1. Observing Young Children

2. How to be an effective observer Try not to be noticed  You may affect their behavior  Your presence may be disruptive Blend into the background  Choose a place outside of the classroom Avoid asking children questions  Children may be curious about who you are and why you are there-don’t ask them questions in return Participate /Interact  You may need to stop observing and participate in an activity or help one of the adults for instance if a child is hurt and an adult does not know

3. Objective vs. Subjective Objective  Facts used to describe things  Describes what the observer sees and hears Subjective  Personal opinions and feelings to describe things Objective observations are more valuable than subjective. Why would this be?

4. Objective vs Subjective Observations

5. Types of Observation Records Running Record  Writing down everything that observed for a set period of time  Best for when you’re trying to get to know a child or group Anecdotal record  Running record with the behavior recorded all has to do with the same issue Frequency Count  Tally of how often a certain behavior occurs Developmental Checklist  Identifies a series of specific skills or behaviors a child of a certain age should master.

6. Using Observations Professionally Confidentiality  Anyone who observes children and interprets information regarding that child or group of children needs to follow the rule of confidentiality.  You may only share the information with the child’s main caregivers (parents) or your child development teacher

7. Weekly Review 1.Name the five areas in which children develop. 2.We discussed 2 main factors in class that influence development in children. Name the 2 factors and give one example of each. 3.Explain the difference between subjective and objective observations.