Documentation in the Visual Arts: Embedding a Common Language From Research

Abstract

This article illustrates the effects of embedding a common language derived from research, conducted through Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, into teachers' documentations of classroom experiences. It suggests that documentation can be enhanced by using shared professional vocabularies that describe categories important in quality classroom experiences. For educators from diverse communities, roles, and regions, such common vocabularies can facilitate understanding of the sophisticated images and stories about teaching and learning that teachers represent in documentation.