Documentation as a Form of Truth-Telling: Making Aboriginal Histories Visible

I often wonder whether we’ve become so focused on documenting what children do that we’re missing opportunities to capture how they think.

In early childhood education, we spend an enormous amount of time documenting learning.

We take photographs, write observations, collect work samples, create learning stories and link experiences to outcomes in the Early Years Learning Framework.

But I think we need to ask ourselves a bigger question.

Are we documenting what children have done, or are we documenting how their thinking has changed?

And perhaps more importantly, are we creating opportunities for children to revisit their ideas, challenge their assumptions and develop increasingly complex understandings of the world around them?

This becomes particularly important when we consider how we approach Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and perspectives.

Because developing an understanding of Australia’s shared history isn’t something that can be achieved through a single experience, conversation or picture book.

It’s an ongoing process of listening, questioning, reflecting and learning.

And our documentation can play a powerful role in that process.

Truth-Telling at Evelyn Scott School

At the recent Early Childhood Australia (ECA) Conference, I was interested to hear Nikki Ross from Evelyn Scott School share the work educators are undertaking to embed Aboriginal perspectives, truth-telling and pedagogical documentation into their everyday practice.

Within their school community, educators have made a deliberate commitment to supporting children’s developing understanding of Australia’s shared history.

As Nikki explained:

“We’re committed to our children and our families having those hard conversations about invasion and about Australia’s true history.”

I found this particularly interesting because conversations about invasion, colonisation and the ongoing impacts of dispossession are complex, even for adults.

As educators, we might question whether children are ready for these conversations, how families might respond, whether we have the knowledge to facilitate them appropriately and what cultural guidance we need.

These are important questions, and they shouldn’t be dismissed.

When it comes to Aboriginal histories and perspectives, we can sometimes gravitate towards the aspects of culture that feel more familiar or comfortable to explore.

Art.

Music.

Bush tucker.

Celebrations.

These can all provide meaningful opportunities for learning when approached respectfully and with appropriate cultural guidance.

However, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives encompass much more than cultural experiences and activities. They include continuing histories, identities, relationships, knowledge systems and contemporary realities.

Recognising the importance of truth-telling does not mean every educator should begin teaching children about invasion or colonisation.

I want to be particularly clear about this.

I’m not suggesting that educators introduce difficult historical content into their programs simply because they’ve read this article or heard about another service doing so.

There are many things that need to be carefully considered before embarking on this work.

What is appropriate in one setting, with a particular group of children, educators, families and community relationships, may not be appropriate in another.

The work Nikki described offers an opportunity for reflection, but it shouldn’t be interpreted as a universal approach or a set of activities to replicate.

Truth-Telling Requires Care, Knowledge and Preparation

I think it’s important that we resist the temptation to turn truth-telling into another curriculum expectation that educators feel pressured to demonstrate.

Teaching Aboriginal histories, particularly histories involving invasion, dispossession, violence and injustice, carries significant responsibilities.

Before introducing these topics, educators need to consider their own knowledge and understanding.

Do we have an accurate understanding of the history we’re proposing to explore?

Are we able to distinguish between established historical facts, local histories and information that requires further research or cultural guidance?

Have we reflected on our own assumptions, biases and gaps in knowledge?

And perhaps most importantly, do we have the relationships and support necessary to approach these conversations responsibly?

Cultural authority matters.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories are not simply content to be selected from a resource and delivered as a lesson.

Local histories may involve sensitive knowledge, community experiences and continuing impacts of colonisation.

Educators need to understand whose Country they are on, whose histories they are discussing and whether the people whose knowledge and experiences are being represented have been appropriately consulted.

This doesn’t mean every historical fact requires cultural permission to discuss. It means educators need to recognise the difference between learning from reliable public historical sources and assuming authority to interpret or share culturally specific knowledge.

We also need to consider children’s developmental understanding, emotional wellbeing and individual circumstances.

Children come to our services with different experiences, family histories and levels of understanding.

Some may have personal or family experiences of displacement, racism, grief or trauma.

Others may have very little understanding of the historical context being discussed.

Educators must be mindful of how particular topics could affect children and families, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

Families should understand the purpose and nature of the learning being considered, and educators need to be prepared to engage in respectful conversations with them.

It’s also important to think about what happens after a difficult conversation.

How will educators respond to children’s questions?

What if a child becomes upset or confused?

What if a child repeats a racist stereotype they’ve heard elsewhere?

How will educators support children to process what they’ve learnt?

And what support is available to educators themselves?

