110 - Observation and Documentation

1

ECD 110

Observation

and

Assessment

of the Young Child

Kim Sutton Instructor

What is Authentic Assessment?

• Authentic assessment is an essential

foundation for effective early care and

education programs.

• Why?

2

3

Do We Really Want to Test Young Children?

To understand why authentic assessment is an essential foundation for effective early care and education programs, we first need to look at what authentic observation is not.

LET’S LOOK AT A CONCERNING TREND ABOUT THE USE OF HIGH PRESSURE METHODS

OF TESTING FOR ASSESSING YOUNG CHILDREN:

Example:

An unknown adult pulls a child out of her familiar environment, sits her down at a table, and “quizzes” her on specific bits of knowledge or skill and expects to see this child at her best.

Testing Young Children Doesn’t Work

• Young children

– Have shorter attention spans than older

children.

– Often better express themselves and what

they know by manipulating real objects

and interacting with familiar people in

everyday situations rather than responding

verbally to test questions.

4

Testing Young Children (cont.)

• Young children

– May shut down or not perform well if under

stress or put on the spot.

– May show new or emerging skills unevenly

over time and a “snapshot” test may miss

valuable information.

5

6

However, Authentic Assessment…

• Is an approach that is natural and non-

threatening to children.

• Is widely accepted as a recommended

practice in early childhood education.

The Definition and Benefits

• Authentic assessment is observing children as

they interact with familiar toys, materials, and

people in everyday routines, activities, and places.

• Authentic assessment puts much less pressure on

young children.

• By using authentic assessment, we get a more

accurate understanding of the child.

7

Ongoing observation of children

in their everyday routines and activities

is at the heart of

authentic assessment.

8

Observation As Routine

• Make observation a routine part of your work with

young children.

• It doesn’t have to be complicated but it takes

practice.

• Using observation and assessment in the early

childhood classroom is an invaluable asset to the

teacher.

9

10

Objective

Subjective

No two people will see the same child in identical ways. Two open and honest

teachers can be asked to observe the same child. What they see and the interpretation they make will depend on what they decide

to look for and on their own particular perspectives.

(Martin, S., Take a Look, 2007)

12

Objective vs. Subjective Descriptions

Objective

Descriptions of your

observations provide the

facts and details with as

little interpretation as

possible.

Example: There was a

crowd of about 50 people

in front of the museum.

Subjective

Descriptions of your

observations are

influenced by your

opinions, past personal

experiences, and

background.

Example: There was an

impatient crowd of about

50 people waiting

endlessly to enter the

museum.

13

Writing Effective Observation Notes

Be Factual: Describe only what actually happened

Be Brief: Keep it short, but provide enough detail that you will be able to remember and understand what happened

Be Relevant: Include key details such as direct quotes and information about the context

14

Let’s Practice!

Objective or Subjective?

1. Sarah puts dishes on the table for the bear and the doll and says "you...one...you...one... ME!"

2. Tanya sets the table, probably imitating how it happens at home.

3. Zack has been crying because he misses his mom and is afraid she won’t come back. He clings to his blanket for comfort.

15

Let’s Practice!

Objective or Subjective?

1. Sarah puts dishes on the table for the bear and the doll and says "you...one...you...one... ME!“ OBJECTIVE

2. Tanya sets the table, probably imitating how it happens at home. SUBJECTIVE

3. Zack has been crying because he misses his mom and is afraid she won’t come back. He clings to his blanket for comfort. SUBJECTIVE

16

Documentation

Methods

Running Record or Narrative Record

A narrative written in sequence over a

specified time.

Recorded while behavior is occurring.

17

Checklists and Rating Scales

A list of behaviors with check marks, recorded before,

during, and after behavior occurs.

A scale of traits or behaviors with check marks recorded

before, during, and after behavior occurs.

Predetermined Created Instrument-

Sometimes, always, never

Strongly agree, agree, strongly disagree

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 etc.

18

Event Sample

A brief narrative of conditions preceding and following

specified behavior.

Recorded while behavior is occurring.

Records how many times something happens.

Need to define what the event is.

Example: How many times does the teacher get

interrupted? or How often does a teacher call a child’s

name?

19

Time Sample

Tallies or symbols showing presence or absence of

specified behavior during short periods of time.

Recorded while behavior is occurring.

Clock determines observation-

Every minute, behavior is recorded, behavior is

totaled to see how frequently behavior is exhibited.

Example: Who does the talking during circle time?

Teachers, children or nobody?

20

Anecdotal Record

A narrative of descriptive paragraphs recorded while behavior is occurring.

Includes children’s exact words, facial expressions, body language.

Write what you see and hear NOT why a child does a behavior.

Contains factual information about setting, start time, etc.

Behavior is recorded in 5 to 10 minute intervals over a total of 30 minutes.

21

Diary or Journal Entry

22

Typically consisting of a compilation of photographs, work

samples and written summaries of the day.

Particularly useful in group observations.

In many cases children (and families) can become involved

in the portfolio production.

They can be time consuming and normally require regular

compilation.

23

Observe

Reflect

Act

24

Observation helps us…

Understand individual children's…

• Interests

• Strengths

• Challenges

Plan…

• The kinds of activities and

materials to provide

• When and how to rotate activities

• How to expand on activities

25

We might use information we gain from ongoing

observation to…

Plan curricula and

learning activities

Document children's

progress

Share information

with families

Complete an

assessment

instrument

Let children

know that we

value their work

Share the good

work of our

program with

the community

Observe/

Document

ReflectAct

A Process for Reflection and Action

26

Observe/Document

We document what we observe as objectively as

possible:

– We note the things that we actually see and hear

– We focus on facts

– We try to remain nonjudgmental

– We avoid being subjective; we guard against allowing our personal views, values, feelings, or background to influence what we note.

27

Reflect

Once we document our

observations:

– We pause and reflect

on what we observed

– We put our

observations in context

of other things we know

about the child.

28

Act

Once we reflect on our observations, we decide what actions to take.

For instance, we might decide:

– To do more observations

– To rate an item on an assessment system

– Ways we want to individualize our teaching

29