CLIPS Word Template - SIelearning€¦ · Web viewWorking with the infants, I have to be ready to do observations whenever I can. You know, those rare moments when you actually

CHCPR509A: Document, interpret and use information about children

Develop observation systems with others

Contents

Develop systematic ways of observing children to ensure all children are included 3

Good observation systems 6

Develop systematic ways of observing children to ensure that all interpretations of behaviour can be clearly linked to evidence 7

Linking interpretations of behaviour to evidence 7

Clearly link observation systems developed to program planning and evaluation processes 11

Linking observation systems to program planning and evaluation processes 11

Approaches to planning and evaluation 11

Implement processes to ensure appropriate access by others to observation information 12

Privacy legislation 13

Summary 13

2 Diploma of Children’s Services: CHCPR509A: Reader LO 9395 © NSW DET 2010

Develop systematic ways of observing children to ensure all children are included

There are lots of different systems used by caregivers to make sure that they observe all the children in their care regularly. It is important to make sure that all children get fairly equal time, unless there are concerns about individuals that require more attention from the staff.

Here are some childcare workers talking about how they get through their busy week and still keep records and build up Portfolios on children. They all have different approaches that suit their work styles and the type of care they are offering.

Cassie is a childcare worker in charge of a room of three- to six-year-olds in a busy long day care centre. She talks here about the observation system she has developed in her room:

We have an observation chart on the wall with six children's names on it for each week. We call these our focus children for the week. All the carers in the room will try and pay close attention to these six children for the week. We have set observation times built into our daily routine. If, you are on an early shift that day, for example, you can get a few observations done when you are supervising outdoor play. If you are on a late shift, you try and do some during indoor play. The person on the middle shift tries to complete part of a checklist each day, mostly by looking through recent observations and asking all the staff what they have seen. Phan, the cook, is great to ask. He sees so much from the kitchen. He is really an observant person. He has a great eye for detail, and so I always ask him.

When I say we try to record observations at these times, it really depends on the day and what is happening. You know, some days there are lots of kids who need cuddles or band-aids or a bit of a chat, and you get to the end of the shift feeling as though you've got nothing down on paper.

On other days, you can stand aside for five minutes or so and get a few things down. It only takes a few minutes to get some good observations. But I find that without the list of focus children, I just get overwhelmed by the size of the task. Concentrating on just a few children at a time is really good. We also try to take photos of the focus children in play during their observation week. These are used

Diploma of Children’s Services: CHCPR509A: Reader LO 9395 3© NSW DET 2010

for noticeboard displays and put in their portfolios with comments underneath them.

The children we observe in one week, we plan for them in the next week. That way they are still fresh in your mind when you are planning for them.

We have a large envelope for each child in a box in the staffroom, and we pop things in there that we think might be good for their portfolio—work samples and so on. In our monthly staff meetings, we usually make time to sift through some of these and file them more permanently in their portfolio.

To summarise, the main features of Cassie's preferred observation system are:

• Six focus children are identified each week for observation by all staff in the room.

• Ideal times for observing are recommended for each shift.• The six focus children are observed in one week and then planned for

in the next week.• A variety of observation methods are used, as well as work samples

and photos with comments.• Portfolios are built up during staff meetings.• Multiple perspectives are gathered on each child because more than

one carer completes observations on each child.

A variety of observations are used. Here are carers working on portfolios

Justin is the Nursery team leader in another long day care centre. Here he talks about the observation system he has designed. It differs from Cassie’s system with preschoolers. Why do you think he has chosen a different system?

Working with the infants, I have to be ready to do observations whenever I can. You know, those rare moments when you actually don't have a baby in your arms, or a little one to comfort or a nappy to change.

Nellie (my assistant) had a great idea. We all wear bumbags with some basic equipment in it. You know, disposable gloves, tissues, band-aids, that sort of thing—very useful when you are outside and an accident


happens—and you don't want to leave the children to run inside and get things.

Anyway, we decided to stash a notepad and pencil in the bumbag as well, so we can always make notes on the run. When something interesting happens you don't always have paper and pen with you. Well now we do!

