Hi all,
Observations and documentation are a regular, daily
occurrence in the lives of teachers working with children. There are plenty of
ways to go about it; learning stories, anecdotal records, running records,
parent postcards and plenty of others. With all these different ways of
approaching how to document your student’s experiences and progress, it’s easy
to find one that works well for you, your classroom and your student’s parents
however they all have one thing in common, photos.
Recently, I have seen a push towards more visual oriented
observations. In an early childhood settings, these can be seen in display book
portfolios, shown proudly on group display boards and handed out in the staff
room for inspiration. The rationalisation is that parents are more likely to
engage with these observations because they are quick to decipher; you simply
need to look at the photo and the words are put into context. In a recent
primary placement, the visual element to documentation was imperative; many of
the families at the school were immigrants and refugees which made text heavy
communication difficult due to language barriers.
So here it comes to the part of putting together the most
important part of the observations, the photos. Photographing children doesn't seem too difficult but it is important for the photos to seem genuine and
authentic. I typically use 3 types of shots that help to vary the types of
photos you can include in your documentation…
Work in
progress
I feel like this angle really lets the viewer see what the
child is doing and the focus is on their action, preferably the one you are
documenting. It works for a range of activities and actions and doesn’t
distract the child from their task.
Birds eye
view
These photos are great if you want to capture a play setup,
piece of art or group interaction. The frame is filled up with the play the
children are engaged with and often, their interactions with each other.
From my
perspective
In this photo, you are seeing exactly what the child is
seeing and what they are choosing to do with the materials in front of them. This
shot is great for documenting the journey from blank slate to finished product,
capturing the child’s process in between.
So long as the photos you choose to capture are focused on
the child and their play, there is no wrong way to photograph children. Not
only do these shots capture the essential but they can also be tweaked so that
the photos are non-identifiable, in order to be shared in the public forum.
Happy snapping!
Miss Tracy
xx
