Pupils’ documentation enlightening teachers’ practical theory and pedagogical actions

Abstract

This article is based on a pedagogical action research initiative comprising two research cycles. The study explores what constitutes meaningful experiences in the classroom from the pupils’ perspectives and how understanding pupils’ perspectives can foster the development of teachers’ practical theory and classroom actions. Photography and group interviews were used to allow pupils to communicate their perspectives. The results show that the pupils considered those situations meaningful when they were able to work, solve problems and create items together. The pupils also appreciated situations in which they experienced a sense of belonging and could influence the use of time and space during the school day. The pupils’ documentation helped the teacher to break down her assumptions, to develop her pedagogical actions and to make her implicit ‘knowing’ explicit. The article ends by considering the possibilities and challenges related to acknowledging pupils’ voices in the development of the pedagogy of the classroom.

Keywords:

• pupils’ voice
• pedagogical documentation
• practical theory
• participatory pedagogy
• photography

Additional information

Funding

Funding. The research reported in this article has been financially supported by the Academy of Finland, SKIDI-KIDS research program [Project no. 135138].