerepartiallyshapedbythesettingtype,with:theearlyyearsunitwithinaprimaryschoolfeelingtheexpectationsoftheschoolmoreacutely;theprivatechildcareproviderbeingparticularlysensitivetotheexpectationsofthefee-payingparent;andthenurseryschooldrawingonitsFroebelianrootsasasettingwherethechild’svoiceandrightsaregivenpredominantemphasis.Althoughthisisasmall-scalestudy,futureresearchmightfurtherexaminehowdifferenttypesofprovisionmayinfluenceapproachestodocumentation.Inadditiontothesedifferences,furtherthemeswereidentifiedacrossthesettings.Forexample,allthepractitionerswerepositiveaboutthebenefitsofobservationanddocumentation,statingthatitwasawayofseeingprogressthatwasindividualtoeachchild,enjoyedbyparentsandalsoresultedinavaluablerecordofthechild’stimeinthesetting.However,allsettingsalsoemphasizedthatdocumentationwasextremelytime-consuming,whatevertheformat,andthereweresharedconcernsaboutabalancebetweenobservingatadistanceandjoininginwithchildren’splay‘in-the-moment’.Allthreesettingsidentifiedpracticalchallengesrelatingtoequipmentforobservation.Forinstance,theyfounditchallengingtohavetherightequipmenteasilyathandattherightmoment(e.g.pens,notebooks,iPads),especiallywhenobservingplayoutside,andparticularlyiftheymightalsoneedtheirhandsfreeinordertohelpchildren.AnothersharedconcernthatemergedwasatensionbetweentheEYFSassessmentrequirementsandtheirownapproachestoobservationanddocumentation.Allthreesettingsperceivedthevalueofdocumentationtogobeyondsummativeassessment,yetthisfeaturedasaconsiderationinallsettings,andpromptedsomeresistance.Forexample,Vanessastated,“Weusethisformativeassessmenttoinformoursummativewhenwelevelthem,andIdon’tlikedoingthatatall.Ijustfeelreallybad.Ifeellikewe’reboxingthechildren.”ThereseemedtobeparticularfrustrationthattheEYFSdidnotgivevaluetosomeofthemostremarkableandsurprisingmomentsofchildren’slearning.Forinstance,Rubysaid,“Ifindthatwithobservationsthatarereally,reallyexciting,thosearetheonesthatarehardesttolink[totheEYFS]”andAnnasimilarlysaid,“ThereareofcoursemorethingsthatIcouldsay,butit’snotintheEYFS”.VanessafeltthattheEYFSthereforeriskedconfiningwhatpractitionerschoosetoobserveordocument,stating,“Idon’treally

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liketheideaofthisdevelopmentalassessment.Youknow,tickboxtwenty-twotothirty-six,becausethat’snotreallyhowchildrenlearn…Itcanconfinewhatyouarelookingat…Thechildrenmighthavemadesomeamazingthing,butit’slike,‘Canyoucounthowmanyblocksarethere?’Ok,notthat.Soyeah,I’mnotafanofsummativeassessmentatall”.Thissuggestedthatacrossthesettings,child-centredobservationanddocumentationofplaywasoftenintensionwithEYFSassessmentrequirements.Tosummarise,eachsettinghaddevelopeditsowndistinctapproachtoobservationanddocumentationshapedbyanumberoffactors,suchastheethosofthesetting,trialanderrorwithpaper-basedordigitalformats,timeandassessmentrequirements.Allthreesettingssawobservationanddocumentationasworthwhileandvaluable,andasbeingjointlyforthebenefitofteachers,parentsandchildren,yettheday-to-daypractices(suchasthestorage,accessarrangementsandformatofdocumentation)meantthatdifferentaudiencesweregivendifferentemphases,suggestingthatday-to-daypracticesshapewhoandwhatdocumentationisfor.Therewasalsoevidenceofresistanceagainstsummativeassessment,andfrustrationatthesometimesnarrowlensoftheEYFS.ParentPerspectivesonDocumentation

Thisprojectaimedtoexplorenotonlytheperspectivesofearlyyearssettingstowardsobservationanddocumentation,buttoblendpractitionervoiceswithothersinvolvedinyoungchildren’slearning.Forthisreason,parentsineachsettingwereaskedtheirviewsabouttheirchild’sdocumentation.Thiswasachievedthroughopen-endedandfocusedquestionnaireswiththeparentsoftheninecasestudychildren.InHargraveSchoolandBurrellNursery,Cowanwentthroughthequestionnairewiththeparents,whichenabledclarificationofthequestions,particularlywherelanguagewasapotentialbarrier,andthechild’sSpecialBookorMemoryBookwasreferredtoduringthesesessionstogivecontexttothequestionsandtopromptresponses.InTreeHouseNursery,itwasnotpossibletomeetwiththeparentsduetotheirworkschedules,sothequestionnairesweregiventoparentstotakehome,whichresultedinfewerresponses.Intotal,allthreeparentquestionnaireswerecompletedatHargraveSchoolandthreeatBurrellNursery,butonlyonewasreceivedfromTreeHouseNursery.Whilstthenumberofparentsconsultedwasrelativelysmall,theinformationtheyyieldedbroughtanimportantadditionalperspectivetotheobservationanddocumentationpracticesencounteredinthethreesettings.Likethepractitioners,theparentswerehighlypositiveaboutthechildren’sdocumentation,regardlessofthedifferentformstheytook.Theparentsseemedparticularlytovaluedocumentationasameansofkeepingtheminformedandprovidingalastingrecordoftheirchild’stimeinearlyeducation,withAran’smothersaying,“IlikeeverythingIseeinsidethebook.Ifeelhappytoknowwhathehasbeendoinginschool…andwhenthebookisgiventotheparentsattheendoftheyear,itmakesjoyforthewholefamily”.Theimportanceofdocumentationfor

