ABSTRACT
Pedagogical documentation in early childhood education and care has become many things, appearing to serve numerous masters and, in its complex diversity, the cause of both inspiration and frustration. Not only is documentation a professional responsibility through pragmatic recording of children’s progress, it can transform the encounters of children’s lives into moments of profound learning, inspiring everyone. Add to this space the arrival of a plethora of digital technologies promising to simplify the process, and we have confusion and disengagement. In this complexity it seems timely to re-imagine the depth and breadth of pedagogical documentation. This chapter navigates the landscape of what we have come to understand as pedagogical documentation, and in so doing re-construct our approach to facilitate understanding and engagement as well as imaginative exploration. While the Australian context is our starting point, we look to the broader experience of this phenomenon to comment on the lived experience.
