As I was going to St. Ives, I met a man with seven wives. Each wife had seven sacks, each sack had seven cats, each cat had seven kits. Kits, Cats, Sacks and Wives, how many people

were going to St. Ives?

1

Aim: To Learn how to use observation to promote the development of children.

Objectives: •To understand why your observations important to the children in your care. •How observations are used.

ObservationObservation ‘involves practitioner observing

children to understand their level of achievement, interests and learning styles, and then to shape

learning experiences for each child reflecting those observations’.

Statutory Framework for Early Years Foundation Stage, 2012

Assessment The action of assessing someone or something.

Planning To formulate a scheme or program for the accomplishment

• Becoming skilled in observation and assessment is one of the most important part of your training and developing practice.

• By observation, we mean closely watching, listening and generally attending to what a child is doing, and recording your findings as accurately as you can.

• While you are observing, try to avoid drawing any conclusions

• Stay as focused on the child as possible.

Observation is an essential tool in planning to meet children’s needs. Observation is important as it enables early years practitioners to:

•Evaluate individual needs and to share their evaluation with others

•Tune in to what interests an individual child, and to see how to support and extend their interests

•Ensure that their planning and practice are informed by the knowledge gained from observations.

•Build a fuller picture of each child that informs assessments.

Observation skillsLooking Listening

Writing

Thinking Questioning

Common reasons for observing

Assess over all developmental progress

Assess effectiveness of activities

To gain information for parents

To form the basis of planning

To consider individual children’s strengths

To understand a particular child’s behaviour

To gain information for other professionals

To focus on particular area of development

To understand children’s interests

To evaluate the link between developmental theories and practice

5 minutes

How observations are used to plan for individual children’s needs?

• Effective planning for children’s early learning is based on every child’s early needs, abilities and interests.

• This is why accurate observations are so important

• These needs have to be combined into the curriculum requirement for your particular setting and to the age group of the children you work with.

For example: the learning of development

requirements f the EYFS.

How observations are used for early intervention

• Talk to parents, if there is any concern

• provide support in that area to reduce the risk that the child will struggle when starting Key Stage 1.

• Observe to determine the cause of development delay

• Affect of disability

• An early identification should reduce the risk that the child will continue to struggle in certain areas.

• Many boys in the play area, but none of the girls > encourage girls to take part in play.

• If a child spend little time in the book area > need to change the type of books on display

• Try to add home-made book about children’s play and interests

• If bilingual children make less progress than those who speak English as a first language, you will need to focus on whether your setting is providing enough appropriate support.

How observations are used to review the environment

How observations are used during transition

• When a child is experiencing a transition, observation can help practitioner to build up a picture of the child’s needs during transition.

• The practitioner could for example: visit the child’s home before he/she starts the nursery to observe their behaviour.

• To find out any worries that the parents or carer might have

The process or a period of changing from one state or

condition to another.

How observations are used in partnership

• Experienced practitioners may need help from outside the setting, particularly in medical conditions or development delays.

• Parents / carers will provide valuable suggestions.

• Guidance of other expert or specialist professionals.

• They will gather the evidence from parents/carer, practitioners, health visitors, doctors and social services.

• These provisions can only meet the child’s needs when there is cooperation between all the services involved.

5 minutes