Aims: Pedagogical documentation is used in many countries,
and its importance and effects are recognised in multiple levels. However, it
is not a legislated requirement in the Greek formal curriculum for early
childhood education. Our research program aimed to help educators use
pedagogical documentation in the educational process, and to bring parents
closer to the early childhood curriculum, in an active and participatory way,
through the documentation process. The main research question referred to the way
in which the systematic use of pedagogical documentation can help parents
understand the kindergarten’s daily curriculum and participate in it in a new
way, in a country where pedagogical documentation is not mandatory.
Place and Duration of the Study: The study took place in
Thessaloniki, Greece, and the duration was seven months. The sample was ten
educators from five kindergartens and one hundred and ninety-two children, aged
four to six years. Methodology: We used collaborative action research, between
ten educators and two researchers from the same university department, to
intervene in the educational process and advance it through the flexible use of
space and the use of pedagogical documentation from children, educators and
parents. The methodological tools were a researcher’s diary, two digital
questionnaires for the educators (pre-/post-implementation) and a
post-implementation digital questionnaire for the parents.
Results: The results showed that the pedagogical
documentation helped the educators to bring the parents closer to the
kindergarten’s daily program and made them feel as if they could participate in
it creatively. The need for more active participation of parents led to the
improvised use of digital documentation through Padlet. Space proved to be a
crucial factor in the development of the program. It functioned as a living
system of people, perspectives and practices.
Conclusion: Collaboration and the sharing of knowledge among
the educators and between the educators and parents, using different
educational strategies, helped parents to become involved more systematically
and substantially in the kindergarten’s curriculum, constructing a community of
relations, participation, trust, shared values and learning among them.
Author(s) Details
Domna- Mika Kakana
School of Early Childhood Education, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki,
Thessaloniki, Greece.
Alexandra Gkloumpou
School of Early Childhood Education, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki,
Thessaloniki, Greece.
Please see the book here :- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/lleru/v9/6505
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