Effective Strategies For Gathering

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IT HAS TO BE PRESENTATION

Observation and Recording to Improve Learning

Like every other aspect of intentional teaching, assessment engages teachers in professional decision making. They must decide what evidence is important to collect, as well as how and when to gather information. The process of gathering evidence of children’s learning is also called documenting, and involves two kinds of decisions: (1) how to gather information about children, and (2) how to record the findings (McAfee & Leong, 2015). Thinking of these processes separately opens up more options for assessment, or more “windows” into children’s learning (McAfee & Leong, 2015).

Observation is the most frequently used method of gathering information. However, there are many ways of recording findings from observation—among them, anecdotal records, checklists, or rating scales—that increase teachers’ options for learning about children. In the sections that follow, we describe ways teachers can observe and collect information about children, then we describe various ways to record or document the information for later reflection and analysis.

Observing and Gathering Evidence

The most effective classroom assessment procedures need to be part of every teacher’s repertoire. These include systematic observation, eliciting responses from children, collecting work products, and gathering information from family members and other adults (McAfee & Leong, 2015). We begin with observation, which is the foundation of effective, developmentally appropriate practice.

Keen observation skills are the most important assessment tool a teacher can develop and use. Effective teaching requires positive relationships and building on children’s prior learning. Therefore, teachers must know as much as possible about children’s strengths, needs, interests, temperament, typical behavior, and much more. Careful observation is the best way to get to know individual children, especially infants, toddlers, and young preschoolers who have limited ability to create products and communicate verbally. During preschool, kindergarten, and the primary grades, teachers continue to regularly observe children’s interests, interactions, and performance of tasks to assess their skills and understanding as part of an overall assessment plan (Mindes & Jung, 2015). Since play is so central to young children’s experiences, it is also an important context for assessing children’s interests, interactions, and skills. In the feature Promoting Play: Play as an Assessment Context, read how one teacher uses play to assess and document children’s progress, and applies the information to inform her teaching.

Accurate, objective observation can be quite difficult. Consider the fact that eyewitness accounts of events tend to vary considerably. Likewise, even everyday experiences may be described differently by different participants. For instance, a teenager’s view of a holiday gathering she didn’t want to attend would be quite different from her grandmother’s, who savored seeing the whole family together. Similarly, if two teachers observe the same preschooler’s boisterous behavior, one might see happiness where the other might see rowdiness.

Learn to Observe

Systematic observation means that teachers focus their attention on individual children or groups, watch what children do as they work and play together, and listen carefully as they speak. Table 11.3 lists the important skills of systematic observation that every effective teacher needs and why.

Table 11.3  Learning to Observe

Effective teachers must be skilled observers in order to assess children’s learning and development accurately, as described in this table.

Effective Observation Practice

Explanation

1. Describe behavior objectively and avoid judgmental labels

An objective statement (“During clean-up time, David ran from one center to another for 10 minutes making siren sounds”) provides specific information that can be interpreted accurately. A judgmental statement (“David is hyperactive”) may be meaningless or inaccurate, and can lead to false assumptions and ineffective interactions with a child.

2. Observe in different contexts

Children’s behavior varies depending on the context, their engagement, and interest. David loves center time and will engage with table toys for extended periods of time, but often acts out during cleanup. Observing his behavior in only one context would be misleading.

3. Observe at different times of the day

Children’s behavior and learning are affected by many variables such as fatigue, hunger, boredom, exhilaration, fear, and anxiety. Accurate interpretation of behavior and effective teaching depends on having the most complete information.

4. Observe children as individuals and in groups

Children learn and display their learning, both as individuals and as members of groups. Obtaining the most complete picture of a child’s abilities, such as their language, social skills, and problem solving, requires observing their interactions with other children.

5. Plan to observe each child during a given time period each week

Teachers’ time is limited by many conflicting demands. Too often, some children receive most of the teachers’ attention while others are overlooked. To guard against this natural tendency, teachers need to set aside specific times weekly to systematically observe each child, if only for 10 minutes.

6. Devise a system for recording information that works for you

Every system for observing and recording assessment evidence places demands on teachers’ time and energy. Teachers need to experiment with and adopt strategies that work for them, whether using sticky notes, strategically placed clipboards, iPads, laptops, digital cameras, or handheld devices.