Recently, Mrs. Abreu, Ms. Ciocio, Mrs. Daniel and Ms. Howe were asked to present and share their experiences and knowledge on Documentation with the York University Full-Day Kindergarten AQ Teachers.  Inquiring Minds is pleased to share their experience in today’s post.

So often we ask our children we teach to take risks and go beyond their own level of comfort so that they can deepen and enrich their understanding of themselves and their learning.  Presenting in front of like-minded teachers offered us at Richland Academy to do the same.  By preparing our presentation about Pedagogical Documentation we were able to deepen our own understandings.  We came to the realization that the Reggio principles of collaboration and the power of presenting and working as a group enabled us to go far deeper in our Reggio journey than we would have been able to if we had presented alone. As a collaborative team, we brought our differing expertise, knowledge, and experiences to the presentation. This created a comfortable atmosphere where all participants felt a part of the whole – no matter their level of expertise.“Effective teachers see themselves as learners. They consistently engage in personal reflection and professional development to improve the quality of their work with young children.” (Naeyc, 2009)One participant commented, “Documentation enables you to deepen the relationship between child and teacher.”  This is a key principle of the Reggio Philosophy and documentation plays a vital part in making the child and their learning visible.  When the foundation for a strong relationship is set, then the learning can flow for both student and teacher, underlying another key component of the Reggio Philosophy.  The opportunity to present for York Region teachers reminded us all that we are not alone in this journey, as we dialogued back and forth, and enabled us to experience what we ask our children to experience every day.“Teachers can model continuous learning and engage teachers in collaborative learning experiences to help [new teachers] recognize the importance of an attitude of inquiry.” (Naeyc, 2011)We wish to thank Ms. Joanne Babalis, Kindergarten Teacher and Course Facilitator, from the York Board for offering this opportunity to us.“Our task, regarding creativity, is to help children climb their own mountains, as high as possible. No one can do more.” ~ Loris Malaguzzi