Juli Pool, associate professor in teaching, learning and community engagement in the College of Education, presented the topic “Observation, Documentation, and Authentic Assessment from a Reggio Emilia Perspective” at the Advancing Comprehensive Early Childhood Intervention conference in Lisbon, Portugal, in September 2025.
Pool’s research examines the role of observation and documentation by educators in early childhood learning environments and how this process can transform their experience into visible learning for teachers, families and children.
The research paper, co-authored and presented with Marisa Macy, professor of early childhood education at the University of Wyoming, highlighted the pair’s findings from a Reggio Emilia perspective. Reggio Emilia refers to an early childhood education approach originating in Italy that centers children in their own learning, alongside teachers who support and observe their interests within an environment promoting exploration and creativity.