These considerations need to be part of the planning process, not an afterthought.

I also think we need to recognise that truth-telling begins with educators developing their own historical understanding.

Sometimes the most responsible next step isn’t planning an experience for children.

It’s undertaking professional learning, reading, listening to Aboriginal voices, developing relationships with local community and reflecting on our own knowledge.

There is no shame in recognising that we aren’t ready to facilitate a particular conversation.

The responsibility lies in taking the time to prepare properly.

What Can Children Understand?

During her presentation, Nikki reflected:

“This shows us that children even at a young age can engage with truth-telling in age-appropriate and meaningful ways.”

I think this is an important observation about the children and context Nikki was describing.

However, we need to be careful not to interpret this as meaning all historical content is appropriate for all young children.

Age-appropriate practice is about much more than simplifying language.

It involves considering children’s developmental understanding, emotional readiness, lived experiences, relationships and the context in which learning takes place.

There is a significant difference between helping children understand that Aboriginal peoples have lived on and cared for Country for thousands of generations and introducing detailed accounts of historical violence or dispossession.

Both sit within Australia’s history, but they require very different considerations.

For some educators, an appropriate starting point may be supporting children to understand whose Country their service is located on, learning the names of local Aboriginal peoples, recognising that Aboriginal cultures are living and continuing, and developing respectful relationships with local places and communities.

These are meaningful foundations in their own right.

We shouldn’t underestimate their importance or feel compelled to progress towards increasingly confronting content simply to demonstrate that we’re engaging in truth-telling.

What matters is that our approaches are informed, intentional, culturally responsive and appropriate for the children and communities we work alongside.

Picture Books as Invitations to Think

At Evelyn Scott School, Nikki described using carefully selected First Nations picture books to introduce and revisit conversations about Australia’s history.

One of the books discussed was Somebody’s Land, written by Adam Goodes and Ellie Laing and illustrated by David Hardy.

This book offers opportunities to explore ideas about Country, belonging and colonisation. However, like any resource addressing complex historical themes, educators need to consider whether, when and how it is appropriate for their particular group of children.

What interested me most about Nikki’s presentation wasn’t simply the selection of a particular book.

It was what happened afterwards.

As Nikki explained:

“When we look at these stories and engage with them, we are not just reading; we are creating opportunities for deep discussions that help shape our children’s understanding of their cultural context.”

I think this is something worth reflecting on.

How often do we read a book, have a brief conversation and then move on?

Perhaps we ask children what they liked about the story.

We might invite them to draw a picture.

Maybe we plan a related experience.

And then the book goes back on the shelf.

But what if we approached books differently?

What if we treated them as the beginning of an ongoing inquiry rather than the conclusion of a planned literacy experience?

What if we returned to the same story several times, allowing children to notice new details, raise different questions and reconsider their earlier ideas?

And what if we documented those conversations so children could see how their thinking was developing?

This is where I think Evelyn Scott School’s approach becomes particularly powerful.

Documentation Is More Than Evidence of Learning

During her presentation, Nikki spoke about the value educators place on making children’s learning visible.

“Through hands-on experiences, our children deepen their connection to country and place. We value the visible documentation that we do. So we have project books and class journals.”

These project books and journals aren’t simply records of activities that have taken place.

They create opportunities for children and educators to return to previous conversations, revisit questions and build upon emerging understandings.

As Nikki explained:

“By documenting the children’s reactions and thoughts, we are able to reflect back to them what they know and to reinforce their learning, making connections that may not have been apparent at first.”

I think this is such an important distinction.

Documentation shouldn’t simply be something educators produce about children.

It can be something we create with children.

A shared record of our thinking, questions, discoveries and changing perspectives.

For example, imagine a group of preschool children investigating the history of the local area through an appropriately planned, culturally informed inquiry.

A child asks, “What was here before our school?”

Rather than simply answering the question and moving on, the educator records it in the class journal.

The group begins exploring historical and contemporary photographs of the local landscape.

They investigate the Traditional Custodians of the area using reliable, appropriate resources.

Another child asks whether Aboriginal people still live in the community today.

That question becomes an opportunity to explore the continuing presence of Aboriginal peoples and cultures.

Over time, the journal captures the children’s questions, drawings, discoveries and changing understandings.

The questions become more complex.

Children begin making connections between ideas.

Their explanations change as they encounter new information.

And the documentation becomes a resource that supports further learning.

This is an illustrative example rather than a description of a specific conversation at Evelyn Scott School. It demonstrates how documentation can support thoughtful inquiry without assuming that every investigation needs to involve difficult or confronting historical content.

