The key is to try a variety of styles to build a picture of the child, a group of children and whole of service to inform and support your planning. Keep in mind that no matter the style you use you should always include the following information if possible If this is something your leader or coordinator is asking you to do then perhaps initiate a conversation around why you are being asked to only use one type of assessment tool and if there is an option for you to use a couple instead of one.
Below you will find an example of my photo observation templates which I have probably used the most frequently over the years because they best suit my programming style. There is no need to write to much, a few lines are sufficient — just make sure it is meaningful.
You might settle on one template or style or you might use 3 or 4. Just make sure whatever you use is useful! You need to take the time to experiment a little and work out what suits you and how you work rather than just automatically using what you have seen work for others. Some observation formats also suit certain experiences, activities and conversations better so it can take a little trial and error and work experience before you fully understand this and how best to record your observations.
There are many ways of doing this and I have shared a few suggestions for you to consider below — I have split them into two categories to show how various forms of observation and documentation can give you different levels of information to assess learning and extend with. Some you could combine to get a better overall picture e. Other types of observation can provide you with all the detailed information you need to further analyse and extend as you forward plan. For example, a running record or learning story will no doubt give you enough information to move forward with on its own.
You should also aim to keep them simple and easily understood by parents so that you can effectively communicate the learning that is taking place. So, leave out all the complicated outcome numbers, codes and waffly words and just record what you see as best you can! I like to always have a pad of sticky notes in my pocket or close by on the sign-in table. Quick and unobtrusive to just add a few dot points then stick straight away into your daily diary or onto a form like the one in my baby and toddler planning toolkit.
Incorporate information compiled from a dedicated space and system for both educators and parents to write notes about current interests and learning — another way I like to incorporate either Dropbox or sticky notes and a special book that parents can stick their note straight into for you to review later and you can also reply.
It's up to you as an educator to decide what the information you collect tells you about the child as a whole! That is where your analysis and additional assessment sources come in. This is the format I have used most often over the years. They are usually a short and simple story of the play and actions you saw but written in the past tense. I like to combine this method with the sticky note jottings or reflections because I can unobtrusively make a few dot points here and there and then tell the story in full when I have the time to sit and focus.
This allows you to stay in the moment with the younger children. You write the observation from the point you began observing the experience to the end of that particular event. Use mark-making, drawings, photos of projects — group or individual, construction, crafts, photos of group play or interactions with educators, messy play, sensory play etc.
You can then link to relevant learning outcomes and milestones. This category consists of any audio, video, family communication apps etc. The child is also developing self-esteem and autonomy out of his creativity demonstrated in the activities which makes the teacher to praise him.
Heposits that as children grow, they gain increased ability and capacity to understand their world. Children can therefore not learn unless they actively interact with their environment. Piaget believed that children posses the cognitive potential and mechanisms to learn on their own through exposure to supportive environments. For example, A. This is perhaps why he has drawn a car and even named it. The boy has also creatively drawn a tree and painted it green.
This makes the child to focus more on the appearance of an object or image. This explains why A. He believes that the car represents their family car. Assimilation enables a child to process information and develops a mental representation of materials from personal interaction with the environment.
The boy in this case has managed to successfully develop a mental representation of what a house is through assimilation. With this sensual perception, A. He has painted the house brown, perhaps because he was attempting to come up with the paint of the buildings at Kid Care Child Development Centre. Piaget developed the concept of egocentrism. You can ask yourself: What is the infant doing? How does she react to materials and other children? How does he respond to you and other care teachers?
What are her emerging skills, interests, and needs? Observation usually happens while you are caring for infants and toddlers. So you may not have uninterrupted time to record your observations. Often teachers record their observations also called documentation when children are sleeping, at the end of the day after children leave, or during planning time.
You may find it is helpful to begin with short documentations of your observations until you become more skilled at the process. Through ongoing practice, you can build your observation skills and develop different ways to document and interpret your observations. With practice, you can find the easiest and most comfortable way to fit it into your daily work with infants and toddlers.
Just as you individualize care for infants, toddlers, and their families, it is important to consider what works best for you as you collect observations and documentations throughout the day. Different documentation styles work for different teachers, child care settings, and times of day.
Try different approaches to see what feels right and does not interfere with your interactions with infants and toddlers. Keep in mind that you can use more than one method. Each type of documentation captures a snapshot of the child in a certain way, and using more than one method of observation may help you create a more complete picture of each infant and toddler in your care California Department of Education, It is helpful to have places you can put notes, pens, cameras, or smart phones that infants and toddlers cannot reach, such as small shelves installed at adult eye level in different parts of the room and play yard.
After filming their own practices, teachers can share the videos with their coaches, trainers, and peer group as appropriate. The observation tool can be used as part of training, practice-based coaching, and communities of practice. The Coaching Companion is available for child care programs to use with their teaching staff, so a program would sign up for access rather than an individual teacher.
You may work in a program or a system that provides tools and guidance for observation and documentation. Here are some suggestions to consider:.
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