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parentswasemphasizedbytheparentwhorespondedfromTreeHouseNursery,whowrote,“Ithinkit’sagreatsystemforbridgingthegapbetweenparentsandnursery.Ithelpskeepusintheloop”.ThisechoestheobservationalfindingsinTreeHouseNursery,wheredocumentationwasoftenproducedwithparentsinmind,usingTapestrytosupporttheimmediatesharingofobservations,ratherthan,forexample,usingthisformattoencouragechildrentocontributetotheirowndocumentation.Parentsalsoemphasizedthebenefitsforthechild,bothcurrentlyandinthefuture,withAran’smothersayingthathefeelspridewhenhelooksatthethingsinhisSpecialBook.TheworthforthechildwassimilarlyemphasizedbyparentsatBurrellNursery,withJemma’smothersayingshelikedthefacttheMemoryBookwasmadebyJemmaherself,andsuggestingJemmawillbeinterestedtolookbackatitwhensheisolder.Mateo’smothersaidheenjoys‘reading’hisMemoryBookhimself,andsaidshelikeditbecauseithelpshimrememberthethingsthathehasdone.ThisreflectsthesuggestionthatinBurrellNursery,documentationwasprimarilyco-producedwithandforthechild,supportedbytheaccessiblescrapbooksandavailableresourcesforchildrentoaddtotheirMemoryBooksthemselves.Therewerealsocommentsfromtheparentssuggestingthattheysawdocumentationasimportantforsupportingteachingandlearning,whichwasemphasizedparticularlybytheparentsatHargraveSchool.Forinstance,Aran’smotherthoughtitwasimportantforschooltodocumentAran’s“progress”and“development”,andSushma’smothersuggesteddocumentationwasusefulfortheteacherstocheckwhatshewaslearning.ThisreflectsthesuggestionthatintheearlyyearsunitatHargraveSchool,documentationwasinfluencedbythebroaderschoolethosandthatparentswereawareofdocumentationasrelatedtoassessment.TwoparentssharedthoughtsrelatingtosummativeassessmentandtheEYFS,showingskepticismabouttheroleofdocumentationroleinassessment.Felix’smotherwrote,“IneverlookattheEYFSstuffatthebottomofthepage[onTapestry].Theyareusually(always!)thesameandIhopethestaffdon’thavetospendtoolonginputtingallthat”.Similarly,Sita’sfathersaidhelikedthatthefocusintheSpecialBookswason“playratherthanstudies”.Thesecommentssuggestthatparentssharedthepractitioners’resistancetosummativeassessment,andthattheytendedtoseedocumentationasservingabroaderpurpose,includingrecognizingthechild’sindividuality,keepingparentsinformedaboutwhattheirchildwasdoinginthesetting,supportingchildrentoreflectontheirlearning,andofferingalastingkeepsakeforthechildandthefamily.Whentheparentswereaskedhowoftentheylookedattheirchild’sdocumentation,thisseemedtobestronglyinfluencedbytheformatandpracticesestablishedinthedifferentsettings.Forinstance,inHargraveSchooltheparentstendedonlytolookattheSpecialBooksatinvited‘shows’everyhalfterm,withsomeparentshavingneverseenthedocumentationiftheywereunabletoattend.InBurrellNursery,theparentssaidtheyoccasionallylookedattheMemoryBooksatdrop-offandpick-up

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time,whereasinTreeHouseNurseryFelix’smothersaidshelookedatobservationseverydaythatherchildattended,particularlyvaluingtheimmediacyoftheupdates:“Iloveseeingphotosofhimatnursery,seeingwhatitishe’senjoyingdoingthatday.”Thissuggeststhattheformofthedocumentationaffectshowoftenparentsviewtheirchild’sdocumentation,withdigitalformsbeingmoreaccessible.Whilstparentsacrossthethreesettingswereextremelypositiveabouttheirchild’sdocumentationandsaidtheyenjoyedlookingatit,theydidnottendtoaddtothedocumentationthemselves.InHargraveSchool,parentssuggestedtheyhadnotbeenaskedtoorwerenotallowedto.Forinstance,Aran’smothersaid,“Ineverbeenaskedtoaddcommentsorpicturestothebook.Iguessthat’sbecausethebookismeanttotellusaboutwhatthechildisdoinginschool,notinanyotherplace!”,whereasSushma’smothersaidshewouldliketoaddphotosandthingsfromhomeifshewereallowed.InBurrellNursery,despitetheintroductionpageontheMemoryBooksaskingforparentcontributions,someparentssaidtheydidnotknowtheycouldaddtothebook,orsaidtheydidnothavetimeatpick-upordrop-offtodothis.TheformatofTapestrymeantobservationsinTreeHouseNurseryweresharedwithparentsdigitally,withoptionsforparentstouploadmaterialandcommentonobservationsbuiltintothesoftware’sdesign.However,theparentatTreeHouseNurserywhorespondedsaidshedidnotfeelcomfortabledoingthis“becauseitseemslikethecommentsthengetsentouttoalltheotherparents,whichwouldbeirritatingforthem”,andthestaffatTreeHouseNurserysaiditwasaminorityofparentswhoaddedobservationsorcommentedonthem.Itthereforeseemsthatwhilsttheparentsacrossthesettingsappreciatedtheirchild’sdocumentation,theywerenotthemselvescontributingtoit,regardlessoftheformittook.Whensharingthisfindingwiththepractitioners,RubyandNeridafeltparentswerereluctanttocontributeduetoafeartheywouldseemtobe‘showingoff’,suggestingthatthiscouldbeovercomethroughongoingdiscussionsbetweensettingsandparentsaboutthepurposesofdocumentation.WhentheparentsatHargraveSchoolandBurrellNurserywereaskedhowtheywouldfeelabouttheSpecialBooksorMemoryBooksbeingdigital,thereweremixedresponses.Forexample,Mateo’smothersaiditwouldbebetterasshecouldlookfromhome,whereasJemma’smotherwasworriedadigitalversionmightcrashorgomissing,sayingshewouldpreferaphysicalcopytokeep.Harry’smotherfeltdigitalandnon-digitaldocumentationoffereddifferentpotentials,withpaper-basedformatsbeingbetterforkeepingthingslikeartsandcrafts,andvideobeingbetterforcapturingactivitieslikesinging,dancingandtalking.Inthisway,theparentsshowedawarenessofseveralpotentialsandconstraintsofdigitaldocumentation.Tosummarise,theparentswhosharedtheirperspectivesinthisresearchwerehighlypositiveabouttheirchildren’sdocumentation,althoughthedifferentpracticesandformatsineachsettingshapedhowoftentheylookedatit.Acrossallthesettings,thereseemedtobereluctancefromtheparentstoaddtodocumentationthemselves,suggestingthatifthisissomethingsettingswishtoencourage,itrequiresparticularattention,andthatdigitaldocumentationshould

