Documentation is a verb, not a finished product to be written and filed away or forgotten. It is a way of being in relationship, a disposition to pay close attention and to engage our minds and our hearts during our days with children in our care.

Documentation practices in early education typically focus on children’s learning; educators are present in documentation only as observers – whether enthusiastic or neutral, their role in documentation is to report on what children have done, and said, and accomplished.

What if we turn this conceptualization of documentation on its head? What if we acknowledge that documentation speaks volumes about what educators find meaningful, worthy of their attention and time, provocative, enlivening? What if we call educators to be present in the documentation they create, with their curiosity and insight and uncertainty and self-awareness?

We’ll take up these questions during our evening together, and explore the idea that documentation is as much about educators as it is about children. We’ll play with writing exercises that make educators’ thinking, wondering, and valuing visible. Please bring a notebook and pen, and come ready to write.

The Vancouver Reggio Consortium will hold its annual general meeting prior to Ann’s talk, from 6:30 to 7:00 PM. All are welcome.