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Why observe?
- -safety
- -guidance
- -discover interests
- -curriculum planning
- -assessment
- -accountability
- -extend childrens' learning
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Observation
- -see/observe
- -interpret for meaning
- -make decision to act or to do nothing
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Anecdotal Notes
- A brief account of an event. Tells a story. Taken over time and of development areas-gives picture of child's development.
- · A brief account of an important developmental event.
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One directly observed incident written in a short, concise, nonjudgmental narrative- ·
A specific incident or event that teacher identifies as important in the child’s development
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Meaningful Anecdotal Notes
- Have a beginning, middle, and end
- -descriptive
- -snapshots of child's skills and abilities
- -objective
- -provide details
- -written in past tense
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Advantages of Anecdotal Notes
- -most commonly used because they are quick and easy to do
- -only pen and paper required
- -can focus on significant behaviors in different developmental domains
- -include valuable info about the context of the behavior
- -can be done without separating self from ongoing class activities
- -can focus on both typical and atypical behavior
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Disadvantages of Anecdotal Notes
- -not a complete picture of behavior
- -possible bias: observer chooses what to record
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When to Use Anecdotal Notes
-anytime observing children: tell a story about what you see
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Important Things to Remember When Writing Anecdotal Notes
- 1.Set the stage: where are you, what is happening, describe setting, how many children, what are they doing/saying
- 2.Use direct quotes
- 3.Stay objective
- 4.Provide detailed descriptions
- **no emotion/feeling words unless quoting a child
- **no "looks like", "I think"
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Observing
- Observe
- Record in past tense
- Organize notes
- Reflect
- Use
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Cephalocaudal
growth occurs from head to toe (upper body before lower body)
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Proximal Distal
growth proceeds from torso outward (e.g. sucking, before kicking)
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Predictable Physical Development Stages
*Principles of Motor Skills Development
- Cephalocaudal - head to toe (1. head lift 2. sit, stand, walk)
- Proximal Distal - inside to out (1. sucking 2. kicking)
Physical development is individualized, cuture and ethnicity can influence
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Fine Motor Skills
- most difficult to master
- develop step by step
- contribute to child's ability to explore
- are enhanced by development of gross motor
- developed at same sequence as gross motor but age differs
- involves small muscles that control extremities
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Fine Motor Development-Writing
- age 3-5 = most rapid growth in fine motor skills
- learning to write: Development Stages
- -scribble stage (w/any instrument)
- -separated scribbles
- -mock writing
- -first letters
- -string of letters
- -copies print
- -conventional writing
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Grounded Artwork & Fine Motor Skills
- Understands placement of letters=ready to begin writing.
- Artwork is a tool for assessing a child.
- Most nerves are in the fingertips.
- ***Relationship between art and writing is important for literacy development.
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Observer Role Guidelines
- Be unobtrusive
- Do not engage with the children
- Do not stand over the children, sit down
- Be professional
- Do not interfere with teachers
- Maintain confidentiality
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Gross Motor Development Milestones
- Develop body awareness
- Perfect eye/hand coordination
- Improved balance
- Awareness of position and space
- Improvement in throwing, catching, and jumping skills
- Engaging in imaginative activities that foster creativity while enhancing large muscle skills
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Running Record
- Has a begin and end time. Is written in present tense.
- A sequential record over a given time to recorded while the behavior is occurring.
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Advantages of Running Record
Can be used when a teacher is concerned about the behavior of a particular child or a small group of children.
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Disadvantages of Running Record
- Require time and training to do.
- When recording the teacher cannot interact with the children.
- Behaviors are not seen in context, making it easy to miss some important information.
- Small sample of time may cause frequency of occurence of certain behaviors to be overestimated.
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Developmental Domains
- The whole child - whole growth
- Cognitive
- Social
- Emotional
- Physical
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Classroom Tools for Encouraging Gross & Fine Motor Skills Development
- Provide activities
- Provide play time
- Provide crayons, pencils, paper, scissors, paint, variety of everyday items for fostering creativity
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