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notbepresumedtogeneratemoreparentinputjustbecausethisisafeatureofthesoftware.Children’sPerspectivesonDocumentationAsthedocumentationpracticesinthesettingscentrallyconcernedthechildren,itwasimportanttoincludetheirperspectivesaspartofthisresearch.Seekingchildren’sviewsinappropriateandmeaningfulwaysrequiresapproachesthatmoveoutsideoftraditionalresearchmethods.Forthisreason,interviewsandquestionnaireswerenotconsideredappropriate,duetotheirparticularrelianceonlanguage.Recognizingthatyoungchildrencommunicateinawidevarietyofmodesinadditiontospeech,thechildren’sperspectivesontheirdocumentationweresoughtthroughinvitingthecasestudychildrentolookattheirdocumentationwiththeresearcher,andvideo-recordingthesesessions.Inthisway,thechildrenhadtheirdocumentationtopromptresponses,andthevideo-recordingenabledcarefulattentiontothemultimodalnatureofthesemoments,suchasuseofpointing,smiling,page-turningandgaze.Thechildrenweregivenopportunitiestostoptheseconsultationsessionsatanytime,and/ortocontinueforaslongastheywanted.Acrossthethreesettings,theaveragetimethechildrenspentlookingattheirdocumentationwas18minutes,withtheshortestsessionbeingMateowhospent4minuteslookingathisMemoryBook,andthelongestbeingAliyahwhospent26minuteslookingatherTapestryprofile.Notably,thechildreninTreeHouseNurseryspentmuchlongerlookingattheirdocumentation(anaverageof20minuteseach)comparedtothechildreninHargraveSchoolandBurrellNursery(anaverageof8minuteseach).ThiswasperhapsasignthatthechildrenfoundtheiPadinterfaceorinclusionofvideosparticularlyengaging,ormayhavebeenduetothefactthatthisdocumentationwasnotnormallysharedwiththechildreninTreeHouseNursery,sowasanewandparticularlyinterestingexperience.Allthechildrenwerehighlytactilewiththeirdocumentation,particularlywhenitwaspaper-based(e.g.strokingfingersacrosspicturesandartwork,turningpagesbackandforth,rearrangingpicturesthathadcomeloose).ThechildreninBurrellNurserywereparticularlyconfidentintheirhandlingoftheirMemoryBooks,turningthepagesindependentlyandofferingextensivecommentary(seeFigure9).ThisseemstoreflectthefactthattheMemoryBookswerecreatedbythem,wereroutinelyavailabletothem,andsowerehighlyfamiliar.InHargraveSchool,thechildrenweremuchmoretentativeintheirphysicalinteractionwiththedocumentation,needingmorepromptingtoturnthepagesthemselvesandtodiscussthematerial(seeFigure10).AsimilarhesitationwasinitiallyfoundamongstthechildrenatTreeHouseNursery,whoseemedtobewaitingforpermissiontotouchtheiPadscreentoaccesstheobservationsonTapestry.Theirconfidenceseemedtogrowthroughoutthesessionastheirindependentuseofthetabletwasencouraged,butcertainaspectsoftheTapestryinterfacedesigncontinuedtopresentchallenges.Forexample,playingavideowasatwo-stageprocessthat

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requiredpressingaplayiconfollowedbyasmallbuttonsaying‘PlayVideo’.Becauseoffeaturessuchasthis,whichreliedonreading(asyetunfamiliar)writtenlabelsandpressingverysmallbuttons,Tapestrywasnotparticularlychild-friendlyinitsdesign,andthismaybebecauseitwascreatedprimarilyforteachersandparents.

Figure9:MateosharinghisMemoryBook

Figure10:SushmasharingherSpecialBook

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Regardlessofthedifferentdocumentationformatsacrossthesettings,thechildrenseemedtogetpleasureandexcitementfromseeingthemselves,demonstratedinmanyinstancesofsmiling,pointingandrepeatedcommentssuchas“That’sme!”Thereseemedtobeasenseofprideasthechildrenlookedthroughtheirdocumentation,oftendemonstratedthroughsubtleexchangesofglancesandsmilesbetweenthechildrenandtheresearcher,suggestingthechildrenwereenjoyingseeingthemselvesandsharingthisrecord(seeFigure11).Sometimestheyverbalizedthisenjoyment.Forinstance,whenaskedhowshefeltaboutherTapestryprofile,Aliyahsaid,“Happy…Someofthepicturesaregoingtogotomymummy.I’mgoingtoshowmymamma”.

Figure11:AliyahsharingherTapestryProfile

Oftenthechildrenwouldaddacommentanddirectattentiontothethingstheyhadbeendoing,forinstanceSitasayingexcitedly,“Look!Iwasinthegarden”,Jemmasaying,“That’sme–I’mhappy”,andSushmaquietlypointingandnamingtheactivitiesshehadbeenphotographedin,“Cutting,building,dancing”.Inthisway,regardlessoftheformat,itseemedthatdocumentationwasavaluabledeviceforthechildrentorecallandreflectontheirlearning,suggestingthattherecouldbebenefitsformakingchildren’sdocumentationmorereadilyandeasilyaccessibletothem.InBurrellNursery,theMemoryBooksseemedtopromptextensivetalk,particularlyfromHarrywhowasoftenquietinthenurserybutspokeatlength(inamixtureofEnglishandAlbanian)aboutvariousexperiencesandinterestsincludinghismummy,birthdays,cake,brushingteethandgoingtothedoctors.AranwasmuchquieterashelookedathisSpecialBook,buthesingledoutoneparticularphotograph,pointing

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tohimselfwearingaSpidermanhatandsaid,“Thathatismine”(seeFigure2).ThesignificanceofthismomentbecameclearaftertalkingtoAran’smother.Sheexplainedthatshehadmadethishatherselfafterlearningtoknitataparentworkshoporganizedbytheschool,andthatitwasparticularlyspecialtoAran.Inthisway,documentationcanbeanimportanttoolforrecordingthingsthatareseeminglysmallbuthighlysignificanttochildren.Incidentssuchasthisalsopointtotheimportanceofincludingparents’perspectivesinchildren’sdocumentationinordertogainimportantinsightsintochildren’sexperiencesandworldsbeyondtheearlyeducationsetting.Tosummarize,thechildrentookgreatpleasurefromsharingtheirdocumentationandspentextendedperiodslookingatit.Inthesettingswherethedocumentationwasnotroutinelyavailabletothechildren,theyappearedmoretentative,andneededencouragementtoturnpagesortoopenobservationsthemselves.TheTapestryinterfacepresentedparticularchallengestothechildren’sindependentaccessoftheirdocumentation,asthissystemisprimarilydesignedforparentsandteachers.However,regardlessoftheformat,allthechildrenshowedinterestintheirdocumentationandprideinthethingstheyhaddone.Thisfindingsuggeststhatdocumentationcanbeparticularlyimportanttochildren,asawayofmakingtheirlearningvisibleandprovidingopportunitiesforthemtoreflectandsharetheirlearningwithothers.Thismakesacasefordocumentationtobemaderegularlyandreadilyavailabletochildrenthemselves,notonlytoadults,andfordigitaldocumentationtobemademoreuser-friendlyforchildren.ChallengesinRecognisingSignsofLearningHavingexaminedanddiscussedtheday-to-dayobservationanddocumentationpracticesinthethreesettings,itwasnecessarytolookingreaterdepthatdocumentationitselfthroughcasestudiesofparticularchildren.Thishelpedexplorewiththepractitionerswhatdoes,anddoesnot,getrecognisedassignsoflearningintheirsettings.Inordertodothis,thepractitionerswereaskedtoreflectonchildrentheytypicallyfoundtheyhadfewerobservationsof,withthreechildrenineachsettingthenbeingselectedascasestudies.Fromtheirdiscussionsofthechildren,andtheirreflectionsonwhyitwashardertogetobservationsonsomechildrenthanothers,certaintraitsandcharacteristicsemerged.Acrossthethreesettings,childrenwithfewerobservationstendedtobedescribedashavingsomeofthefollowingcharacteristics:

• Quiet• Shy• HavinglimitedEnglish• Spendinglotsoftimeoutdoors• Beinghighlyphysical/runningalot• Shyingawayfromgroupactivities• Notproducing‘work’(drawingsetc.)• Independent(notseekingoutadultattention)

