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(Unit 7) Topic 7: Observing, Recording and Looking Ahead

3 Clock Hours of Early Childhood Education

Observation, Recording, Assessing, and Child Development

Topic 7 Page 2

In order to have effective observation and assessment you must first understand typical child development. Children develop on a continuum and at their own rate. Educators play a key role in observing and documenting a child's developmental progression in order to make informed decisions about their program.

How does observation, documentation, and assessment work together?

First, you must understand normal, typical child growth and development.
Then you need to carefully and thoughtfully observe the children in your care/classroom to see where they are on the developmental continuum.
By reflecting on this information, you can then plan developmentally appropriate curriculum (curriculum that is appropriate for the specific abilities, interests and skills of each child).
Observation is not an end goal, but the beginning of creating meaningful curriculum. It is the basis for decision making about how to create curriculum or alter the environment, and insight into how to interact effectively with each child.
As you observe, keep in mind the goals you have established for children in your care/classroom.