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ECD 115

Observation and

Assessment of the Young Child

Kim Sutton Instructor

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Final

Different Methods

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A Little Review - Observation helps us…

Understand individual children's…• Interests• Strengths• Challenges

Plan…• The kinds of activities and

materials to provide• When and how to rotate activities• How to expand on activities

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A Little Review…We Might Use Information From Ongoing Observation To…

Plan curricula and learning activities

Document children's progress

Share information with families

Complete an assessmentinstrument

Let childrenknow that we

value their work

Share the goodwork of our

program withthe community

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Your Final

• The next slides will discuss different methods of documenting information.

• Some of these methods we have already discussed but some are new.

• Review each method carefully.

Work Samples

An assortment of work samples collated over a period of time can help trace the child’s development. Work samples can include drawings, paintings, collages, writing samples, and photographs of construction projects. Dated examples of children’s work reflect creativity and provide specific examples to share with parents. Work samples can include a comment from the child about their work. These work samples can be displayed in scrap books or folders as a record to share with family and friends as a method of documenting creative growth. Adding additional information, observations or brief comments to children’s work samples enhances the meanings behind the work created by the child. These could include adding children’s interpretations, ideas, theories or brief comments on the setting or circumstances surrounding the event.

Photographs Photographs of the child at work, play or on an outing are very valuable. For the parent they are an excellent medium in providing insights into a child’s day. Photographs can be taken of children climbing on the play structure, sitting in a high chair, dancing or gardening. They are suitable for any aspects of a child’s day. Photographs capture a glimpse of a child’s day that otherwise would not be seen. Mounted and accompanied by captions or narratives, photographs reflect a record of the child at work. They make an excellent display within the educational setting and are a useful tool for parent/ carer communication.

Digital cameras can be extremely useful when copying photographs for a variety of uses, or copying for a number of children’s records, as you can select only those you want to print. It is good practice to always seek parental permission for the use of their child’s photograph in any publication.

Audio & Video

Planning ahead for the effective use of this observational tool needs to be considered as filming can be intrusive. Children will feel more comfortable if they are familiar with this happening. Explain the purpose of what you are doing to the children. Include them in the process of when and why they are being recorded. The more children see this method being used the more relaxed they will become about it. Video footage makes an ideal presentation at a parent gathering, information night or further professional development for staff. Families appreciate seeing a recording of their children interacting with other children and staff members. Audio taping or the use of a cassette player can capture a child’s conversational language. This is also a useful tool to observe and interpret your own interactions with children.

Date: 22nd March 2008

Time: 10:00 am

Child: Hannah (3.8 yrs)

Place: Playground

Setting: Obstacle course

Observer: Claire

Background information:Hannah has been spending much more time outdoors.

Other children: Tom (4.1 yrs),

Jake (3.6 yrs), Beth (3.10 yrs)Hannah walked towards the climbing frame. She placed her right foot on the first step then stopped. Tom, Jake and Beth lined up behind her. She stood back and waved them on. ‘You go,’ she said. When they had passed she stepped up again but backed away when more children arrived for their turn at the climbing frame. Hannah stood at the base of the frame for a moment looking toward the painting easels. She walked towards them.

Anecdotal Records An anecdote is a story. When used for observing, it is a story about a child’s behavior. Similar to how we might recount a story to family and friends, it is told in the past tense. It has its beginning when a child starts to participate in an activity and its conclusion when the child leaves/ completes/ exits the experience.

Anecdotes are the most commonly used tool in gathering information about children.

This may have been the method you used when making your practice observations

Date: 05.07.07

Time: 9:30 am – 9:33 am

Child: Karly (3.2 years)

Place: On the puzzle mat

Setting: Karly is at the puzzle mat during indoor free play.

Observer: Jane

Background information: For the past week Karly has spent the majority of her free play time at the puzzles.

Others involved: N/A

 

Time Observation9.30 am Karly kneeling, reaches across the mat with her right hand.