So how we organise it is this—we have a primary carer system in the room. Each of us has four or five babies who are our special little group, all the time. For that little group, the primary carer helps them to settle in to the centre, becomes the first carer they become attached to, looks after most of their records, adds to their portfolio and plans for them. It's a special relationship; there is someone in the centre who is really looking out for that little group. Anyway, we tend to do all the observations for our own small group of four or five.

We do them whenever we can, but we do try to get a few jottings on at least one child a week. That way you get around to all of them regularly. We all take photos of their play whenever we can and then the primary carer will write an anecdotal record to go with it if it is going in the portfolio. Oh, and we do have a centre developmental checklist that we try to fill out on each child at least three times a year.

Activity 1

Childcare workers continue talking about observation systems

Annabell is the Coordinator of a council-run occasional-care centre. Here she describes the observation system they developed at her service. She feels that this approach suits occasional care as a service, and her staff in particular.

I did a workshop last year on the action learning approach and I find it works really well in occasional care, with so many different children coming and going through the week.

The afternoon session ends at 3pm each day but the staff are all rostered on till 4pm. So at the end of each session, everybody sits down together and talks about what happened that day, what worked well, what didn't, what they noticed about the children and so on.

We might spend 10–15 minutes doing this. We particularly try to focus on the children's ideas, conversations they had with other children, questions they asked the adults, and things they really responded to or were interested in.

We find these really throw up clues about the children—and these clues help us with our planning.


While we are talking, one of us will jot down points, and this is how we record our observations. Some of this information is later transferred into individual children's files. I usually do this during my office time. If we want to fill in a checklist on a child, we can go through the notes in their files or we can do it together as a group at this time of day.

Based on what we discuss, we decide what we will plan for the whole group the next day. Then we do our final clean-up and get things ready for the next day. If we have an idea for a particular child, we will wait until they are next in. Sometimes it feels like we are flying by the seat of our pants, but I guess that's just the nature of occasional care!'

Activity 2

Good observation systemsThere are many other ways of organising observation systems and most are very successful. You will find that different systems suit different services and the work style of those who use them.

There are some common factors in all good observation systems:

• All children are observed at regular intervals.• There is a procedure in place to ensure that each child is observed

regularly in the system.• Observations are transferred to the child's file.• There is a process for using the observations to inform planning.• Information from observations is shared with families.• A variety of information-gathering methods is used.• Information is gathered from a variety of sources, including the

families.


Develop systematic ways of observing children to ensure that all interpretations of behaviour can be clearly linked to evidence

Linking interpretations of behaviour to evidenceIt is important when summarising evidence from observations that you don’t stray too far from what you have seen in observation or from other first-hand accounts of the child (for example, information from the child’s parents).

One way we can do this is to link all written statements about the child back to specific observations, as in the following example. All the observations that have been used to write this summary have been numbered. Alternatively, you could use the dates of each record.

This summary looks at the social aspects of an infant called Patrick.

Case study: Patrick—the social childPatrick has strong attachment relationships in his life. He shows signs of a secure attachment to his mother when he uses her as a secure base when playing while she is at the centre (Obs 1, 2, 3, 6).

He also demonstrates separation and stranger anxiety when Mum walks away or a stranger comes nearby (Obs 2, 6) and shows proximity-seeking behaviours by returning to Mum constantly. He shows great delight when he sees his sister during outdoor play, and distress when she goes back to her room.

Patrick’s parents report that he has strong, loving relationships in his extended family, particularly with his maternal grandparents and an aunt who lives with them. These behaviours would tend to suggest that Patrick is at the positive end of Erikson's trust versus mistrust spectrum.


Patrick was only involved in solitary play and onlooker play (Obs 9, 11, 14) as would be expected of such a young child. He particularly enjoys watching the toddlers in the room at play and playing near his four-year-old sister at the beginning and end of the day.

In the above example, all statements made about Patrick related back to specific observations or information gathered from others about him. Conclusions about his development are then related to child development theory.

