Chapter%20Five:%20Observation

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Chapter Five Observation

• Lecture by Chris Ross

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Uses of Teacher Assessment Strategies
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Placement Evaluation

• Helps teacher plan for instruction
• Helps to prevent or deal with learning problems
  determine whether the child is eligible for
  programs
• Those with exceptionalities can update their plan
  of instruction.
• Learning group formation

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Diagnostic Evaluation Instructional Planning

• A continuing investigation into a childs ability
  in specific objectives.

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Formative Summative Evaluation

• Formative evaluation gt evaluation conducted
  during instruction to provide the teacher with
  information on the learning progress of the
  student and the effectiveness of instructional
  methods and materials.
• Summative evaluation gt an evaluation obtained at
  the end of a cycle of instruction to determine
  whether students have mastered the objectives and
  whether the instruction has been effective.

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Advantages of Using Classroom Assessments
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Advantages of Using Classroom Assessments (Some)

• Encourages students to produce knowledge
• Measures long-term development over a period of
  time
• Can be derived directly from teachers objectives
  and curriculum
• Can be correlated with diagnostic needs

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Disadvantages of Using Classroom Assessments
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Disadvantages of Using Classroom Assessments
(Some)

• Teachers must know how to design and use the
  measures effectively
• Some teachers misuse the assessments
• Some teachers do not know how to fully develop
  the assessments

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Purposes of Observation
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Understanding Childrens Behavior

• Children have not mastered many aspects of
  communication as adults
• Observing daily activities is one of the most
  accurate ways to learn about a child
• To observe takes great skill. Misinterpretation
  can lead to conflict.
• Children communicate using their bodies. Their
  nonverbal communication says just as much as
  verbal communciation

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Understanding Childrens Behavior

• Observation of Social Behavior
• How do they communicate with peers?
• How do they play?
• How do they become part of a group?

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Evaluating Childrens Development

• Beaty (1997) Eight reasons for systematically
  observing and recording development of young
  children.
• To make an initial assessment of abilities
• Determine areas of strength weakness
• Make individual plans
• Conduct ongoing progress check
• Learn more about child development
• Resolve particular problems
• Report to parents or specialists
• Gather information for childs records

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Evaluating Childrens Development

• Observing infant and toddler development
• Birth to two years is a rapid development period
• Least able to communicate effectively
• Many times observations are done about daily life

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Evaluating Childrens Development

• Observing English Language Learners
• Able to gain what the child understands and is
  learning to express
• Teachers can provide instant feedback and amplify
  speaking attempts to help expand vocabulary and
  use of language

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Evaluating Childrens Development

• Assessment of Young Children with
  Exceptionalities
• Helps to see if there are any possible issues
• Observation of play is a great assessment for
  this group

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Evaluating Childrens Development

• Play-Based Assessment gtassessment often used for
  children with disabilities that is conducted
  through observation in play environments. Play
  activities can be spontaneous or planned.
  Play-based assessment can be conducted by an
  individual or through arena assessment.

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Evaluating Childrens Development

• Function Behavioral Assessment
• What are problem behaviors? What causes this
  behavior?
• Steps to conducting a functional behavioral
  assessment (Sugai et al., 1999) can be found on
  page 121

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Evaluating Learning Progress
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Evaluation of Learning Progress

• Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky, 1978)
• Range or zone between what the child cannot do,
  can do with assistance, and can do independently.
  

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Evaluation of Learning Progress

• Observation is not simply looking at something
  it is a disciplined, scientific process of
  searching for a behavior in a particular way.
  The observer must know what to look for, how to
  record the desired information, and how to
  explain the behavior. (Bentzen, 1997)

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Evaluation of Learning Progress

• Observation to Improve the Classroom Environment
  Instruction
• Observation Documentation
• Documentation gt a process of documenting
  information about progress of project activities
  and recording information about childrens
  interests, ideas, thinking and problem solving
  within their activities.

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Types of Observation
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Anecdotal Record

• Anecdotal Record gt a written description of an
  incident in a childs behavior that can be
  significant in understanding the child.

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Anecdotal Record

• The anecdotal record has five characteristics
  (Goodwin Driscoll, 1980)
• Is the result of direct observation
• Is a prompt, accurate and specific account of an
  event
• Includes the context of the behavior
• Interpretations of the incident are recorded
  separately from the incident
• Focuses on behavior that is either typical or
  unusual for the child being observed.

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Anecdotal Record

• Quick and easy to use
• Only takes a moment to record information
• Might not contain enough information
• Need to develop a system to keep observations
  organized

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Running Record

• Running record gt an instrument developed to
  measure authentic and performance assessments.
  Descriptions are given for qualitative
  characteristics on a scale.

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Running Record

• Advantages and disadvantages
• Includes more information than anecdotal records
• Other teachers can utilize the information
• Observation must be scheduled and designated for
  this purpose

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Time Sampling

• Time Sampling gt Observation to determine the
  frequency of a behavior. The observer records
  how many times the behavior occurs during uniform
  periods of time.

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Time Sampling

• Advantages Disadvantages of Using Time Sampling
• Teachers concerned with behavior can record how
  many times it occurs
• Framework of observation is planned ahead of time
  and only specified behavior is noted
• Can focus on this aspect
• Difficult to manage on a regular time schedule

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Event Sampling

• Event Sampling gt an observation strategy used to
  determine when a particular behavior is likely to
  occur. The setting in which the behavior occurs
  is more important than the time it is likely to
  occur.

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Event Sampling

• Advantages and Disadvantages of Event Sampling
• Focus on a particular behavior
• Focus on what triggers the behavior
• Anticipate when behavior occurs and ponder why
• Can be difficult to anticipate and time spent can
  be used for other purposes

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Checklists Rating Scales

• Checklists gt a sequence or hierarchy of concepts
  and/or skills organized in a format that can be
  used to plan instruction and keep records
• Rating Scale gt a scale using categories that
  allow the observer to indicate the degree of a
  characteristic that the person possesses.

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Observing Development
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Physical Development

• Physical Development
• Gross-motor skills
• Fine-motor skills
• Purposes of Observing Physical Development
• How children develop gross and fine-motor skills
• Become familiar with the kinds of physical
  activities young children engage in as they
  practice the use of gross and fine-motor skills
• Become familiar with individual differences in
  physical development.

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Social and Emotional Development

• Important characteristics are
• Self-concept, self-esteem, self-regulation of
  emotion
• Purposes for observing Social Emotional
  Development
• How children develop social skills
• Become familiar with how children learn about
  social interactions
• Understand how children differ in social skill
  development
• Become familiar with ways preschool children
  handle their emotions
• Be aware of differences in childrens emotional
  behaviors and responses

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Cognitive Development

• How the child learns about and understands the
  world.
• Purposes of Observing Cognitive Development
• Understand how children use their cognitive
  abilities to learn
• Understand differences in childrens cognitive
  styles
• Become familiar with how children develop the
  ability to use classification, seriation and
  one-on-one correspondence
• Understand how the child uses play interaction
  with materials to extend cognitive abilities
• Become familiar with how children think and what
  they are capable of learning
• Evaluate what children learned

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Language Development

• Purposes for Observing Language Development
• Become aware of childs ability to use language
• Understand the difference between egocentric and
  socialized speech
• Learn how they use syntax, grammar, and
  vocabulary in process of expanding and refining
  language
• Aware of differences in development among
  children, particularly those from another
  language or dialect
• Determine progression in learning English as
  second language
• Determine childs dominate language

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Observation Guidelines
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Observation Guidelines

• Determine the observation site
• Observer behaviors during the observation visit
• Ethics during the observation visit
• Avoiding personal bias