Slowly and still using one hand, she brings the puzzle toward her. She places her left hand onto the puzzle mat. Dropping her right knee, then her left, Karly crosses her legs, bending slightly over the puzzle in front of her. ‘There, this one’s easy,’ she says to herself with a smile.

9.31 am Very slowly, Karly turns the puzzle upside down and the pieces fall to the mat. Using her right hand, Karly turns each puzzle piece over carefully. Still sitting cross-legged, Karly turns her attention to a group of girls giggling loudly as they run past the puzzle mat. She shifts her focus back to the puzzle.

9:32 am She looks intently at the pieces. Choosing the four corner pieces, Karly places one in each corner of the puzzle frame. Using two fingers of the right hand, Karly switches two of the pieces from the top to the bottom of the frame. ‘There’, she states and hits both her hands on her knees.

This may have been the method you used when making your practice observations

Running Records

A running record is a very detailed description of behavior or an event, which is recorded as it happens. It is a bit like a sport commentators running commentary at a football game. That is the commentator describes in detail what is exactly happening. In a similar way a running record records exactly what a child is doing and saying within a particular time-frame. Running records are used mainly to provide very objective information about a particular situation. Because you are writing a description of behavior as it happens, the running record will be written in the present tense, e.g. Claire holds onto the string with one hand.

Checklist for 0 - 12 months: Gross motor development

Child: Date:

Observer: Skill Present/

Observed (Date)

Not Yet Observed

Comments

Sits without support      

Crawls      

Pulls self to standing and stands unaided

     

Walks with aid      

Rolls ball in imitation of adult

     

Checklist for 0 - 12 months: Self-help skillsChild: Observer:

Skill Present/Observed

(Date)

Not Yet Observed

Comments

Feeds self with biscuit: munching, not sucking

     

Holds drink with two hands

     

Drinks with assistance

     

Holds out arms and legs while getting dressed

     

Checklists

Checklists can be useful when observing a particular skill or a certain aspect of a child’s behavior. In a checklist, children are “checked off” against a list of skills or behaviors. Checklists usually look at the skill level of a particular age group and consider developmental norms. They provide a typical/ average approximation of development to assist in measuring development across an age range.

Rating Scale Rating scales are observation tools that indicate the degree to which a child possesses a certain trait or behavior. Each behavior is rated on a continuum from lowest to the highest level (or vice versa) and is marked off at certain points along the scale. The observer must make a judgment about where on the scale the child’s behavior.

Example

Date: 12/3/08Name: JessicaAge: 11 monthsObserver: Ken

Background information: Jessica has started to show signs of walking.Frequency: Every five minutesTime: 9:00 am – 9:30 am

Time Behavior9:00 am J is standing upright holding onto a table with

two hands.9:05 am J is sitting on the ground by the table looking

toward the block corner.9:10 am J is holding a block in her right hand.9:15 am J is lying on the floor in the block area holding

the block.9:20 am J is moving from the block area. She is standing

upright and holding onto the table for support as she moves.

9:25 am J is sitting quietly on a chair.9:30 am J is holding her carers hand as they walk across

the room.

Time Samples

A time sample provides a snapshot of a child’s day. It is used to record the occurrence of a child’s behavior at particular times of day, for example group time or meal times. It is often used when a there is a concern about a particular behavior and the provider needs to know how often it occurs. Time samples can be taken every half hour over a day or for shorter time intervals of five or ten minutes.

A table needs to be drawn up with regular time intervals marked on it. For example, the observation may run for 30 minutes with five minute intervals recorded on the table. Comments or tally marks are recorded every five minutes to track the frequency of the behavior being observed.

Your Final (continued)

• Download the Documentation Methods worksheet (you can find the worksheet in the same area as this PowerPoint.)

• On the worksheet, list ONE advantage and ONE disadvantage of each method in the areas provided.

• Save your file – example: suttonfinal.doc

SUBMIT YOUR FINAL VIA THE FINAL LINK UNDER THE DROPBOX TAB.

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