Observing Children

In the Sixth Edition of their classic text, the authors reiterate the critical importance of observing and recording the behaviour of young children, especially in the current atmosphere of accountability and testing. In addition, because children with special needs are now widely included in a majority of early childhood classrooms, they have completely rewritten a chapter to focus more broadly on observing behaviours that may be viewed as disquieting. Designed to help teachers better understand children's behaviour, the book outlines methods for recordkeeping that provide a realistic picture of each child's interactions and experiences in the classroom. Numerous examples of teachers' observations of children from birth to age 8 enrich this work and make it accessible, practical, and enjoyable to read. With over 130,000 copies in print, this valuable resource for pre- and inservice educators features: fresh information about how children think and learn, how their language develops, and how their families, their culture, and their environment influence and help to shape them; observations that reflect the increasingly diverse population in contemporary early childhood classrooms; and the imperative for teachers to widen their lens in order to meet the needs of young children with a range of developmental capacities, abilities, and behaviours.

This is a book about the process of finding user-friendly and purposeful ways of observing and planning that will help those who are working with young children in a variety of settings to look with insight at children, providing what they need in order to develop and learn optimally. By examining the historic background of observing and planning, and describing examples of good practice in different group settings, this book will help to monitor a child′s progress - what is needed now and to work out what is needed next. The real life case studies from various settings including day care, nursery school, primary school, private sector and Soweto examine different observation techniques, looking at their strengths, drawbacks and use in everyday practice. Examples from the UK and internationally illustrate the history and importance of observation in a range of contexts, while a glossary clearly explains the key terminology. All the examples given in this book can be used with different National Framework documents worldwide, bearing in mind however the authors′ belief that curriculum frameworks must be used as a resource and never as a limiting straitjacket. Drawing on key theory and research, the book′s chapters cover: Flexible planning Record keeping Working with parents Using technology. Full colour photographs, illustrations and useful charts and diagrams make this an accessible and engaging resource that will no doubt be invaluable to any early years practitioner. This book was originally published as Getting to Know You - part of the 0-8 series.

This second edition updates the methods based on new technologies, updates and increases the number of examples, and reorganizes so the theoretical material is up front. The author's decisions were guided by having used the first edition in classes at two universities. Consequently, he received feedback on the book from a variety of different perspectives--from groups of very conscientious and competent students and from colleagues around the world who have used the book. By consensus, the most popular aspect of the first edition was the organization of the book, where the student/researcher is guided through conceptualizing, designing, implementing, and writing up the research project. This basic organization is the same as in the first edition, however, within this organizational frame things have changed. The discussion of the place of direct observational methods in relation to different "qualitative" and "quantitative" research traditions has been kept, but expanded. Discussions of the use of direct observations in naturalistic settings (drawing from research methods in ethology and ethnography) and in more contrived settings (drawing from experimental psychology) are extended. Relatedly, an extended discussion has been added on theories of science guiding different research assumptions. In addition, sections of validity, reliability, and the ethics surrounding the research enterprise are also expanded. These constructs are not specific to observational methods but relevant to the general research process. In revised chapters in these areas the author provides grounding in the general concepts and then draws more specific focus to observational methods. The extended discussion of ethics is important, since issues related to who gets authorship on papers, how to complete Institutional Review Board forms, and honesty in reporting findings are all issues that face both junior and senior researchers alike. Practical issues of writing research papers are expanded in this edition, providing discussions of writing both review and empirical articles. Lastly, a new and extensive chapter on using technology in direct observational methods has been added, which reviews the available hardware and software in direct observational methods.

This updated edition aims to teach students how to observe, record and evaluate the social, motor and cognitive development of children from infancy to eight years of age. aides.

This book explains the unique insights that child observation can bring to practice with children and families and helps the reader develop their own skills in this approach. The ability to observe and to process what is seen is crucial in social work with children and families. Yet successive inquiries into child deaths have demonstrated the problems faced by professionals in doing what is superficially a very straightforward task, highlighting the difficulties in seeing, thinking about and developing an understanding of the child’s experience. This book helps readers to develop an understanding of what is entailed in observation, explaining the unique insights that child observation can bring to practice with children and families. By drawing out relevant theoretical concepts it aids their understanding of what they are observing and so helps them to develop their own skills. Key theoretical concepts are brought together from developmental psychology and psychoanalytic thinking in a way that enables practitioners to draw on these to inform and enrich their thinking. Useful case studies are presented which practitioners can relate to their own practice when they are struggling to make sense of difficult situations.

Observation is an essential skill for all who work as carers and educators of children. It is the key way to assess a child's stage of development, to asses their progress, alert you to their needs, to plan for their teaching and to enjoy each child's unique qualities. Now thoroughly updated to cover new policies, trends and regulations in line with EYFS Statutory Framework (2021), this book offers a focused guide to observational techniques that will enable you to become a skilled practitioner. This new edition includes main development checkpoints in the first six years of life under the headings of the three prime areas and four Specific areas of the EYFS. The second section of this chapter describes theoretical perspectives of children's development and encourages students to research and analyze theories in order to complete a series of challenging activities. Pedagogical features include chapter objectives, key questions, chapter summaries, case studies and a set of activities to assist planning which includes considering sustainability and conservation within the early childhood environment. It offers focused guidance for the early years sector. Written primarily for trainee and practicing teachers, and those studying for foundation and undergraduate degrees in Childhood Studies, this book is key reading for a range of childcare practitioners who work in a variety of settings, including nurseries, hospitals and home.