Observation Tips

05/28/2009

All children need a laptop. Not a computer, but a human laptop. Moms, Dads, Grannies and Grandpas, Aunts, Uncles - someone to hold them, read to them, teach them. Loved ones who will embrace them and pass on the experience, rituals and knowledge of a hundred previous generations. Loved ones who will pass to the next generation their expectations of them, their hopes, and their dreams.
Colin Powell, first black U.S. Secretary of State, 1937 - 2021

"Record only what you see, feel, hear, and smell." This is some of the advice on using observations effectively provided by Dianne MacLean in her Exchange article, "Learning to See... Seeing to Learn: The Role of Observation in Early Childhood Development," which now is included in the newest Exchange CEU Kit, "Observations". In the article MacLean elaborates....

"You cannot see 'angry'; you can see frowning and hear screaming. You cannot see 'loves,' you can see smiling and hear giggling. When you record the specific body language and sounds the child expresses you maintain objectivity. This provides a more accurate view of what is happening with that child; it is a more accurate translation of the child’s intent for multiple caregivers. For example, stating that 'Reggie (15 months) picked up the sensory tube and angrily threw it at the caregiver' invites a whole set of misinterpretations depending on how the reader views what 'anger' looks like. Does it look like screaming and throwing with force and intent? Does it look like frowning and crying? The actual observation of this incident, written with objectivity, provided a completely different scenario. 'Reggie (15 months) picked up the sensory tube, made eye contact with the caregiver, and waved the tube back and forth. The caregiver held out her hand, palm up, toward Reggie. Reggie looked back down at the tube and released his hand. The tube flew past the caregiver and rolled across the floor. Reggie frowned and crawled away. He began banging on a piano with the palm of his hand.' This observation provides a non-judgmental documentation of a set of events free of subjective and often inaccurate conclusions."

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"Observations," "Teamwork," and "Communication" are the latest sets of Exchange articles that you can purchase and download online, then read for Continuing Education Units from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Once you or your staff members have read the articles, you take an online test from the University and if you score 80% or above the University will mail you your CEU certificate.

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