Documenting with parents and toddlers: a Finnish case study

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in pedagogical documentation and the way in which it can be applied to advance pedagogical practices in early childhood education. This study is a case analysis which focuses on the transition phase from home to kindergarten of a toddler, Leo, and his family. Documentation was performed by the educators and parents with a tool called the Fan. Our analysis sought to demonstrate how the traces and inscriptions were created during the documentation process, and how they were applied and shared between Leo’s family and the educators. This was done by utilizing the idea of documentality, and in relation to the concepts of traces, registrations, inscriptions, and documents. Our analyses demonstrated that pedagogical documentation with the Fan not only served as a tool for the registration of facts but also offered institutional value. The Fan mediated information about Leo’s life between home and kindergarten, making his interests and feelings visible.

Keywords:

• documentation
• participation
• toddlers
• case study
• Finland