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Severalofthesecharacteristicsrelatetotheissueofverbalexpression,withthepractitionersexplainingthattheyfoundchildrenwhospokelittle,orspokelittleEnglish,particularlychallengingtoobserve.Forinstance,Vanessasaid,“He’ssoshy…hedoesn’ttalkverymuchsoitmakesitmoredifficulttogetobsonhim”,andAnnasimilarlysaid,“Iguessitiseasiersometimestoobservetheverbalchildren”.Theissueoflanguagewasalsoreflectedinthepractitioners’choiceofcasestudychildren,with7ofthe9childrenhavingEnglishasanadditionallanguage,and4ofthesechildrenbeingintheearlystagesoflearningEnglish.Anothercommoncharacteristicconcernedhighlyphysicalplayandextensiveplayoutdoors.Theoutdoorswasidentifiedacrossthethreesettingsasanareawherepractitionersfounditparticularlychallengingtoobservechildren’slearning,becauseofpracticalissuessuchashavingobservationequipmenteasilytohand,usingequipmentinallweathers,andneedingtocloselysupervisethemoreriskyplaythattendedtohappenoutside.Physicalplayalsopresentedchallengesintermsofhowitcouldberecorded,withSharonsaying,“Ithinkoutsideisharder,practicallywritingstuffdown…becausetheboysliketoplaytheirchasinggamesandthere’skindofroleplaygoingon,butyoucan’treallypindownwhat’shappeningbecauseit’soverthereandit’soverthereandit’soverthere”.Thishighlightsthedifficultyofrepresentingphysicalplayinwrittendocumentation,andsuggeststhatplaywhichcannoteasilyberecordedinwritingmaybehardertodocument,andsobecomesmoredifficulttorecognizeaslearning.Otherfactorsthatinfluencedobservationincludedwhetherornotchildrencametojoiningroupactivities,asthesewereoftentimeswhenpractitionerswerefocusingongettingobservations,andwhetherornotthechildrenproduced‘work’suchasdrawingswhichprovidedlastingtracesoftheiractivity(unlikephysicalplay).Furthermore,childrenwhodidnotseekoutadultattentionseemedtopresentachallengeforobservationinbusyclassroomenvironments,withJessdescribingsuchchildrenastendingto“flyundertheradar”.Severalofthechildrenselectedforcasestudiesweredescribedasbeingcapableandindependent,yetfortheseveryreasonshadfewerobservationsastheytendedtohavefewerinteractionswiththepractitioners.Throughoutthediscussionsofwhatwasdifficulttoobserve,practitionersalsogaveinsightsintowhattheytendedtofindeasiertoobserve.AsDawnputit,“Andthenofcourseyou’vegotthestarchildrenthateveryonewritesobservationsof”.Characteristicsofsuchchildrentendedtobetheoppositeofthoseoutlinedabove,suchasbeinghighlyverbal,outgoing,speakingEnglishfluently,mainlyplayinginsideatquiet/stillactivities,enjoyingjoininggroupactivities,producinglotsof‘work’andseekingoutadultattention.Thishighlightsthatforthemanychildrenwhodonotfitthecharacteristicsof‘starchildren’,signsoflearningmaybemoresubtleandmaybemorelikelytogetmissedinbusyearlyyearsenvironments.Throughoutthediscussions,thepractitionerswerehighlyreflectiveaboutchildrenwithfewerobservations,andsharedapproachestheywereadoptingtotryand

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addressthis.Forinstance,atHargraveSchool,Vanessasaidthatcompilingthechildren’sSpecialBookshelpedheridentifywhichchildrenhadmoreobservationsthanothers:“Whenyouaregoingthroughandstickingthingsinitflags,OKthatchild’sdoingalotofwork,thischild’snot.Well,why’sthischildnot,andmaybeIneedtotryandthinkofwaystogetmoreworkonthischild”.InTreeHouseNursery,Neridahadintroducedanobservationgrid(seeFigure5)whichdirectedpractitionerstoobservechildren’sactionsaswellaslanguage.Similarly,inBurrellNurseryJesswastryingtosupportotherstafftorecordobservationswhichdidnotnecessarilyfocusonchildren’slanguage,saying,“Youwouldwritedownwhatthechildisdoing–literallywhattheyaredoing…likebreathingreallydeeply,ormakingnonoise,likeavocalizationratherthanaword”.Tosummarize,thecasestudyfindingsrevealcharacteristicsofchildrenwhoseplaypractitionerstendedtofinditmorechallengingtodocumentinearlyyearssettings,highlightingatendencytofocusonchildrenwhocommunicateconfidentlyinEnglish,withariskofoverlookingplaywhichishighlyphysicalandoftenoutdoors,andchildrenwhodonotseekoutadultinteractionorproduce‘work’.Thesettingswerereflectiveabouttheseissuesandweredevelopingapproachestoensureallchildren’slearningwasrecognised.However,thefindingscallforsharingofsuchpracticesandconsiderationoffurtherapproachesanddocumentationformatswhichgivegreaterrecognitiontochildren’smorediverseandsubtlesignsoflearning.

PartII:DevelopingApproachestoObservationandDocumentationUsingDigitalToolsThissectionbuildsonthefindingsofPartI,whichexploredarangeofobservationanddocumentationpracticesandtheperspectivesofpractitioners,parentsandchildren,andidentifiedsignsoflearningthatmaybeoverlooked.PartIIpresentsfindingsthatexplorehowdigitaltoolsmightbeusedtoobserveanddocumentyoungchildren’splayinnewways,reflectingtheFroebelianprinciplesofthe‘holisticnatureofdevelopment’and‘theuniquenessofeverychild’scapacityandpotential’.Toexplorethis,eachsettingwasgivenaniPadMiniandaskedtorecordobservationsofthecasestudychildren.ThepractitionersthenwatchedtheirrecordingswithCowanandreflectedonthechallengesandpotentialsofvideodocumentation,andanychangestheywouldmaketotheirpracticeinlightofthisexperience.Thefindingsrevealtheimpactofvideoontheirownpractice,andleadstoaseriesofrecommendationsforobservationanddocumentationwithrelevancebeyondthecasestudysettings.ChallengesofVideoDocumentationThedegreetowhichthesettingsuseddigitaltechnologiesvariedattheoutsetoftheresearch.InHargraveSchoolandBurrellNursery,digitaltoolswerenotregularly

