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OBSERVING YOUNG CHILDREN
1.1 Purpose of Assessment
• The purpose of assessment is to gather relevant information about student
performance or progress, or to determine student interests to make
judgments about their learning process.
• Assessment is critical in helping us as caregivers understand and support
young children's learning. It's important that we understand the purposes
and the benefits of assessment so that we can be ensured we have the
information we need to make decisions that impact things like the
curriculum, the environment that the children are in, as well as our own
teaching practices. Those are all things that we'll talk about today.
1.1.1 Let's talk about the purposes of assessment. We've talked about what
assessment is and the different types of assessments, but why do we even want
to use assessment? What's the purpose?
a) Guides Planning
• your assessment is helping guide your planning.
• When you become aware that an activity is ineffective, you can either
eliminate the activity or modify it to be more effective.
• Being aware of the developmental level of each child will help in
planning activities for the entire class.
• know there were times where your planned an activity for classroom
and was so excited.
• could not wait for these kids to do this activity and play with this certain
material or toy that I put out. However, when the kids saw it, it just
flopped.
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b) Shares Information with Others
• Assessment shares information with others. Assessment of each child
provides us as educators with knowledge that can be shared with our
colleagues, administrators, families, or other stakeholders. You might be
in a program that reports to your state or to the federal government,
depending on reporting requirements.
• Colleagues might be able to use the information as children change
classrooms or to possibly benefit another group of children.
• In addition, families can work with us as the educator to help the child
continue developing their skills at home.
c) Supports Learning and Instruction
• started to be more intentional about what I put in each blank of that lesson
plan.
• we have a goal in mind for every lesson and if we're intentional about the things
that we're putting on the lesson plan, then the assessment can help us as the
educator determine if that goal has been met
d) Identify Children Who May Need Additional Services
• Becoming familiar with the children in your classroom, it might become
apparent that a particular child might need some further assessment or
additional services by another professional.
• Assessment is a helpful way to find out this information. If we're not gleaning
some meaning out of this assessment data and saying, "Okay, what is this telling
us?"
• Remember to consult with the family first and receive permission before, and
communicate often throughout the process with the family.
• Discovering that your child may be in need of additional services can be really
confusing for parents.
• We work so hard in early childhood to develop that close bond and
relationship, which helps with communicating with families in many situations,
including those like this.
1.2 Components of Assessment
• What are the different parts of assessment in terms of what is involved in the
assessment process? There are four components, including observation,
written records, portfolios, and family information.
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i. Observation
• observation is included in the process of assessment. Observation is gathering
unbiased information about each child, noting what the child is doing without
any interpretation or explanation about why he's doing it.
• Observation is the basis of what educators do when working with children. The
unbiased or without interpretation or explanation piece is really important here
because when you're observing young children, you're simply documenting
what you see.
ii. Written Records
• Observations include written records. These are objective, also known as
unbiased, recordings of the observation that should be included in the child's
portfolio and in the educator's notes to help plan for future activities and help
them remember what they have seen.
• Written records may include rating scales, checklists, anecdotal notes, tallies,
and other forms and observations recorded by the educator.
• Being objective is really important as well because if these are in the child's
portfolio, that means the parents will see them.
• You don't want to have something written about a young child that has your
judgment or your opinion in it. Sharing that with the parent could be a very
sticky situation.
iii. Portfolios
• If you don't do them or if you've not heard of them, they're chronological
collections of written records combined with samples of the child's work.
• This might include photographs, artwork, or dictated stories, where the child
tells you the story and you write it down. It also might include video records,
audio records, and other items that you feel would give an accurate picture
of the child's development.
• One of the most fun things I've ever done as a teacher involved audio
recordings of children singing a song for Mother's Day.
• Portfolios are designed to help the educator in the assessment process.
• You can also use portfolios with other teachers. As a child moved up from
another class to the preschool class, we would get the portfolio from that other
classroom. At the end of the child's time at our school, we would have a really
thick portfolio with stuff from infancy all the way up to preschool.
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iv. Family Information
• Families are the best source of information concerning their child. After all, they
are the expert on their child. You might be an expert on child development,
preschool, literacy, or other things, but the parent is the expert on that child
and always will be.
