Post on 16-Dec-2015
What Is Observation?
• Clues to the development and personality of each child
• To “read” the child• To “see” a situation• To develop a child sense• Important role in assessment
Why Observe?
• Improve your teaching– Become more
objective and less biased, and use less inference
• Construct theory– Link research to
practice
• Use as an assessment tool– Develop specific
goals and objectives for planning and development
• Assist families– Share meaningful
examples of abilities
Why Observe? (cont.)
• Wonder why and solve a problem– A time of reflections– Developing hunches and intuition– Rethinking the problem
Contexts for Understanding Observations
• Children as individuals– Tailoring what a child is ready and willing to
learn– Report what a child does (not feels) and
interpretations• Children in general
– Look at developmental norms– Children’s play patterns evolve– Understanding group and individual behavior
Influences on Behavior
• Environmental influences are classroom arrangement, daily schedule, and the activities themselves
• Transitions and time of day impact behavior
• Relationships between children and adults
Understanding Self
• Notice human behavior more accurately
• One teaches children and learns from them
• Capturing the unique personality, culture, and qualities develops self-awareness
Key Elements of Observation
• Systematic observations aid in recording events and help teachers make sense of them
• Must develop a “language of recording” to practice
• Elements of observation– Focus on what you want to know– Develop a system– Find a tool or instrument– Select the environment
Types of Observation
• Narratives– Record nearly everything that happens– Baby biography, diary, journal, or log– Modified running record or specimen
description (one thing at a time) – Advantages:
• rich information, detailed behavioral accounts, take notes at any time
– Disadvantages: • time consuming, tendency for judgment or
inference
Observation Strategies—Anecdotal Record
• Detailed record of specific episode of particular interest or concern
• A short descriptive story about a child’s specific behavior event that is of particular interest or concern. – This may be firsthand information as
observed by child care providers or recorded from secondhand information as provided by parents.
– It is qualitative, not quantitative data.
Observation Strategies—Running Account
• Specific type of behavior noted each time it occurs to provide ongoing description of behavior
Samplings
• Time sampling– What happens at a given
time– Less descriptive– Recorded at regular
intervals– Can use a checklist– Advantage: focus on
specific behaviors– Disadvantage: difficult to
get the whole picture
• Event sampling– Defines an event and
devises a system to encode immediately
– Looks at specific behaviors using checklists a number of times during a day
– Advantage: clearly defined with a recording sheet
– Disadvantage: lack of detail from a narrative
Observation Strategies—Time Sampling
• Identifies behaviors• Determines patterns of occurrence and
general frequency of behaviors
Observation Strategies—Event Sampling
• Determines pattern of occurrence and precise number of times predetermined behavior occurs within set period of time
Rating Methods
• Checklists with predetermined data are simple to make and record but lack rich detail
• Rating scales are checklists planned in advance that measure quantity and quality
How to Observe and Record Effectively
• Observing while teaching– Gather and prepare materials– Consider where you will observe– Plan when it will take place, and arrange help
if needed– Prepare every adult to be an observer and
reflect on children’s play
How to Observe and Record Effectively (cont.)
• Beginning to observe– Plan and establish a time and place– Be unobtrusive– Observe and record– Interpret your data– Act on what you observed
Observation Sequence
• Determining learning and developmental goals
• Watching and recording behavior• Inferring meaning from behavior• Evaluating progress toward learning and
developmental goals• Planning changes to enable achievement of
desired goals
Observation
• Qualitative information- Unmeasurable descriptive qualities and characteristics of behaviors.
• Quantitative information- Measurable numerical data and statistical calculations that tell how often or to what degree behaviors occur
Inferring Meaning
• Act of drawing conclusions from evidence perceived by one’s senses or through communication
Biases• Biases are one’s own set of beliefs, values,
perceptions, and assumptions
• Biases develop from one’s upbringing, past experience, and personal philosophy of life
• All we perceive with our senses is filtered through layers of our personal point of view (bias)