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usedindocumentationapartfromtakingphotographs.InTreeHouseNursery,iPadswerealreadyusedregularlyaspartoftheTapestrydocumentationsystem,butthesettingwasinterestedinusingvideomoreandinnewways.Attitudestowardsusingdigitaltechnologiesforobservationhadbeenmixedacrossthesettingsattheoutsetofthestudy.InTreeHouseNursery,whereTapestrywasalreadyusedregularly,staffwerelargelypositiveaboutthepotentials.However,intheothertwosettingsthereweresomeconcerns.Vanessa’sexperienceoflosingobservationsin2BuildaProfilemeantshewasskepticalaboutthevalueofchangingapproaches,andpractitionersatBurrellNurserymentionedconcernsrelatingtoscreensinearlyyearssettings,worriedthatthepresenceofaniPadmightinterferewithinteractionsbetweenpractitionersandchildren.ThepractitionersusediPadstorecordvideoofthecasestudychildren’splayoverthreeweeks,thenwatchedthevideosbackastheywereinterviewedabouttheirreflections.HavingtriedusingiPadsinthisway,somechallengesandconcernswereidentified.Forinstance,VanessadescribedtheiPadasbeing“alittlebitofabarrier”andfeltitmeantshewaslessinvolvedinjoiningthechildren’splay.Therewerealsoconcerns,raisedbyRuby,thatsomechildrenmightfindextensiveuseofvideointrusive,withSharonsaying,“Ithinktheyareconsciousofme[usingtheiPad]…theirbehaviourchanges”.Vanessafeltthatwrittenobservationswerelessobvioustothechildren,althoughthisthencallsintoquestiontherightofchildrentoknowtheyarebeingobserved.JessfelttherewasalsoanawarenessofthecameraamongstpractitionersatBurrellNursery,whoshesaidwereworriedaboutbeingonfilm,sotheydidnotalwaysengageastheynormallywouldwithchildrenwhowerebeingfilmed.Thesefindingsrecognizethatvideocamerascannotbeseparatedfromthecontextinwhichtheyareused,andsuggestthatfurtherresearchcouldbecarriedouttoexploretheeffectofvideoobservationonclassroominteractions.Italsoraisesquestionssurroundingthepurposesofvideo,theethicsofitsuseandthelinebetweenobservationandsurveillance.Afurtherconcernsharedacrossthethreesettingswastheconsiderabletimeneededtorecordandreflectonvideo,withthepractitionerssuggestingthatthevalueofvideoingwouldneedtobekeptinbalancewiththemanyotherdemandsoftheirrole.Theyalsoreflectedonthedifficultyofmakingdecisionsin-the-momentastheywererecording,withDawncommentingthatitwas“difficulttoknowwhentostopfilming”,andthereforeeasytoamasslengthyvideoquickly,withTreeHouseNurseryhighlightingthelargeamountsofcomputermemorytakenupbyvideo.Whilstthedetailofvideowasrecognisedasanappealingfeature,itwasalsoseenasachallenge,withDawnsaying,“[theiPad]takesineverything,doesn’tit?WithaPost-Ityouaremuchmoredirectedatsomething”,suggestingthatthereisvalueinselectiveandediteddocumentation.Severalofthepractitionersalsospokeaboutthechallengeofbeinginterruptedwhenvideoing,forinstancewhenchildrencametoaskforhelp,whichtheyfeltwaslessofanissuewithwrittenandphotographicobservations.InTreeHouseNursery,whereuseofvideowaspartofestablishedpractice,theeducators’reflectionsmainlyhighlightedchallengestheyexperiencedwithTapestry.

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Forinstance,theyspokeaboutthereductionofvideoqualitywhenclipswereuploadedfromiPadsintoTapestry,andthefactthatvideoclipsinTapestryhadtobeundertwominuteslong.Rubyalsosuggestedthatthesoftwarewasnotveryintuitivetouse,andnotchild-friendly.NeridadescribedTapestryashavingasomewhat“rigidformat”thatsupportedcollectionofevidenceratherthanprocessesofreflection.AsNeridaexplained,“Therearemanydisadvantages[toTapestry],butwearetryingtomakeitworktoouradvantageasmuchaswecan,andtherestwecanuseotherthingstoworkon”.TheircriticalapproachtothesoftwaremeantthepractitionersrecognisedTapestry’sshortcomingsandworkedtoovercomethem,forexamplethroughaddingtheirown‘Reflections’sectionwithineachTapestrynote.ThepractitionersatTreeHouseNurseryhadseveralsuggestionsoffeaturestheywouldliketoseeindigitaldocumentationsoftware,andhadevenwrittentothedevelopersofTapestrytosharetheirideas.Theseincludedbeingabletoeditvideo,beingabletochangetheorderandlayoutofphotosandvideos,beingabletoaddcaptionstophotosandvideos,andbeingabletousedifferentfontsandcoloursforwrittentext.Thissuggeststhatdesignersanddevelopersofdigitaldocumentationmightconsideraddingfeaturesthatgivepractitionersgreatercontrolofthelayoutanddesignofdocumentation,andsupportreflection,ratherthanprioritizingevidenceanddataanalytics.AfurtherchallengethepractitionersencounteredwithTapestrywasthedocumentationofongoingprojects.RubyrecalledthatshehadattendedtheNurseryWorldshow,wheredevelopersofdigitaldocumentationsoftwareweretryingtopromotetheirproducts:“AndIjustsaid,welldoesitdowhatweneedittodo?Canwefollowaprojectthrough?Andeverybodywaslike,‘What?Whatdoyoumean?’”Thissuggestsamisunderstandingonthepartofdigitaldocumentationdevelopers,whomaynotappreciatethemultiplepurposesofdocumentation,particularlythosewithplay-basedandenquiry-ledapproaches.Itsuggestsagapinthemarketfordigitaldocumentationsoftwarewhichreflectschild-centredFroebelianprinciples,andwhichappreciatesthepotentialofdigitaldocumentationforpractitioners’ownreflections.PotentialsofVideoWhilstthepractitionersacknowledgedthatvideoobservationbroughtchallenges,theresearchrevealedthatthepractitionerssawvaluablepotentialsforvideo,particularlyforobservingchildrenwhohadbeenidentifiedasbeingchallengingtoobserveusingtraditionalmethods.Amajoradvantagethatwasidentifiedacrossthesettingswastherichdetailofferedbyvideo,althoughasmentionedabove,thiswasadouble-edgedswordandcouldbetime-consumingand/orlackfocus.Practitionersmentionedthevalueofbeingabletorecordchildren’sspeechword-for-word,qualitiesofspeechsuchasintonation,andforfocusingonunspokenaspectsoftheirplay.Thepractitionerssuggestedthatvideowasvaluableforcapturingthisdetail,andfornoticingaspectsofchildren’splaythatmightotherwisebeoverlooked.Rubyreflected,“WhatI

