Making observation an everyday practice
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The document provides tips for early childhood educators to make regular child observations an everyday classroom practice. It recommends setting aside short, daily observation periods and developing an organized note-taking system. Teachers should collaborate with colleagues to observe and track individual children's development over time. The tips also suggest involving children in the observation process and using technology like cameras, recorders, and voice recognition software to document observations.
Making observation an everyday practice
- 1. 6 TEACHING YOUNG CHILDREN VOL 2 NO 4 3 4 5 6 2 1 Julianne Wurm Use small chunks of time. Set aside 5 to 10 minutes a day to sit and watch and listen to the children while taking notes. Your 5- to 10-minute observa- tion periods will add up over time. Try increasing observation times by 30 seconds per day. Soon observation will become a natural and integral part of your work. Create a system. Develop a system before you begin so that your notes are easy to understand and use right away. Some teachers write on sticky notes, steno pads, or index cards using a retractable pen they keep tucked in a pocket. You need to devise a system that works for you, including paper and pens that you like. Collaborate with colleagues. Classroom team members can take turns being in charge of the room while another teacher observes. Some directors can arrange their schedules to work in the classroom for a brief time so teachers can conduct observations. Agree on a system for recording and summarizing observation notes and work together to collect information about all the children. c o l l a g e 10X Keep track of individual observa- tions. Create an observation log to document the dates, times, and places you observe individual children. List one child’s name at the top of a page, and use the lines below for information on your observations. Invite children to join in. When you first begin observing, curious children may want to watch and talk about what you are doing and why. Offer paper, clipboards, and pens and pencils so children can choose to observe and record things of interest to them. Their observations—drawings, scribbles, and so on—will let them participate and can serve as samples of their work. Use technology to document chil- dren’s projects, interactions, and structures. Consider a digital camera, tape recorder, and video camera. Take photographs. Turn on a tape recorder to collect children’s actual conversations. And set up a video camera on a tripod to record yourself engaged with the children. Later, you and your colleagues can watch the video. Voice recogni- tion programs such as Dragon Natu- rallySpeaking will help you transcribe audiotapes in record time. They may take a little time to adjust to, but once mastered, they are wonderful to use. Making Observation an Everyday Practice Regular observation in the classroom provides information about children’s activities, interests, skills, and needs. You can use what you learn to assess progress, plan the curriculum, and exchange information with families. It can be difficult to make sure you observe every child regularly. Here are some ideas to help you make observation an everyday practice in your classroom. Observation Log Name: Chelsea 2/27/09 2:Oopm reading nook 3/4/09 1O:45 am water table 3/12/09 12:15pm block center
- 2. FOR THE PRESCHOOL PROFESSIONAL TYC.NAEYC.ORG 7 10 Encourage families to participate. You can start by inviting parents to observe their children and classmates. Provide materials, a brief explanation of the process, and then ask them to write notes about what they see and hear. Families and teachers could discuss their collected observations at a parent meeting. Talking to family members about what they are seeing and what it could mean about chil- dren’s development can help them con- nect behavior to learning in a concrete way. 7 c o l l a g e 8 9 Share your observations with the children. Children enjoy listening to you read your notes on their activities and conversations. They may have ideas about why they and their friends said or did certain things. They can add a new perspective on what you think you saw and heard. Pick a spot and a time. Observation allows teachers to notice and document patterns in children’s behavior over time. To make daily observation a hab- it and to refine your skills, you could observe at the same time or in the same place in your classroom or outdoors. For example, every day for a week sit in the block area from 10 until 10:15 a.m. or take notes while the children prepare snack. Once observation becomes part of your routine, the children will accept it as a normal part of their day. Give yourself time to develop ob- servation skills. Change is easier in small steps. It takes time to develop and master observation skills, so be patient with yourself. Focus on the learning process and how much information you are gaining about the children and what is really going on in the class- room. SUPPORTING DUAL LANGUAGE LEARNERS Good observations are essential in any classroom. With strong obser- vation skills you can document how much a dual language learner en- gages in and enjoys age-appropriate play even though you may not un- derstand his language. Reach out to neighboring programs to create a pool of bilingual observers. In your own classroom, use a digital camera that takes sound movies or a small digital recorder. Get help to translate the recordings so you can fully document the expressive language of your dual language learners and keep accurate notes on their interests, strengths, and learning needs. ©ELLENB.SENISI