Observation Skills for Early Childhood Educators : Observation Skills for Early Childhood Educators By Sandra Toth. M.Ed.
Definitions : Definitions Assessment means the ongoing procedures used by appropriate qualified personnel . . . to identify: (i) The child’s unique strengths and needs and the services appropriate to meet those needs; and (ii) The resources, priorities, and concerns of the family and the supports and services necessary to enhance the family’s capacity to meet the developmental needs of their child. 45 CFR 1304.3
Developmental assessment encompasses all of the activities that provide information about a child’s developmental strengths, needs, resources, and family priorities.
Formal Procedures : Formal Procedures published developmental profiles or checklists;
health and medical records
tests and procedures;
and/or structured observations
Informal Procedures : Informal Procedures conversations with parents and caregivers
informal observations of the children in their daily routines
A comprehensive screening approach should: : A comprehensive screening approach should: Be systematic: (when, where, and how ),
communicate the results to parents and other professionals, include a process for tracking change over time
Include observations of children’s behavior and actions
Incorporate health and developmental history
Consider family characteristics
Staff need: : Staff need: excellent observational skills;
a thorough knowledge of early development;
an understanding of the proper use and interpretation of screening and assessment tools;
relationship-building skills with both children and adults;
knowledge of how to best use the results of a screening, ongoing assessment or evaluation; and
the ability to effectively communicate those results to families and other professionals.
An integrated model : An integrated model All developmental domains
How the child organizes and uses his or her skills.
Find approaches that reveal the child’s optimal level of functioning by observing the child over time and in different contexts.
Emphasize attention to the child’s level and pattern of organizing experience and to functional capacities, (ex. relating, interacting, and thinking)
How the environment supports the child’s developmental functioning and effect skills (paying attention, relating and engaging, reciprocal or back-and forth communication)
Identify current competencies and strengths, as well as identify the next step in the developmental sequence
Linking Curriculum and Assessment : Linking Curriculum and Assessment Ongoing observations. . . and insights from the child’s parents help staff and parents determine how the program can best respond to each child’s individual characteristics strengths, and needs. 45 CFR 1304.20(f)(1)
The effective observations inform CONTENT, CONTEXT, and HOW the curriculum is implemented.
Inform the curriculum : Inform the curriculum recording children’s behavior to identify current functioning and emerging skills;
communicating with parents and other caregivers about behavior in the home or other settings;
identifying different ways children learn and expanding the experiences to incorporate different learning styles;
modifying the materials, experiences, or environment to encourage new skills