The Power of Revisiting Children’s Thinking

One of Nikki’s reflections that particularly resonated with me was:

“Revisiting these ideas not only aids in retention but allows children to express their evolving thoughts, fostering a layered understanding of the complexities of our shared history.”

I think this challenges some of our assumptions about how learning progresses.

In early childhood education, we can sometimes fall into the habit of treating learning as a series of separate experiences.

We introduce a topic.

We provide some resources.

We document children’s engagement.

And then we move on.

But developing an understanding of Country, identity, history and belonging isn’t something that happens in a single experience.

Children need opportunities to revisit these concepts.

To ask questions.

To encounter different perspectives.

To reconsider their previous understandings.

And to make connections between what they are learning and the world around them.

Nikki described this beautifully:

“Acknowledging our history is not a one-time event; it’s an ongoing journey for both educators and children. Each iteration of a story or concept brings fresh interpretations and understanding.”

This is where pedagogical documentation becomes so valuable.

When we revisit a class journal, we’re not simply reminding children of something they did last week.

We’re inviting them to think again.

To notice something they may have missed.

To compare what they understand now with what they understood previously.

And perhaps even to recognise that their thinking has changed.

I think there’s something powerful about children seeing their own learning unfold over time.

Bringing the Eight Ways Into Documentation

Another aspect of Nikki’s presentation that interested me was how educators at Evelyn Scott School intentionally connect Aboriginal pedagogies with their existing curriculum frameworks.

Nikki explained:

“We intentionally weave eight ways pedagogy alongside the Iwala within our documentation. This helps the children, in turn, build their connection to stories, people, and place.”

What I appreciate about this approach is that Aboriginal pedagogies aren’t being treated as something separate from everyday teaching and learning.

They’re informing how educators plan, observe, document and reflect.

The Eight Aboriginal Ways of Learning offer opportunities to reconsider how knowledge is shared and how children make meaning.

For example, Story Sharing reminds us of the importance of oral narratives, personal experiences and the stories children bring from home and community.

Learning Maps can help children visually represent their thinking, make connections between ideas and revisit the direction of an inquiry.

Non-Linear Learning encourages us to recognise that learning doesn’t always follow a predictable sequence. Children may return to previous ideas, make unexpected connections or explore concepts in different ways.

Land Links invite educators to connect learning with Country, local places and the relationships children have with their environments.

Community Links remind us that knowledge is relational and that families, Elders and community members can contribute important perspectives, where appropriate and through respectful partnerships.

These approaches can transform the purpose of documentation.

Rather than simply recording whether children have achieved predetermined outcomes, we can use documentation to explore how children are making meaning through stories, relationships, experiences and connections to place.

And importantly, we can use that documentation to inform where the learning might go next.

Truth-Telling, Identity and Belonging

One of the most important reasons for embedding Aboriginal perspectives is ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children see their cultures, histories, families and communities represented respectfully and positively.

But this work also matters for non-Indigenous children.

All children deserve opportunities to understand the Country on which they live and the histories that have shaped contemporary Australia.

At Evelyn Scott School, Nikki reflected on the impact of these conversations on children’s developing sense of identity:

“We’ve seen the ability to be proud of who they are emerging through these conversations, allowing children to claim their identity and understand their role within their communities.”

I think this is a beautiful reminder that culturally responsive education isn’t simply about learning historical facts.

It’s also about identity.

Belonging.

Relationships.

And understanding our responsibilities to one another.

For Aboriginal children, culturally responsive education can provide opportunities to see their identities, histories and communities recognised and valued.

For non-Indigenous children, it creates opportunities to develop respect, challenge misconceptions and understand their place within a shared history.

And for all children, it can support the development of empathy, critical thinking and a sense of social responsibility.

However, we also need to be mindful of how we facilitate these conversations.

Aboriginal children should never be expected to speak on behalf of their culture, explain historical injustices or carry the emotional responsibility for educating their peers.

Educators need to take responsibility for their own learning and preparation, supported by appropriate cultural knowledge, community relationships and carefully selected resources.

Making Documentation Visible and Meaningful

One of the things I would encourage educators to consider is how accessible their documentation is to children.

We spend so much time producing observations and learning stories for families, colleagues and assessment purposes.

But how often do children get to revisit them?

Are our class journals kept somewhere children can independently access them?

Do we return to photographs, drawings and recorded conversations during group discussions?

Can children contribute to the way their learning is represented?

Are their questions and ideas recorded in their own words?