Here is another example about an older child, a three-year-old girl called Willa, focusing on her physical development.

Case study: Willa—the physical childWilla is showing a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction in very active outdoor play with her friends, Jonas and Eleni.

Willa's gross motor skills are well developed and contribute to her confident, smooth and energetic movements. She runs smoothly and is able to change speed and direction (Obs 3, 5). She can avoid obstacles and other children as she runs and is able to stop and start suddenly (Obs 1, 3). She is usually 'on the go' during outdoor play and enjoys attempting new physical challenges such as obstacle courses and ball games (Obs 1, 4, 5).

Willa’s parents report that she spends a lot of time playing outside with her dog and a neighbour, a five-year-old boy called Timmy. A log of her use of free play time shows that she chooses active, outdoor play over table activities and creative experiences more than half the time.

Now it's your turn to interpret some observations and write summary comments about a child’s development. Remember to refer to specific observations to back up the statements you make about this child.

Read the following jottings involving Liam collected over a three-month period. Some were recorded in his home and others at the preschool he attends:

Here is some introductory information that might help you.

Case study: Liam• He is 5 years 4 months old and will soon start school.• He is the younger of two children. • His sister is 7years 2 months old.• His father is his primary carer as he is at home full time. His mother

works four days a week.


• Liam was always a slow-to-warm-up baby. He took awhile to get to know new people and situations.

• He lives on a small farm outside a large regional centre on the NSW north coast.

Liam

Observation 1: at home with his parents

Holding his button (1 cm diameter) in his right hand, Liam bent back the thick flannelette material so the button was isolated. He then attempted to push the button through the buttonhole on the shirt he was wearing. After three attempts, the button went into the hole. Liam tried with the next button. He had difficulty and lay down with a big sigh. Mum said: 'Here, I'll help.' She bent back the material near the button and gave it to him. He was then able to push the button through the hole. Liam looked down at his shirt to check all the buttons were done up. He looked up at Mum and Dad, gave a big smile and dive-bombed them both.


Liam saw a packet of chips was about to be opened. ‘Can I have the Digimon card? Can I? Can I? Can I?’ ‘Ok’, says Mum. Liam gets the plastic foil packet with the Digimon card in and goes to the kitchen utensil drawer and gets out the scissors. He very carefully cuts the top off and pulls out the Digiclix. He then runs outside saying: ‘I’m going to trade with Nathan.’

Observation 3: at preschool

Liam was in the Playroom. He went over to the Block area. He was able to build a very complex structure, using a variety of blocks. He said: 'This is the country of Naboo where Anakin helped Queen Amidala in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones.' When asked to put the blocks away, he put them on the shelf but not in the correct places.



Liam likes to go through each of his Dragon Ball Z cards. He names the ones he knows and can remember them. He gets his Mum to go through and read all the names of the different characters. He is able to read the numbers relating to the power of the character, eg 1800. He appears to understand which numbers are bigger than the others.

Observation 5: at home with his sister

Sat at the large table next to E (7 years). Both are painting and discussing what they are drawing. E is showing Liam how to make a butterfly print. She gets him some water from the tap.


Liam insists each night that his father reads him another chapter out of the library book he has brought home, Goosebumps by R L Stine. Liam listens attentively and asks questions about the content. He usually tries to get his Dad to continue reading to him for longer.


Liam climbed up the big Norfolk pine tree outside his house. He climbed up to the top (about ten metres). He carefully climbed down.

Observation 8: at preschool

Liam and Alexander (5.6) sat and looked at the Digiclix and Dragon Ball Z cards. They discussed them and then traded cards with each other.


Liam told his Mum that he wanted to take his soccer ball to preschool as his was easier to kick than the ones there. He also described how the big kids weren't allowed to play with the little kids, which wasn't fair. He told Mum that Alexander kept hogging the ball and didn't play properly.