• The information that you get from the family could consist of interviews and any
information provided by the family that you can include in the assessment
process. Families should be consulted and included in every stage of the
assessment. Several of those assessment tools that we talked about have
parent components to them.
1.3 Types of Observation
• Types of Observation in Childcare. There are many different methods of
observing children's play, development and learning. Some well-known
methods include anecdotal observations, running records, time-sampling,
sociograms and checklists.
• There are many different methods of observing children’s play, development
and learning. Some well-known methods include anecdotal observations,
running records, time-sampling, sociograms and checklists. Photos, audio or
video records as well as learning stories are also valuable ways to build
understandings and interpret the learning, interests, abilities, and skills of
children.
• it is important that teachers and educators explore the different methods on
offer and utilise the one that best reflects the teaching and learning context
including service philosophy.
• This ensures that the planning process facilitates each child’s development and
learning in a positive way and provides the educative team with a thorough
understanding of each child.
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1.1.3 Types of observation techniques to use when observing
children.
I. Anecdotal Record
• Anecdotal records are usually performed after an event and are written
in the past tense. They are sometimes described as diary records and
focus on what is important, recorded in chronological order, with a
beginning and an end.
• This may include focusing on a single area of child development, or
going through a number of developmental areas, or aspects of a child’s
play at once. When creating an anecdotal record, you must record
what the child has said and done, including their body language,
pronunciation, direct quotes and facial expressions.
• Anecdotal observations are a practical method for recording any
important events or actions that may tell us about the child's interests,
needs, development, abilities and skills. For example, this might include
observing a child playing with playground equipment, which will
provide details about their gross motor skills.
• Anecdotal records are a valuable way to share with a parent their
child’s evolving learning and development and for families to see the
progress their child is making in different areas of their learning
experience.
II. Running Records
• Running records involve describing everything a child says in a specified
period of time.
• A running record is written in the present tense as it is being recorded as
it happens. It provides a detailed description of the child's actions and
behaviours during a specific time frame.
• They are practical for deciding why a child may be behaving in a
particular way and can provide significant information on other
developmental areas.
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III. Photo Observations
• Photo observations can capture how a child learns through an
experience, and provide an understanding of the child's development,
skills and interests
• When accompanied with a brief interpretation, a collection of
photographs can portray the development of the child, or any changes
in their skills and play overtime.
IV. Time Samples
• Time samples record a child's behaviour and how often that behaviour
occurs during the day. A tally system is used to record the specific time
the behaviour occurs.
• Time samples are an effective way of finding out how children are
engaging in various play areas as well as providing insight into children’s
behaviour at different points in the day.
• A time sample is often described as taking a series of ‘snap-shots’ similar
to time-lapse photography and can assist in seeing the particular
patterns in how children experience the program.
• Time samples can be undertaken every 30 minutes in a day, or in shorter
increments of 5 to 10 minutes one important consideration is to have a
clear pre-determined purpose for undertaking the time-sample.
1.4 Observing Development
• Observation can also be described as paying close attention to a child's
behaviors, interactions, activities, and interests, and noticing all aspects of the
child's development. Both definitions stress the importance of observing with
intention and observing to learn.
• Tips for Writing an Observation
1. Background information - the child's name, age, the date, if others were
involved, the name of the observing educator.
2. Behaviours during play time - play behaviours allow us to gather information
on the development of the child, their social skills, strengthsand interests.
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1.4.1 Observation techniques
• Different observation techniques need to be used to elicit different
information.
• It is important that the information that you gather in your observation
is appropriate and sufficiently detailed to enable you to make
accurate assessments of children’s learning.
• Selecting an appropriate observation technique to gather your
information is an important part of this process.
Different techniques include:
• time sampling;
• tracking;
• checklists;
• target child;
• learning stories;
• documenting.
Time sampling
o involves completing a short narrative observation of a child at 10–
15minute intervals. This gives you quite a broad overview of the child in
the setting.
o Assessment of the observation can be focused across many areas, as
appropriate.
o The same technique can be used for activities. An activity is observed
every 10–15 minutes.
o Again, this offers a broad range of possibilities for assessment.