And do we use what we document to genuinely influence our planning?

If documentation is intended to support children’s learning, then children need opportunities to engage with it.

This might involve keeping a project book in the book corner.

Displaying children’s questions alongside maps and photographs.

Creating a visual timeline of an ongoing investigation.

Recording children’s changing ideas about a particular concept.

Or revisiting previous conversations before introducing new information.

The important thing is that documentation becomes part of the learning process, rather than simply a record produced after the learning has taken place.

What Does This Mean for Our Practice?

There are several practical ways educators can begin strengthening the relationship between documentation, Aboriginal perspectives and curriculum planning.

Start with authentic questions.

Pay attention to the questions children ask about Country, identity, fairness, history and belonging. Rather than immediately providing answers, consider how these questions might inform an ongoing inquiry. Remember that sensitive historical questions may require further research and professional guidance before being explored with children.

Choose resources carefully.

Select First Nations-authored books and culturally appropriate resources that present Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as diverse, contemporary and continuing cultures. Consider the themes, intended audience and emotional impact of each resource before introducing it.

Document children’s thinking, not just their participation.

Record their questions, explanations, theories and reflections. Notice how these change over time.

Make documentation accessible.

Create class journals, project books and displays that children can revisit and contribute to.

Return to important ideas.

Don’t assume a concept has been understood because it has been discussed once. Revisit stories and conversations where appropriate, allowing children to deepen their understanding.

Connect learning to local Country.

Explore the history and continuing cultural significance of the place where your service operates, drawing on reliable information and appropriate local Aboriginal knowledge and community guidance.

Prioritise relationships and professional learning.

Before planning experiences involving sensitive histories, invest time in developing your own understanding, consulting appropriately and considering the needs of children and families.

Reflect on your own learning.

Truth-telling is an ongoing journey for educators too. Consider what assumptions have been challenged and how your own understanding is developing.

What Are We Really Documenting?

I keep returning to the idea that documentation can do more than demonstrate that learning has occurred.

It can make children’s thinking visible.

It can preserve important conversations.

It can help children revisit ideas and recognise how their understanding has changed.

And it can provide opportunities for educators to reflect on the assumptions and decisions that shape their practice.

Nikki’s presentation reminded me that meaningful learning isn’t simply about selecting the right books or introducing important concepts.

It’s about creating the conditions for thoughtful, ongoing conversations.

It’s also about recognising the responsibilities that come with the knowledge we choose to share.

Not every topic is appropriate for every group of children.

Not every educator is ready to facilitate every conversation.

And not every example of good practice should be replicated without considering the context in which it was developed.

What we can learn from Evelyn Scott School is the value of being intentional.

Of reflecting on our own practice.

Of making children’s thinking visible.

And of recognising that understanding develops over time.

Because when we document children’s questions, revisit their thinking and allow their ideas to shape the direction of our curriculum, we’re doing something much more significant than recording an activity.

We’re recognising children as thinkers.

As active participants in their learning.

And as people capable of developing increasingly complex understandings of the world around them.

Perhaps the question we need to ask isn’t simply, “What learning have we documented?”

Perhaps it’s, “What new thinking has our documentation made possible?”

Because the true value of documentation isn’t always found in what it captures.

Sometimes it’s found in the conversations it allows us to continue.

Reflective Questions for Educators

Continue Your Learning: Programming, Planning and Pedagogy

If Nikki’s approach to documentation has prompted you to reconsider how you plan, observe and document children’s learning, these are exactly the kinds of questions we explore in Koori Curriculum’s Programming, Planning and Pedagogy course.

Throughout the course, we explore how Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing can inform not just what we teach, but how we teach.

We unpack relational learning and the Eight Aboriginal Ways of Learning, considering how these approaches can support more responsive, meaningful and interconnected curriculum planning.

We also explore how educators can move beyond activity-based programming towards approaches that recognise children’s existing knowledge, value their questions and use documentation to inform ongoing investigations.

Because meaningful programming isn’t simply about deciding what children will do next.

It’s about understanding what children are thinking, how their understanding is developing and how we can create opportunities for that learning to deepen.

If you’re ready to rethink the way you plan, program and document children’s learning, we’d love you to join us.

Explore Koori Curriculum’s Programming, Planning and Pedagogy course and discover how relational learning and the Eight Ways can inform your everyday practice.

Learn more at Koori Curriculum

At Koori Curriculum, we support educators to move beyond tokenistic approaches towards meaningful, culturally responsive practice that honours Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories and communities.