Observation 10: travelling in the car with his father

Driving in the car, Dad points out the triangular signs with the distance to the next major town. Dad asks Liam: ‘How far is it to Grafton?’ Liam says: ‘50 kilometres.’ ‘Great, now what is the next sign going to say? What is 50 take away 5?’ ‘45’, says Liam. They wait to see if he is right. Dad then continues with the game. What is the next sign going to say? Liam correctly answers the questions taking away five each time.

Activity 3


Clearly link observation systems developed to program planning and evaluation processes

Linking observation systems to program planning and evaluation processesObservation, planning and evaluating are part of a continual cycle and each informs the other. Unless our programs are based on what we know about the children, their play and relationships, they can become repetitive time-fillers. Authentic programming is based on a deep understanding of the children for whom we are planning.

Activity 4

Approaches to planning and evaluationSystems need to be in place to ensure that your planning and evaluation is informed by your observations. Centres have many different approaches to check on this. In recording programs and evaluation of their programs, some use a symbol or the child’s initials to indicate for whom the experience is planned.

A focus-group system allows carers to track the planning and evaluation for a small, manageable group of children.


Implement processes to ensure appropriate access by others to observation information

Observation information contains private detail about a child’s growth, development, learning and individuality. It must be handled and stored carefully to maintain the child’s and the family’s privacy. Some centres now use CDRoms to store recorded observations as this provides further safeguards to privacy and saves storage space.

You seek parental permission at enrolment to keep observation records on children. An important part of this agreement between parents and carers is that the observation records are always kept away from the view of others—while you are recording them and when they are being reviewed for planning and reporting purposes. They should never be left lying around and they should always be stored in a locked filing cabinet.

Parents should be able to view their child's files at any time. If you have always kept the parents up-to-date with any significant findings from your observations, and if your observations are accurate and positive (and don't include negative and judgmental comments about the child), this should not present any problems.

As the observations belong to the parents and child, they can only be shown to others with the permission of the parents. So if you want another worker to observe the child and assist you with planning for them—a special needs worker for example—you will need to ask the parents for permission first.

Your clear and careful approach to maintaining confidentiality in your handling, storage and sharing of observation records will make parents feel more comfortable about the records kept about their child. Some parents may feel very relaxed about this; others may feel quite scrutinised and possibly judged by the process. If you make sure parents know how you store the files and how careful you are about sharing information about their child, they are more likely to give their permission for you to record observations.

This careful approach should also be applied to any verbal comments you make about a child in the hearing of others. Only make positive comments about the child's day in their hearing and find a private space to talk to parents about behaviour you are concerned about.


Privacy legislationThere is privacy legislation that guides us in ensuring confidentiality in children’s services, particularly when keeping written records about children and their families. The relevant legislation is the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988 – Privacy Amendments (Private Sector) Act 2000. This Act addresses the keeping of records in 'health services', meaning any service that records information about a person’s health and wellbeing. Children’s services are thus considered a health service for the purposes of this Act, as we keep developmental, dietary, special needs, health, illness and accident records for all enrolled children. In NSW, public sector agencies are also required to comply with the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998, which regulates the way in which personal information is handled.

At this stage of your learning you would have already looked at privacy legislation and the keeping of records in children’s services (in NSW TAFE system: Unit 3294F Develop an understanding of children’s interests and developmental needs).

Here are the references to the legislation. Remember you can view the legislation online at http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/

Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988 – Privacy Amendments (Private Sector) Act 2000

Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998:

Activity 5

Remember

We need to remember that the records we collect and keep belong to the child and their family, even though they are stored at the centre. We must ask their permission at enrolment to collect these records and explain their purpose. They can be viewed at any time by the child’s parents or guardians, and many services hold regular family interviews to share these records and discuss their contents. We cannot show these records to others (such as specialists, early intervention workers and even TAFE students) without first gaining the consent of the parents or guardians.

SummaryPutting time into planning systems so that all children are observed regularly and that all interpretations and child summaries are linked to evidence from observations ensures validity in our written documentation about children.


Documents

CLIPS Word Template - SIelearning€¦ · Web viewWorking with the infants, I have to be ready to do observations whenever I can. You know, those rare moments when you actually