Drive-By Documentation

In Ann Pelo and Margie Carter’s book, From Teaching to Thinking, Shaquam Urquhart Edwards tells the story of visiting an early childhood program and observing the following situation:

"One teacher had a computer tablet in hand. She was taking photos…When at last all the children landed on the rug a teacher put on fast music; the toddlers responded by jumping and dancing – until they were made to sit again…Next came the weather check: one little girl ran to the window to make her report, the others concurred. Suddenly the teacher with the tablet said to her co-teacher, ‘I didn’t get that on the tablet, could you do it again?’ I blinked a few times and took a deep breath.

It was crystal clear to me that for these two teachers, the photo documentation that occurred throughout the day had very little to do with the children. The teachers sent photos with little captions such as, ‘I’m learning my colors!' along to the families. The children were the subjects of the photos, but they really were innocent bystanders of drive-by documentation and assessment. Neither the children nor teachers were engaged learners in a culture of inquiry."

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