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realizedisthere’ssomanythingsthatI’vemissedduringthesessionthatareactuallylikegold,youknow,thatarehappeninginthebackground”.AsJessputit,“Itjustslowsdownyourthinkingtolookingintowhat[Jemma’s]actuallydoing,ratherthan,youknow,inthemomentyoumightnotthinkaboutthedetail”.Sharonmentionedshefoundvideoparticularlyvaluableforcapturingphysicalplay,withRubysuggestingthatitshiftedemphasisawayfromspeech,“Forchildrenwhoaremuchmorequiet,thevideoshowsyousomethingyoumaybewouldn’thaveobserved”.Inthisway,thepractitioners’reflectionssuggestthatvideoactsasausefultoolforfocusingattentiononchildrenwhosesignsoflearningmighttypicallybehardertodocumentinmoretraditionalforms,suchaswriting.Thepractitionersalsosuggestedthatvideoenabledthemtorecordmoreaboutthesituationandcontextofanobservationthanawrittennoteorphotocould.AsJesssaid,“Ithinkit’samoreholisticlookatwhattheyaredoing.Ithinkyouhavetimetoconsidermorethings”.Thefindingsthereforesuggestthatvideoisvaluableparticularlyforthedetailedyetholisticrecorditcreates,whichcansupportpractitionerstovalueunspokenaspectsofplayandtonoticesubtletiesinchildren’slearningthataretypicallymissedin-the-moment.Inthisrespect,wefoundclearevidencethatdigitaldocumentationwhenusedappropriatelycanenabletheembeddingofFroebelianprinciplesofthe‘uniquenessofeverychild’scapacityandpotential’and‘holisticnatureofdevelopment’indocumentationpracticesincontemporarykindergartens.Asecondmajoradvantageofvideoseemedtobetheopportunitiesitpresentedthepractitionersforreflection.AsDawnsaid,“Ithinkyouseemorewhenyouarewatchingitback”,withRubysuggesting,“Inawayyouarewatchingittwice.Ratherthanwatchingitandthenwritingdownandmissingsomething,youarewatchingitallunfold…youfocusinalotmoreonwhat’shappening”.Thepractitionerssuggestedthatre-watchingthevideosenabledadifferentfocusofattention,forinstancethepossibilitytoconcentrateattentiononjustonechildinagrouporadifferentchildeachtime.Jessdescribedthere-watchingprocessas“havingthetimetothinkabitmoredeeply”withNataliesuggestingthatdifferentinterpretationsweremadepossiblebyre-watching:“Ithinkwhenyouwriteitdownyoualwaysgowithwhatyouseeatthatpointintime…whereaswhenyouarefilmingityoucanseeitinadifferentwaywhenyoulooklater”.Inthisway,videoprovedtobeavaluabletoolforsupportingthepractitionerstoreflectdeeplyonthechildren’splay,andtoquestiontheirowninterpretations,inwaysthatchallengedtheirthinkinganddependedtheirinsightsintoindividualchildren’slearning.Inallthreeofthesettings,thepractitionershadbeguntoexperimentwithshowingthevideobacktothechildrentopromptthechildren’sreflection.Forexample,VanessashowedSitaaclipofherplayinginthegarden,andSitathentoldVanessaallaboutthestoryshehadbeenactingout.VanessareflectedthatSitahadbeeninterestedinseeingherself,andthatSita’scommentshadofferednewinsightsintoherplay.Vanessahadpreviouslyusedthechildren’sSpecialBookstoreflectwiththem,butsuggested,“maybethere’salittlebitmoretotalkaboutwhentherearevideos”.InBurrellNursery,thepractitionershadexperimentedwithvideoingthechildren,thensharingthiswithchildrenindividually,asagroup,andwithparentsaspartoftheirend-of-yearexhibition.Jesssaidtheresearchhadmadeherthink

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“aboutawayIcoulduse[video]whereitwouldjustaddsomethingextra”.Clara,theSENCOatBurrellNursery,suggestedthatvideocouldbeanimportantwayofgivingvaluetothethingschildrendid,andmakingthiscleartothechildren:“It’svaluingit,andit’sthemseeingthatwereallyvalueit”.AsNeridaputit,“When[thechildren]seethatthere’sbeenputsomuchvalueinwhatthey’vedone,Ithinktheyfinditamazing”.Inthisway,videomightbeconsideredavaluabletoolforusingwithchildrentopromptreflectionsontheirlearning,andasameansofshowingtochildrenthatadultsvalueandareinterestedinthethingstheydo.AtTreeHouseNursery,thepractitionershadexploredthepossibilitiesofvideoasapliablemediumthatcanbeaugmentedandre-watchedindifferentways.Thiscameaboutthroughanongoingprojectexploringjumping,andaparentwhohaduploadedslow-motionvideosoftheirchildbouncingonatrampolineontoTapestry.Thepractitionerssharedthiswiththechildrenandreflectedontheexperienceofre-watchingitwiththem:“Theykeptsayingthingslike,‘Lookathishair!Lookathishair!’It’ssosloweddown,youseethingsthatyoudon’tnormallysee–themovementofthebodyparts…Yeah,it’sreallyamazing.Youseethemovement”.Inthisway,videoofferedparticularpotentialasamalleable,shareablemediumthatcanbewatchedrepeatedlyindifferentwayswithdifferentaudiences,andcanbesloweddowninthere-watchingtohighlightaspectsofplaythatmayotherwisebehardtocapture.Finally,afurtherpossibilityofvideoincludeditspotentialasatoolforpractitionerstoreflectontheirownpractice.Someofthepractitionershadinadvertentlyorpurposefullyrecordedtheirowninteractionswithchildren,andthispromptedthemtoreflectontheirrole.Forexample,Sharonsaid,“I’verecordedmyselfduringastructuredsessionjusttoseehowI’mquestioning…it’squitehelpful”.HavingrecordedagroupsessionRubysaid,“ItdefinitelymadememoreawareofthewayI’minteractingwiththechildren”.Inthisway,videoseemedtoofferthepractitionersachancetoreflectontheirownpracticeinwaysthatarenotalwayspossibleinthemoment.Tosummarize,thefindingssuggestthatusingvideoaspartofobservationanddocumentationbringsseveraladvantages.Videocapturesarichanddetailedrecordthatcandrawattentiontoaspectsofplaythatmighttypicallybeoverlookedin-the-moment,orwouldbedifficulttodocumentinwritingandstillphotos.Wefoundthatvideosupportsattentiontosilentandphysicaldimensionsofplay,whichmighttypicallybedismissedorbehardertocaptureinotherforms.Themalleabilityofvideoasamediumalsosupporteditsre-watchingindifferentways,suchasinslowmotion,whichfurtherhighlightedembodiedaspectsofplay.Throughthepossibilityofre-watchingvideoaftertheevent,andwithdifferentaudiences(e.g.children,parents,otherpractitioners),videopresentedopportunitiesformultipleinterpretationsandcriticalreflectiononpractitioners’ownrolesinplay.Inthisway,videowasidentifiedashavingvaluablepotentialsforobservinganddocumentingchildren’splay,givingvaluetoaspectsofplaythatmightotherwisebeoverlooked,forsupportingreflection,andforlettingparentsandchildrenknowthatchildren’splayisvalued.

