Another key aspect of the Reggio Approach is the process of documentation. Our teachers keep track of their students’ learning through photos or videos. It benefits students, parents, and teachers by providing a visible “memory” of what they have done so far to guide them onto the next steps in their learning. At Richland, much of this documentation is recorded by the teachers on their weekly classroom blogs.

Our teachers are researchers by reviewing those observations and sometimes sharing them with colleagues so that they can plan what might be presented next.

For parents, it provides detailed information about what their child is doing in school so that they may support that learning outside of school.

The students also recognize the importance of their work when they see it on display or published in our classroom blogs. Throughout the year they maintain a portfolio that allows them to see how their learning has developed over time. When they bring their portfolio home at the end of the year, parents can truly be amazed at their child’s learning development over that past year.

Throughout our school, you will see various documentation panels on our walls. These documentation panels are important elements that make students’ learning visible. They are displayed around our school to show the rest of our community the thinking and learning process in the classroom.