Abstract:

This paper presents the findings from a virtual professional learning program where early childhood teachers were introduced to and practiced an observation and documentation pattern of children’s play. The pattern supports development of teacher knowledge, competency, and confidence consisting of the elements:
1) collecting data;
2) forming perceptions; and
3) planning next steps.

Responding to the limitation from a previous action research study conducted by the author, while the immediate findings held promise, the use of a small sample size did not guarantee representative and generalizable results. Further investigation by repeating the program and extending to further cohorts was warranted. This paper provides further insights from additional cohorts into the impact of teaching the observation and documentation pattern. By repeating the program, the initial findings from the previous study were supported including:
1) observations of children’s play becoming more deliberate and intentional as the pattern provided purpose to the work;
2) inclusion of perspectives in the process of meaning making to deepen understanding; and
3) data driven curriculum development and lesson planning.

Contributing to the initial findings, the additional cohorts uncovered foundational skills necessary to develop in order to implement the pattern effectively. Repeated occurrences from data sources including small group conversations, whole group processing, individual participant reflections, and teacher self assessments resulted in three conceptual themes. The first included the power of building connections at the beginning of the process, where adaptability in a teacher’s facilitative roles served in coming to know students well. Secondly was the significance of a curiosity and inquiry stance by asking powerful questions to increase the accuracy of forming perceptions and develop more personalized play engagements. Finally, listening became a foundational skill throughout the process, where it was recognized that listening requires a full body experience that takes practice and consciousness to craft. While extending the virtual professional learning program to additional cohorts demonstrated transferable findings from the previous study, the implications of further results indicate the positive impact on play practices and the contribution of an observation and documentation pattern to the field of early childhood education.

Keywords:

Observation, connection, questioning, listening.