Documentation as a Forum and Showcase in an Education Faculty.

Overview & Synopsis

Based on an influential talk by Lilian Katz on the schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy, and the Project Approach, this paper recounts the establishment of a community of learners, including children, teachers, parents, and teacher educators, who worked together using the Project Approach. The work represents a deliberate effort to bring children into the University of New Brunswick Faculty of Education in the context of a teacher education program to cultivate different sensibilities about teaching and learning among preservice teachers. Three projects are discussed: (1) Masks and Disguises--Exploring, Creating, Interpreting Identity; (2) Flight--From Aerodynamics to Flights of Fancy; and (3) the Saint John River--Reclaiming and Representing Our Heritage. The paper focuses on the way in which documentation evolved during the year of the project work. (Author/HTH)