Tracking observations
o follow children’s choices within the setting.
o These choices (including time children spent between activities and any
time they spent observing others) and the time that the child spends
there are recorded.
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o You may also record who else was at the activity and briefly how the
child engaged with the activity/ experience.
o Again, this offers a broad view of the child in the setting and assessment
o can be focused on what you need to know.
Checklists
o are pre-determined lists that identify knowledge, skills or aptitudes. The
purpose of observation is to ascertain whether a child can meet these
criteria.
Target child observations
o ones in which you identify a particular child to observe.
o You may be looking at something in particular or a completing an open-
ended observation. In this observation the child is observed within the
learning environment a longside other children.
o This gives the child the opportunity to demonstrate what they know and
can do within their familiar environment alongside their peers.
o The activity that the child is involved in is briefly recorded narratively and
then language and social interactions are recorded and coded to give
an accurate account of what happened during the observation for
analysis and interpretation.
Documenting
o children’s learning is another way of creating a narrative about what a child
has done and achieved.
o Providing documentary evidence of children’s learning recorded through
observations and examples of children’s work, usually kept as a portfolio or
folder of which children and staff and parents can all contribute to, is well
established in early years.
o Assessments of children’s learning can be completed through careful analysis
and interpretation of the documented evidence.
o The way in which the Reggio Emilia schools document their children’s learning
focuses intensively on children’s experience, memories, thoughts and ideas as
they work.
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o Documentation in Reggio Emilia typically include samples of a child’s work at
several different stages of completion; photographs showing work in progress;
comments written by the practitioners working with the children; transcriptions
of children’s
o discussions, comments and explanations about the activity; and comments
made by
o parents.
1.5 Advantages and Disadvantages
1.5.1 Advantages of the Observation Method
To collect data, observation is used in international market research. It has evolved
into the most sophisticated modern research methodology. The benefits of the
observation approach include the following:
i. Easiest Method
o The most popular and straightforward way to get data is undoubtedly
through observation. It only calls for a little technical expertise. Even
though it necessitates some technological expertise on the researcher's
part, scientific controlled observation is still simpler than other
approaches.
o In their daily lives, everyone on this planet witnesses a wide variety of
things. A person can become perfect at observing his environment with
a little practice.
ii. Independent of People's Willingness to Report
o Observation is independent of people being willing to provide various
information about themselves. Many times, some individuals feel
uncomfortable talking about themselves with an outsider. Some people
need more time or expertise to give the researcher crucial information.
o Even though observation cannot always solve these issues, it
nevertheless calls for less active cooperation and response willingness. It
is always possible to observe someone without them being aware of it.
iii. Real and True
o Every piece of information must start as an experience or impression.
Direct observation must always be attempted because it is the most
reliable method.
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o It can be used as a scientific tool using current mechanical and
electronic technology, from the most informal to the most formal. It fulfils
the demands of a specific circumstance.
o Data gathered through observation will be the most trustworthy of all
data gathered.
iv. Improved Understanding of Consumer Behaviour
o Observation is the only relevant method for uncooperative individuals
who are hesitant to share information regarding their behaviour.
o Information that customers are not able or unwilling to disclose can be
learned through observation.
o For research on young children unable to comprehend our questions or
express themselves clearly, observation is essential.
1.5.2 Disadvantages of the Observation Method
There are some restrictions on observation. An observation typically costs too much
money and takes too much time. It is simple to execute precisely planned laboratory
experiments.
i. Lack of competence of the observer
o The observer's understanding of customer behaviour must be clear. They
should be free from bias and have a reliable frame of reference. The
observer's incompetence could compromise the validity and reliability
of the observation.
ii. All cases in observation may not be observed
o These issues develop because of the event's uncertainty. Numerous
social events have a very ambiguous nature.
o Finding their time and location is a challenging assignment for the
researcher. The incident might occur without the observer present.
o On the other hand, it might not happen even if the observer is always
present. For instance, it is never certain if two people or groups will argue
or fight. The exact date of the event is still being determined.
