Early Childhood Education

In order to assess your child's progress, educators must conduct observations. Being the case that a child has varying spheres to their whole (mental, physical, and spiritual) and various modalities for learning (visual, tactile, auditory), observations can become a strenuous process, especially when attempting to maintain effective child to adult ratios.

 

Below you will find a brief summary of the more popular methods used by your center to track your child's progress.

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Narrative

A narrative recording is basically a written description of children's actions.

  1. Running Records (Descriptive Narrative Record) - The observer records everything that is seen in a sequential manner.
    • Pros - This observation is often rich with detail and can be carried out without a great deal of training. Also, this method allows the observer to focus on many behaviors at a time.
    • Cons - This method of observation is time consuming because the observer may only focus on one child at a time.
  2. Anecdotal Records -  This is a brief narrative account of an individual child's particular behavior. Often, it is conducted after the event has occurred.
    • Pros - It places the behavior in context (who, what, where, when, why). These recordings are less time consuming than running records and they also allow for the capture of unexpected incidents.
    • Cons - Since it is a very focused observation, it may overlook other equally important behaviors. Also, this observation rely's on the memory of the observer; making it subject to inaccuracy and bias.

Sampling

This type of observation records the frequency of a defined behavior over a period of time.

  1. Time Sampling - The observer records the frequency of a behavior over a day, or a week, or a month.
    • Pros - Much faster than a narrative recording because the observer can focus on many children at a time. This observation is quantitative because it records at intervals. Also, if they exist, it allows the observer to pick up on patterns of behavior.
    • Cons - It ignores rare or infrequent behavior. It also ignores the context in which the observed behavior occurs.
  2. Event Sampling (or Situation Sampling) - Like a time sample, event samples record the frequency of a behavior. However, event samples also record the conditions where the behavior took place.
    • Pros - This observation determines the effect that an event or place can have on a behavior. Also, this observation takes into account antecedent and consequential behavior.
    • Cons - Not as detailed as narratives and focuses on one or a few behaviors at any given time.

Media

  1. Audio - The observer uses audio cassettes or digital audio recording applications to study a child's inflections or verbal interactions for later or simultaneous study with parents or other professionals.
    • Pros - Whether used to compliment a written observation or as a standalone method, audio recordings offer an unbiased method in capturing language related events.
    • Cons - Improper maintenance or unavailability of equipment can hamper quality of recordings. i.e. no batteries, careless categorization, equipment isn't placed in optimal range etc...
  2. Photos - Like audio recordings, photographs can offer a literal and undistorted snapshot of any given event through traditional photographic film or digital photography.
    • Pros -  Can be used to display any students' work and it can be shared instantaneously with other professionals that weren't present during the event.
    • Cons - Without accompanying text or proper categorization, they offer little objective value. Also, various materials must be present such as film, or batteries/charge, storage capacity; rendering it a cumbersome observation for the ill prepared.
  3. Video -  Video recordings are a combination of audio and photographic observations.
    • Pros - It offers a complete and unprejudiced observation by accurately recording the context, the antecedent, and the consequential phenomena. Also, simultaneous observations can be conducted on simultaneous students by simultaneous observers. Great for research purposes as it can easily be preserved and readily reproduced.
    • Cons- Just as with the cons of audio and photographic observations; video requires proper placement and maintenance, proper categorization,

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