Documenting a child’s learning: A key element of the Reggio Emilia approach


Imagine if someone could show you videotaped recordings of your early years at a preschool, playing and interacting with others while sharing the delightfully intriguing thoughts of a young mind? Wouldn’t it provide a significant insight into the development of your personality and your unique traits and interests during that important phase of your life?
At the Reggio Emilia primary schools in Italy as well as Reggio Emilia-inspired primary education centers worldwide, keeping a record of a child’s conversations, activities and remarks is the norm. This documentation is not only preserved for later reference but used as a current, active guide to direct the emergent curriculum of these schools.
The Reggio Emilia approach originated in the town of the same name in Northern Italy after World War II. The approach is marked by several distinctive principles of which the prime principle is valuing and honing a child’s unique abilities, interests, ideas, opinions and curiosities.
Documentation is a key part of valuing the child’s experience in the child-centric form of education that is encouraged by the Reggio Emilia approach. Reggio Emilia schools’ emergent curriculum is not guided by a predetermined end point or aim. It is a flexible curriculum that may involve short and long-term projects based on a child’s developing interests and curiosities.
Documentation of the children’s learning journey may be done by educators through:
  • Transcriptions of children’s conversations and remarks pertaining to projects and otherwise


  • Tape recordings of group discussions and children’s play


  • Photographs of children performing activities


  • Note-taking of children’s questions, thoughts and ideas


  • Preserving the items made by children that represent their thoughts and learning process

The teacher compiles these transcripts, photographs and content, and then may present them to the children and their parents. Teachers can also reflect on the documented pieces for an insight into not only a child’s learning process but also their own teaching strategies. This helps them evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching style and also construct new knowledge in light of these observations.
Documentation also serves several other purposes:
  • It lets the children know that their work is valued and appreciated.


  • It makes learning public, enabling parents and co-educators to share in and contribute to the process.


  • It helps decide the future course the curriculum takes.


  • It helps teachers share multiple perspectives on the evaluation of their students’ learning journey and the effectiveness of their own teaching methods.
The Reggio Emilia approach that originated in Italy has received widespread acclaim as a unique and effective early childhood educational approach. Williamsburg Northside schools in NYC are widely known for providing preschool and primary education is adapted to the Reggio Emilia approach. To know more about Williamsburg Northside schools, you may visit: www.willnorth.org

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