Aussie Childcare Network Forum

Q-when should we observe a child?

My Ans-vary the times, activities and even the days of the week that you choose to observe a child.you need to get a picture of the whole child-in the morning and afternoon,at breaks,circle time and play time and on different days of the week.Observation needs to be a part of the regular routine to truly remain objective and useful-while the child is having good days as well as during challenging times.
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Q-how can an educator ensure that their interpretation of the information gathered is accurate?

My Ans-
a)Analyze data from observations to flag patterns that suggest problems with accuracy.

Data systems can be expensive, but school systems that invest in them for warehousing
and analyzing observation results cite the ability to keep frequent tabs on inter-rater reliability
and possible problems with accuracy.

b) Audit evidence collected by observers to confirm that it aligns with the scores they assigned.

School systems that audit evidence from observations say that it also offers an opportunity
to provide observers with feedback on how to improve their evidence-collection and
evidence-analysis skills.

c) Conduct a reliability audit based on additional observations in a sample of classrooms.

he MET project has outlined an auditing procedure that a school system could use to
monitor reliability by conducting additional observations in a sample of classrooms.
One thing is clear: Ensuring accurate feedback from observations presents a complex challenge
for school systems. Leading states, districts, and organizations have learned that simply
providing initial training for observers is not a sufficient solution. Therefore, school systems
must design a robust solution involving multiple strategies tailored to their own unique circumstances.
But those that make such an investment are likely to reap significant dividends.
Students benefit greatly when teachers are provided accurate, actionable feedback that helps
them improve classroom activities.
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Q-when observing children educators often include questions to assist with gathering information, looking at the following headlines,list 2 questions relating to the observation that you could include

1-social skills
Q-how the child is supposed to behave?
Q-what the child is supposed to be doing?

2-Emotional skills
Q-What to do if a child slaps another child?
Q-“It sounds like you’re really angry with them.What happened?”

3-cognitive skills
Q- How well does the child learn and remember new information?
Q-Does the child require more or less support than peers

4-Needs of the child
Q-what is it?
Q-what is it doing?

5-Language skills
Q-spell the work "butter"?
Q-What do you think that is?
Q-‘What do you think it’s used for?
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Please suggest am I on the right track in my responses? thanks

Your responses are good... However you need to change your response for the second question

how can an educator ensure that their interpretation of the information gathered is accurate?

Effective assessment is responsive to individual children. That is, it involves tools and approaches that are appropriate to individual children and are undertaken in settings familiar to them. They must also be undertaken regularly and multiple times to ensure a more accurate picture is generated at a point in time, but also so that growth and progress are captured. It is also important that professionals take account of children’s cultural context when analysing and interpreting the assessment data, so that an accurate picture is developed.

Ref: Assessment and Learning (also read from page 10 onwards and it has some useful information on observing children which you can add to your response).

Hope this helps,

,
Lorina