Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/youve-got-the-records-now-what-do-you-do-with-them/5011257/
If you have kept your pad and pencil as steady companions and recorded one or two children over a period of time, engaged in varied activities, alone and with others, by now you have a treasured collection. You see the child in the process of learning to read, involved in math, block building after a social studies trip to the bakery, creating a book of stories, lining up, playing make-believe games, drawing, painting, arguing, and enjoying a joke. But now what?Uses of Records
Surely the most valuable use of these collected anecdotes is for the purpose of teacher development. You, the recorder, will benefit from knowing more about one particular individual, and in so doing you will know about other children. This knowing and understanding will have an impact on your behavior because you will see the child with new eyes. Here is an example of how a teacher gained a different view by recording a child she didn't like.
A teacher of seven year olds disliked the way Tim followed her and whined "teacher, teacher" many times during the day. The teacher was particularly repelled when Tim picked his nose and rolled the mucus into balls. One day the teacher brought in ...