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Observation methods
Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 12:20 pm
by curly
Hi all,
I'm a newbie here and studying my cert III. My assignment this week is 'Develop an understanding of children's interests and developmental needs.' I have to list 6 different types of observation methods and what they may be used for. In class we only discussed; Anecdotal, Time Sample, Learning Stories and Running Records.
I would appreciate any help please, thanks
Re: Observation methods
Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 8:18 pm
by Lorina
Hi Curly,
Welcome to our Forum, great to have you onboard 
!
After some thinking I came up with some more different types of observation methods you can use:
Diary – Diary entries recorded from memory at a later time. It is useful to construct a child profile. It’s a quick method of observation useful in adding to an overall picture of the child, recording changes and may be shared with parents.
Checklist – Useful when observing a particular skills or a certain aspect of a child’s behavior. Child is usually “checked off” against a list of skills or behaviors of a particular age group.
Sociograms –A map or diagram of friendships and interactions within a group of children. It’s used to provide a clear identification of whom the child’s prefers to play with or if the child needs assistance in their social skills.
Time Samples - Provides a snapshot of a child’s day. It’s used to record the occurrence of a child’s behavior at particular times of the day. Time samples can be taken every half an hour over a day or for shorter intervals of five to ten minutes.
Event Sample – Gives an indication of the reasons why a particular behavior occurred. Help to assess what sparks a certain reaction in a child and identify the possible causes or consequences of concerning behavior.
Gosh I didn’t realize there were so many different wyas of observing children !
Hope this helps!
Cheers 
L.A
Re: Observation methods
Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 10:33 am
by curly
Thank you so much
And thanks for the nice welcome