observing young children

OBSERVING YOUNG CHILDREN

Tell what you think is happening with the following children:

Lacey is sitting on the slide, just resting.

Parker usually likes to play by himself, but chose to be with Zac today. If he does choose a friend it is usually Zac or Jacob. He loves tobe funny.

Kamryn is barely 3and has a hard timestaying awake. Mom says she gets enoughsleep so we wonder ifit could be a physical problem or an emotionalproblem.

Dallin often plays with play dough. He has chosen to roll and cut with cookie cutters today. Other favorite activities are dress ups and puzzles.

The little girl behind the teacher is not able to get inside the group to see whatIs happening. She just stands there and watches the others.

Danny was fighting with John, Joe saw them fighting and decided to help Danny. Joe said, “I’ll help you out, Danny”.

OBSERVATIONS• DEFINED:

– An observation is watching children with the clear goal of studying a specific behavior or ability.

• WHY OBSERVE?• To identify how best to challenge

and support the children.• To develop realistic curriculum and goals.

2. HOW TO OBSERVE• It is best to observe from a distance without

the child knowing they are being observed.

Avoid making assumptions:which statement is correct?

• Annie is having difficulty sharing.

• Annie never shares.

Why?Descriptive vs.

Interpretive

BE OBJECTIVE / DESCRIPTIVE!• Objective observations simply

state the solid facts.– It is important, but difficult, to remain

objective at all times.

DO NOT BE SUBJECTIVE / INTERPRETIVE:

• Subjective observations state an opinion of the observer.

• The first thing to record when observing is an objective list of behavior patterns.

Avoid subjective labels:Which statement is correct?

• Tommy often acts out his Aggressive feelings.

• Tommy is mean.

Decide which statement Subjective and which is Objective:

• Mark looked away when the teacher showed him a snake.

He said, “I don’t like snakes, they feel funny.”• Mark was afraid because he looked away from the snakes.

• Tyler was playing with the music blocks. When Carly & Josh asked to play, Tyler agreed and showed them how.

• Tyler is a good boy and gets along well with the otherChildren.

• Maddie wanted to swing but two others were already there. She

picked up a rock and threw it at them.

• Maddie got mad and threw a rock because she does not share well.

Avoid conclusions you are notqualified to make:

• Billie can’t do anything by himself because he is theyoungest in a large familyand they do everything for him.

• Billie needs to develop theability to do things for himself.

Which statement is correct?

Don’t compare children: They develop at different rates.

Which statement is correct?

• Tommy falls off his bike a lot.

• Tommy must beslow. He does not ride his bike as well as the other children.

3. CONFIDENTIALITY• All observations are confidential and should be

filed away.• Any observed problems should only be reported

to the director.

4. IDENTIFY DIVERSITY:• Observations help identify disabled

children with special needs and assess developmental stages and behaviors.

TYPES OF ASSESSMENT:• Observations of specific behavior

patterns– Necessary for setting a basic foundation.– Identifies repeated behavior that may be of

concern, is interesting, or insightful about the child in relation to their age, peer interaction, or ability to sit and listen, etc…

• Child Self-reflections– Ask them a question and let them answer it.

Record the question and the child’s response.

ANECDOTAL RECORDS:• Teacher records objective observations

of a child’s overall behavior.– Identify conditions that reinforce behavior by

noticing what happens prior to behavior.– Gain feedback about what children may have

learned from a presentation. – Helps test hunches about reasons for

behavior.

Structure of an Anecdotal Record1. REMEMBER THE FACTS

Who, what, where, when, and how Only factual information. NO personal

thoughts or feelings. You should never presume that you know what the child is thinking or feeling.

To decide if it is significant to write, ask: “Is this something that could be shared with the parent to give them an indication of their child’s developmental progress?

2. Use Descriptive Anecdotal Phrases– If the child mumbled or whispered then use

“mumbled” or “whispered” instead of just the word “said”.

– If the child strutted then use “strutted” instead of walked.

3. Dialogue can be included– If including dialogue, record this accurately

and do not add words or say it in your own words.

4. Punctuation– Use correct punctuation. An exclamation point

represents a different meaning than a period.• Include Quotation marks and question marks

5. Objective Analysis and Interpretations Analyze - Why did the action happen? Interpret - What does this behavior mean?

How does this relate to areas of development?

ANECDOTAL EXAMPLES• Andy – age 3Andy was playing with some

dinosaurs when baby Erin toddled over and grabbed one off the shelf. Andy had not been playing with a particular dinosaur, but when he saw Erin take it, he pushed her down grabbed it from her.

INTERPRETATION: Andy does not yet understand that babies are to be treated with patience.

• Colin – Age 4Cole was crying because he

was hurt. Ryan ran over to him and hugged him until he felt better.

Interpretation: Ryan is aware of the feelings of others and sensitive to help them.

POOR EXAMPLES• Jenny is so cute. She

has a matching bow for every outfit.

• This only tells us of the writer’s opinion of what they think cute is.

• Hunter is really mean to the babies. He is always knocking them down, taking toys from them and pinching them. I don’t think he likes them very much.

• Writer’s opinion.

• Carolyn grabbed a square to put under her bum because she wanted to sit by Maura.

• Big deal, what does this have to do with anything?

• Collin got to sleep in the blue hiding box today.

• Who cares? What’s the point of this description?

TIMED SAMPLING:

• Observations taken at set intervals.

• Every 5 minute• Every 10 minutes• Or every 20 minutes.

TALLIES:• Provides a record of how often behavior

happens over time.

John: Nov. 2, 2003Aggressive Behavior-9:009:3010:1011:0512:00

EVENT SAMPLING:(Incident Records)

• Documenting exactly what happens during a particular event - daily.

• Documentation of a new behavior from a child.–Provides information

about when and how this happened.

CHECK LIST:• The simplest form of observation where the

observer checks off listed behaviors.

Observation “Report Card”used to evaluate each Child.

NARRATIVE:• A written summary of the conclusions of

the observations or activities of the day.

PORTFOLIO OF A CHILD:A collection of the child’s work

and pictures including observations about what the child

is doing in the picture.

PORTFOLIO PROVIDES:

• A way to communicate with parents.• A way to assess individual progress.• Evidence for teacher accountability.

– May contain teacher observations & notes.

PORTFOLIO CATEGORIES• Emerging Literacy: Letters, reading,

computers.

PORTFOLIO CATEGORIES cont’d

• Creative Arts: Art work

• Science & Math: Science activities, math and small manipulatives.

• Social Skills: Dramatic play & Friends.

• Large Motor: • Outdoor play, &

blocks

• Special Events: Birthdays, Christmas, Field Trips.

ANECDOTAL REPORT PRACTICE

• Find a partner.• Visit the different stations around the room.• Take turns completing the tasks at each

station.• Complete an anecdotal observation on your

partners skills at the stations.