DOUBLE TAB TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET appendix A  Assessing Your Foundation for In-Depth Curriculum with Children Using Observation and Documentation Skills To reflect on your current view of the role of observation and documentation in your work, choose which of the following sentences is most true for you. Describe why the statement you chose is closest to your experience. • Most of the time I do the documentation required, but I honestly don’t find it useful. • I think the process of documentation is very important and useful for my understandings and planning. • I gather lots of documentation, but I don’t know what to do with it. • I think of documentation as a delightful treasure hunt with many treasures to be found. What system do you use to gather and analyze your observations of the children? How do you use your observations in planning for the environment and curriculum activities? Assessing Your Foundation for In-Depth Curriculum with Children Creating a Classroom Culture for In-Depth Curriculum with Children To consider how your daily schedule and use of time support in-depth curriculum, write down your daily schedule, noting the specific amounts of time allocated for each component of the schedule. Add up the exact time for each of the following: • Child-initiated and child-directed time (children select their own materials and activities to work with alone or with others) • Teacher-initiated and teacher-directed time (teachers direct children’s choices and attention to an activity, including transitions and routines such as meals, sleep, and so on) • Teacher-led time (teachers offer children choices among activities) • Teacher coaching time (teachers coach and demonstrate the use of materials, tools, and processes) Are you satisfied with the balance of time in your schedule? What changes might be indicated? What strategies do you use to help children and their families make the transition between home and your program, and how do you make them feel connected during the day? How do you encourage families to collaborate with you in shaping curriculum experiences for the children? In what ways do you encourage children to notice different perspectives and points of view? How are children given ownership of your environment and activities? How are relationships and children’s pursuits respected, made visible, and celebrated? © 2008 by Deb Curtis & Margie Carter. Published by Redleaf Press (www.redleafpress.org). May be reproduced for classroom use only. COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL 213