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iii. Not All Events Give Their Self Over to Observational Research
o Most social phenomena are conceptual. For instance, parents' feelings
of love, affection, and emotion for their children are not visible to our
senses and cannot be measured using observational methods.
o To explore these phenomena, the researcher may use additional
techniques like case studies, interviews, etc.
iv. lack of Clarity
o The observer often prefers to focus on what he wants to see. People may
have different perspectives on what is happening even when exposed
to identical conditions.
o The specifics that different witnesses who witnessed the same incident
report are influenced by their strong personal interests, emotions,
motivations, etc.
o To construct his observation, an observer must rely on his recollection. In
such circumstances, he ought to note his observation right away.
Therefore, improper documentation negates the fundamental
objective of observation.
v. Lack of Reliability
o According to P.V. Young, no attempt is made to employ precise
instruments during observation to verify the accuracy of the
phenomenon.
o Generalizations drawn using the observation approach are not very
trustworthy because social phenomena cannot be controlled or
subjected to laboratory experiments.
o Again, drawing meaningful conclusions from observation is challenging
due to the relative nature of social phenomena and the observer's own
bias.
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vi. Improper Perception
o Observation requires an elevated level of technical skill. One can never
be certain that what they are seeing is what they think they are seeing.
The same phenomenon could be viewed differently by two people.
o A scenario could offer something significant and helpful to one
individual while offering nothing to another. Only observers who possess
the necessary technical expertise can make scientific observations.
vii. Personal bias of the observer
o The spectator may have their moral standards or distinct
preconceptions about an incident, which renders sociological research
objective.
viii. Slow Research
o P.V. Young is correct when he says that valid observations cannot be
hastened, and that observation alone cannot allow us to complete our
inquiry quickly. It can occasionally make the observer, and the observed
less interested in continuing their observation procedure.
1.5.3 Comparison Table for the advantages and disadvantages of the Observation
Method
Advantages Disadvantages
The observation approach is simple because it In the observation method, only some things
frequently does not involve technical skills. are observed. Feelings, emotions, and
opinions remain unobserved.
The observation method provides high accuracy Since it calls for so many resources,
since the observer interacts with the observed. observation is an expensive method.
It is a common and universal technique that is Because observation takes so much time,
employed all over the world. The phenomena are there is a danger that both the observer and
described using the observation method in the the observed will become bored with it
real research setting. eventually.
The respondent only needs to cooperate the There is no way to learn about one's past life.
barest amount in the observation method. The researcher is forced to rely on documents
that are not always reliable.
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1.6 Observation Guidelines
Every day, teachers observe, record and capture essential moments in a child’s
development. The evidence and artifacts that are gathered are then used to plan
curriculum and assess development.
Figure 1.6: Observing the world through a different lens.
As a “student” who is learning to observe and document a child’s development
it is important for you to consider the following guidelines when observing children:
• Take every precaution to maintain confidentiality and to ensure privacy
• Remember to ask if it is OK to take photographs of children and their
work.
• Understand that children have the right not to take part in activities.
• Be respectful and keep a reasonable amount of space between you
and the child so as not to interfere with their play and learning.
• Be attuned to children’s body language, temperament and styles of
communication.
• See each child as a unique individual who has their own perspective,
set of feelings, interests, and way of socializing, along with their own
cultural context, belief system, and values.
• Be upfront and inform children about the purpose of your observation
visit if you are approached.
• Share information with the child about what you have observed when
appropriate.
• Write quotes down just as they were said without adding context, or
trying to rationalize what the child may have meant.
• Be aware that photos and observation data should be collected in a
non-intrusive manner.
• Ensure that observation evidence and photos are used only for the
purposes intended.
• Handle photos and data with care and sensitivity, and always store
information securely.
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• Realize that a child’s reactions, behaviors and conversations may not
be what you expect and therefore you should refrain from being
judgmental or tainted by your cultural biases.
By following these guidelines, you are providing the children you observe with the
respect they deserve while ensuring their dignity and safety.
The centers and programs where you are observing are trusting you to act with
integrity while you are at their site observing their children. Lastly, families will
appreciate that you have their child’s best interest at heart.