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ReflectionsandImpactonPracticeThepractitionersreportedthattheyhadfoundtheresearchanengagingexperienceandwerehighlyreflective,particularlyinthefinalinterview,inwhichwediscussedtheemergingresearchfindingsandspokeaboutwhethertheirpracticemightchangeasaresultoftheresearch.Theresearchexperiencehadpromptedreflectiononwhattheirobservationanddocumentationpracticesgavevalueto,andwhatwaspotentiallybeingmissed.AsRubysaid,“Ithinkthereseemstobearecurringthemethatplaythat’snotverbalisnotasvaluedbytheadult…wearenotgoodatlookingattheotherlanguages,orlookingatwhattheyaretellinguswithoutverbalcommunication”.Bytheendoftheproject,thisrealizationhadresultedinongoingchangestotheirobservationanddocumentationpractices.Ineachofthesettings,thepractitionersindicatedthattheyhadbegunusingvideomoreaspartoftheirobservationanddocumentation,orwereplanningtouseitovertheacademicyearahead.Thepractitionersdiscussedseveraldifferentpossibleuses,whichshowedappreciationofthepotentialsoutlinedabovewhilstrecognizingandtakingstepstoaddresssomeofthechallenges,asdiscussedbelow.InBurrellNursery,thepractitionersemphasizedthevalueofthedetailofvideoandthereflectiveprocesstheyengagedinastheyhadre-watchedtheirrecordings.Asaresultoftheresearchtheywereplanningtousevideoasa“tool”forfocusedobservationsofchildren.Theyrecognisedthatrecordingandre-watchingvideowastime-consuming,andsoplannedtoidentifychildrenwhowereatriskofbecoming‘lost’andusevideotointentionallyfocusattentionontheirplay,byre-watchingvideoinstaffmeetingsinorderto“raisethatchildintheconsciousnessofeverybody”(Natalie).Jesshadpreviouslytalkedaboutsomechildren’splaybeing“offtheradar”,andshefeltthatvideocouldbeausefultoolforaddressingthis.Inthisway,thepractitionerswereplanningtointegratevideointotheirpracticeinpurposefulandintentionalwaysinordertobringattentiontochildrenwhosesignsoflearningmayotherwisegetlost.InTreeHouseNursery,throughouttheresearchthepractitionershadidentifiedthattheytendedtorecordfewerobservationsoutdoors.TheyattemptedtoaddressthisbyorderingiPadcaseswithwearablestraps,asNeridaexplained:“Actually,itcameaboutbecauseofthisproject…Therulebecamethatthese[iPadswithstraps]aretheonesforthegarden,andyoutakeoneeverytimeyougodown.Ratherthanthembeingleftonthewindowsill,orleftaroundbecauseyouhavetohelpachildorsomething,it’sjustrightthere.SoIthinkit’smadeabigdifferenceactually”.Asaresultofinvolvementintheresearch,thepractitionerswerereflectingontheirobservationanddocumentationpracticesandtakingsteps,suchasbuyingnewequipment,whichwouldsupportthemtousevideoinnewways,andenablethemtofocusontypesofplaythathadpreviouslytendedtobeoverlooked.Allthreeofthesettingssaidtheywouldliketorecordmorevideotosharewiththechildrenthemselves,andthattheyvaluedthepotentialofvideoasapromptforreflectiononlearning.Vanessasaid,“Ithinkitwouldbereallynicetoshowthembacklittleclipsandaskthem,‘Whatwasgoingonthen?Whydidyoudothat?’AndI

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thinktheywouldlikethataswell”.Similarly,RubysaidTreeHouseNurserywantedto“domoreshowingthechildrenaswell,becausetheyreallyloveit,andthentheystartmakingconnectionswiththings”.Itwasrecognisedthatthiscouldbeatime-consumingactivity,andsoBurrellNurserysuggestedhavingparticulartimeswhenthiswouldbeafocus:“Weweretalkingaboutthepotentialofthevideo,andabouteachhalftermjusthavingadaywherewehavethescreenupandtheprojectorrunning”(Natalie).Itthereforeseemedallthreesettingsfelttherewasvalue,andenjoymentforthechildren,inusingvideomoreasatoolforreflectionwithchildrenthemselves,andwereconsideringstrategiesforsupportingthis.Usingvideoforreflectionwithparentswasalsocommontheme.TreeHouseNurserywereplanningtoexperimentwithmountinganiPadwithheadphonesonthedisplayboardattheentrancetotheclassroom,“tomake[videodocumentation]veryaccessibletotheparents”(Nerida).PractitionersalsocommentedthatvideohadpotentialforcommunicatingwithparentswhowereintheearlystagesoflearningEnglish.Forexample,atBurrellNursery,Jessmentioned:“Harry’smumdidn’tcometoanyparentteacherconference,andIthinkthatwasprobablythelanguagebarrierorfearoftherebeingone,andIthoughtthatifIhadaparentnextyearImightrecordvideoandshowthemclipsofvideo,anditmighthelpsomeunderstandingwithoutthepressure”.

Figure12:Sharon’sannotatedvideostills

Severalofthepractitionershadbeguntryingnewwaysofworkingwithvideotodocumentthechildren’slearning,whichoftenrequirededitingvideofordifferentpurposes.ForSharon,thisinvolvedfindingwaystoincorporatevideointothechildren’sSpecialBooksbytakingscreenshotsthatshethenannotated(seeFigure12).InTreeHouseNursery,Rubywascombiningvideoclips,videostills,photographsandwrittenextractsofthechildren’stalkintoafilmthatdocumentedthejumpingproject,includingthepractitioners’interpretationofthechildren’senquiry(seeFigure13).Reflectingonusingvideo,Rubysaid,“Itgetspeoplethinking,andseeingabitmoreintowhat’shappening”.Inthisway,TreeHouse

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Nurserywasexperimentingwithvideoasameansofcapturingthechildren’sexplorationofjumpinginamediumthathighlighteditsdynamicandembodiedqualities,andwereusingvideotosharetheenquirywithothers,includingparents.

Figure13:JumpingProjectvideostillsAllthreesettingsacknowledgedthatworkingwithvideopresentedchallengesaswellaspossibilities,withRubyreflecting,“Iguessit’sabitofalearningcurve,justthesameasIguesswhendigitalcamerascameintouseinnurseries”.Itseemedthatacrossthesettings,thepractitionerswereidentifyingthechallengesandfindingwaysthemselvestoovercomethem.Forexample,havingbeenconcernedthattheiPadpotentiallypresentedabarriertointeractingwiththechildren,Jesssaidshewantedtotryusingthevideoinadifferentway:“I’dquiteliketotryhavingtheiPadbuthavingitwithinaconversation,becauseIwastryingtovideointhewaythatIwouldtrytowriteanobservation,whichislikeyou’rejustanobserver”.Inthisway,Jesswasreflectingontheimpactofvideoonaninteractionandquestioningherroleasanobserver,consideringwaysshemightchangethedynamic.Similarly,RubyreflectedonthedifficultchoicesthatvideoingentailedandplannedtoexperimentwithchangingtheperspectiveoftheiPad:“Weweretalkingaboutthepositioning…InitiallyIwasthinkingitwasbesttobedownandgettingthechild’sface,but[Nerida]wassayingactuallyifyouareupandanglingitdownyoucangetthewholegroupandcanmoveitaroundtoo,sothat’sbeenabitofalearningprocessaswell”.WhendiscussingthelimitationsofTapestryasadigitaldocumentationsystem,thepractitionersatTreeHouseNurseryevensuggestedtheycoulddesignandmaketheirowndigitaldocumentationsoftware,withRubysaying,“Ifeellikegoingonacodingcoursetolearnandcreateourownapp”,andNeridaadding,“Whynot?You’veinspiredusKate!”Thisdemonstratesthatthepractitionerswerereflective,criticalandcreativeintheirapproachtousingdigitaltools,andwereopentofurtherexperimentationinordertoovercomethechallenges.Theparticipatoryresearchdesignadoptedinthisstudysupportedthepractitionerstoexaminetheirownpracticeandtoconsiderhowtheymightimprovetheirobservationanddocumentation.Allthesettingsindicatedtheywouldliketousevideomoreintheirfuture,recognizingthepotentialofdigitaldocumentationtofocusonaspectsofplaythatmighttypicallybeoverlooked,topromptchildren’sownreflectiononlearning,andtosharethislearningwithparents.Simultaneously,

