Documentation: A Potentially Transformational Approach to Systemic Change in Education

Faced with the reality of the current industrial style educational system, working within a high accountability framework of standardized testing, the question arises, is this a sustainable approach to education? In describing sustainable leadership Any Hargreaves (2009) states that sustainable leadership creates and preserves sustaining learning. He goes further to define sustaining learning as "learning that matters, that is deep and lasts" (p. 187). Learning that takes place in a context that of high stakes test is arguably learning that does not matter. It is a type of learning that perpetuates the systemic ideals and values as opposed to developing the critical thinking skills that are needed to participate as a citizen in a democratic society. In his essay on cultivating the moral character of learning, Robert Starratt (2005) supports this view stating that "test-fixated learning promotes an unethical type of learning. This type of learning is inauthentic and irresponsible; it promotes an attitude where the integrity of the worlds represented by the academic subjects is of no importance outside of its instrumentality in providing decontextualized right answers to someone else's questions" (p. 402). Clearly there is a call to move away from the high stakes testing framework that ranks different institutions of learning or worse penalizes the school for poor performance.

In an effort to appeal to the need for the public to have a way to ensure that their dollars are being used wisely for the purpose of educating the next generation of tax payers what are the alternatives to these high stakes tests? Hargreaves (2009) calls on school leadership to become activists and engage with their current environment. What would this engagement look like? Being inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to education, there are three areas that need to be considered.

Firstly, the Reggio Emilia approach to learning calls for a new way to document the learning of the child. Documentation is about making learning visible, allowing others to see the learning process. This is not captured in a simple pen or pencil test which provides a superficial snap shot of learning. As described by Tizianna Filippini, Coordinator of the Documentation and Educational Research Centre of Reggio Emilia, "[d]ocumentation is not just a technical tool, but an attitude towards teaching and learning" (Turner & Wilson, 2010, p. 6). It is through this documentation process that learning could be shared with policy makers. Enlightening these people about alternative ways of documenting learning is one of the key elements of systemic reform for education.

Secondly, there is a need to bring parents into the school. Parents will need to be informed of the other ways that students can display their learning. The Reggio Emilia philosophy calls for collaboration amoung teachers, children and teachers, children and parents, children and children and the larger community (Fraser & Gestwick, 2002, p. 11). There is the desire to have the parents view and understand documentation and how it displays the learning of their child. Getting parents on board, understanding an alternative to standardized tests in a key component to changing education into the authentic experience we are morally obligated to provide for children.

Finally, there needs to be a shift in the higher institutes of learning to accept alternative ways for demonstrating proficient levels of learning. Institutions like Colleges and Universities perpetuate the systemic structure of education through their entrance requirements. These institutions of learning need to consider the possibility of alternative methods to determining admission. Given the high stakes nature of acceptance into a post-secondary institutions, the social capital and the earning potential that it represents, parents are insistent that their child be provided an educational experience that maximizes the chances of gaining entrance.

As educational leaders inspired by the Reggio approach to education, hearing the call for change from the experts and thinkers in the field of educational leadership we need to become the maverick leaders that Hargreaves (2009) calls us to be. We have a responsibility as educational leaders to look for " transformational teaching and learning that connect academic learning to students' personal experiences and aspirations, so that students are changed by what they learn into deeper, richer human beings who want to use their learning to make the world a better place" (Starratt, 2005, p. 130). The Reggio Emilia philosophy and its approach to education provide an inspiring and potentially transformational option for changing an entrenched modern system.

References

Fraser, S., & Gestwick,i C. (2002). Authentic childhood: Exploring Reggio Emilia in the classroom. Albany, NY: Delmar- Thomson Learning.

Hargreaves, A. (2009). Sustainable leadership. In B. Davies (Ed.), The essentials of school leadership (pp. 53-73). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Starratt, R. J. (2005). Cultivating the moral character of learning and teaching: a neglected dimension of educational leadership. School and Leadership Management, 25(4), 399-411.

Starratt, R. J. (2005). Responible leadership essays. The Educational Forum, 69(4), 124-133.

Turner, T. and Wilson, D. G. (2010). Reflections on documentation: a discussion with thought leaders from Reggio Emilia. Theory into practice, 49(1) 5-13.