Observation Basics
The process of watching and listening to children to understand their development.
What is observation?
Short, factual notes taken during or right after an event.
What are anecdotal records?
Teachers observe to understand where each child is in learning.
What is assessment?
Protecting children’s personal information.
What is confidentiality?
They occur all the time. Whether teachers are actively engaged with the children during an activity or in the background cleaning up after an activity.
What are spontaneous observations?
Observing without letting personal feelings influence what you record.
What is objectivity?
A collection of a child’s work over time.
What is a portfolio?
Observation helps teachers plan responsively—also known as this type of teaching.
What is intentional teaching?
Jumping to conclusions about a child’s behavior is an example of this.
What is bias?
Writing down quotes in the running record, saving writing examples, or making audiotapes of conversations during circle time provides insight into this domain
What are literacy and oral language?
Specific, rich moments teachers watch to gain insight into development.
What are observable behaviors?
A minute‑by‑minute written description of behavior/skills.
What is a running record?
Planning based on children’s interests reflects this principle.
What is child-centered learning?
Teachers must record observations that are factual rather than these.
What are interpretations?
Observing children play while in the dramatic play area or performing a dance during music and movement, provides insight into this area of development
What is Creative Expression?
A type of observation that includes personal interpretation.
What is subjective observation?
Photos, checklists, and audio recordings are examples of these.
What are documentation methods?
Documentation helps communicate progress to these partners in learning.
Who are families?
Using observations only to improve teaching practices demonstrates this.
What is professionalism?
Since educators cannot observe everything, they must incorporate this to gather specific evidence
What is planned observation?
Chapter 1 describes “seeing with purpose,” also known as this type of observation.
What is intentional observation?
A method used to track the frequency of a specific behavior.
What is a frequency count?
While every child develops at their own pace, understanding each of them and how they intertwine with each other, educators can accurately observe and assess each child.
What are developmental domains?
Respecting children’s rights and dignity during observations reflects this core principle
What is ethical responsibility?
Using observation to scaffold learning demonstrates this key strategy.
What is developmentally appropriate practice (DAP)?