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thepractitionersshowedawarenessofchallengessuchasthetime-consumingnatureofre-watchingvideo,thepotentialofiPadstogetinthewayofinteractionswithchildren,andthelimitationsofcommercialsoftwaredesign,buttheywerereadilyidentifyingmeansofaddressingtheseissuesthroughouttheirpractice.Overalltheresearchsupportedthepractitionerstoexplorethepotentialsofdigitaldocumentationforvaluingsignsoflearning,andthroughincorporatingvideointotheirpracticetheyweregivingrecognitiontotheholistic,interconnecteddimensionsofplay-basedlearningthatarecentraltotheFroebelianethos.KeyPointsandRecommendationsThechangesmadebythecasestudysettingsindicatethedirectimpactoftheresearchontheirobservationanddocumentationpractices.Althoughthiswasasmall-scalestudy,thefindingsalsoofferinsightsandimplicationsforearlyyearspracticemoregenerally,andforthosedevelopinganddesigningdigitaldocumentationsoftware.Thekeypointsoftheresearchcanbesummarizedasfollows:

a. Earlychildhoodeducationsettingshavediverseapproachestoobservinganddocumentingchildren’slearning,dependingonwhoandwhatthedocumentationisfor,andthisislinkedtoeachsetting’sethos;

b. PractitionersfoundithardertoobserveanddocumentchildrenwhodidnotcommunicateconfidentlyinEnglish,whospentextendedperiodsplayingoutside/inphysicalplay,andwhodidnotseekoutadultinteractionorproducethingsthatactedastracesoftheirlearning(e.g.drawings,paintings).Thishighlightedcharacteristicsofchildrenwhose‘signsoflearning’aremorelikelytogounnoticed;

c. Practitionersvaluedobservationanddocumentationaspartoftheirchild-centredpedagogy,yetfeltthiswasintensionwiththesummativeassessmentrequirementsoftheEYFSnationalcurriculum;

d. Parentsappreciateddocumentationoftheirchildren’slearning,andfounddigitaldocumentationmoreaccessiblethanpaper-basedformats.Parentperspectivesontheirchild’sdocumentationaddedvaluableinsightsforpractitioners,yetmostparentsdidnotcontributetotheirchildren’sdocumentation,irrespectiveoftheformat;

e. Childrenenjoyedreviewingandsharingtheirdocumentation,andthispromptedmetacognitivereflectionontheirownlearning.However,mostdigitaldocumentationsoftwareisdesignedforadultuseanddoesnotcurrentlyfacilitatechildren’sindependentaccessorcontributiontotheirowndocumentation;

f. Videowasidentifiedashavingvaluablepotentialforobservinganddocumentingchildren’splay,givingvaluetoaspectsofplaythatmightotherwisebeoverlooked,forsupportingreflection,andforlettingparentsandchildrenknowthatplayisvalued;

g. Videoobservationsanddocumentationpresentedchallenges:timeneededtorecordandre-watchmaterial;impactofdigitaldevicesoninteractions

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withchildren;thedigitaldocumentationsoftwaredesigncreatingtensionswithenquiry-basedapproachestoearlylearning;

h. Theparticipatoryresearchdesignofthisstudysupportedpractitionerstoreflectcriticallyontheirownpractice,addresschallenges,andcreativelyimplementchangesrelatingtotheuseofdigitaltoolsandtheembeddingofcoreFroebelianprinciplesintheirobservationanddocumentationpractices.

NextSteps

Ourplanstotakeforwardthefindingsofthisvaluableandoriginalstudyfocusontheneedtopromoteassessmentpracticesinearlychildhoodeducationthatrecognizeandmorefullycapturetheholisticnatureofdevelopmentandeverychild’suniquecapacityandpotential.Nextstepstowardsachievingthisinclude:

1. Raisingawarenessoftheneedtorecognizeandvaluechildren’ssilentsignsoflearning,whichmaybehardtoobserveanddocumentandareoftenoverlooked;

2. Exploringthepotentialsofdigitaldocumentationforcriticalreflectiononlearning,includingusingvideoasatoolforpromptingchildren’sownrecall;

3. Supportingearlyeducatorstofindwaystoincludeparentsandchildrenindocumentationprocesses;

4. Workingwithdigitalsoftwaredesignerstoexploremoreaccessible,child-friendlydocumentationinterfacesthatsupportthedocumentationofenquiry-basedlearning,andproactivelyencourageparentalcontributions;

5. Developinganinternationalnetworkforresearchonearlyyearsdigitaldocumentation.

Outputs

DisseminationEventJanuary2019:Aresearchsymposiumbringingtogetherresearchers,practitionersanddesignersofdigitaldocumentationsoftwaretosharekeyresearchfindingsandconsiderpotentialforchange(London,UK).Thishasidentifiedpotentialforfuturecollaborationwithdigitaldocumentationsoftwarecompanies‘Tapestry’and‘Kinderly’.

Conferences- September2018:PresentationattheInternationalFroebelSociety

Conference(Hiroshima,Japan)- March2019:PresentationattheReconceptualisingEarlyChildhoodLiteracies

Conference(Manchester,UK)- April2019:PresentationattheAmericanEducationalResearchAssociation

AnnualMeeting(Toronto,Canada)- July2019:PresentationattheUKLiteracyAssociationInternational

Conference(Sheffield,UK)

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Publications- Cowan,K.andFlewitt,R.(Forthcoming)Towardsvaluingchildren’slearning.

InC.CameronandP.Moss(Eds.)EarlyChildhoodEducationandCareinEngland:TowardsTransformativeChange.UCLIOEPress.

ResearchNetworkCowanandFlewittarefoundermembersoftherecentlyformed,internationalnetwork:ResearchonEarlyChildhoodDigitalDocumentation(REDD),incollaborationwithresearchersattheUniversityofAgder(Norway)andtheUniversityofHelsinki(Finland).Asfounders,CowanandFlewittplantotakeforwardtheresearchfindingsthroughcomparisonsofinternationalpractice,fosteringjointpublicationsandsymposia,anddevelopingproposalsforfutureresearchprojects.References

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