Observations should always be:
Planned and prepared beforehand. Good observers, like Boy Scouts, are always prepared. This means clarifying – before the observation — what your purpose is, and how, when, where, who, and what you will assess. Preparation also includes all you do to get ready: gathering materials, talking with parents, and more.
Done both formally and informally. Opportunities to observe and assess without being responsible for children are rare in early learning. So, most observations are participant observations, or those that happen while you are teaching. Educators must learn to maintain a “dual focus” (Koun, 1970) or grow “eyes in the back of your head” in order to observe while still watching all the children. Some observation tools require uninvolved observers, while others are doable for participant observers. Whatever method is used, the key is finding easy techniques for note-taking while being part of the action.
Focused on strengths. Observation and assessment should build on what children already know and can do. Every child has strengths and gifts that teachers need to find in order to help children grow. Some are apparent, while others may be harder to see. This is true for children from all backgrounds, cultures, attitudes, experiences, abilities, and personalities.
Recorded & documented. Observers should use recording tools to keep track of what was seen and heard. Recording evidence regularly will track children’s progress, as well as help you become more focused and intentional during observations.
Chronological and systematic. Many incidents make sense only if recorded in the correct sequence. For example, writing “Jack hit Catherine on the back with his fist and then she called him a ‘stupidhead’” is different from writing “Catherine called Jack a ‘stupidhead’ and then he hit her on the back with a closed fist.” Not that Jack should have hit Catherine in any case — but his reasons are much clearer. All notes and records gathered over time should also be kept organized, confidential, and in order.
As inconspicuous as possible. Whenever you observe something or someone, you change the dynamic merely by watching. To have an accurate observation, we minimize our impact on the children and program. This is not easy, since a strange big person is not unobtrusive in a room full of curious little children. Luckily, young children’s lack of self-consciousness usually causes them to act typically even when watched. The more observation is part of your regular schedule, the less attention the children will pay to it. The behavior of adults and older children, on the other hand, is affected to such a degree that it can be very difficult to see normal behavior (Thorndike & Hagan, 1977).
Tips for being unobtrusive
After you have been introduced to a class, try to sit quietly in the background without engaging with children. When children approach you, tell them you can’t talk because you are there just to watch and write. Repeat as needed. If you minimize eye contact and keep at your task, children quickly become bored and return to their normal activities. Don’t be mean --- just detached and uninvolved. There are times when this approach is impossible, since children’s safety should always take precedence over observing. For example, once when I was observing an infant program, chaos broke out and I couldn’t neglect infants crying at my feet (or the desperate looks of staff!) Remember NAEYC’s #1 ethical rule when faced with such dilemmas — never cause children harm.
Reliable. This means that the same results should be found consistently when using the same observation instrument. Reliability is essential for data to be considered valid and to have integrity. There are two types of reliability.
Intra-reliability refers to the ability of an observer to use a tool consistently with all children. This requires awareness of your own biases and tendencies.
Inter-reliability is achieved when two or more observers using the same instrument for the same purpose get the same (or very similar) results. This is also referred to in science as replicability, which is needed for research to be considered valid. A study is considered to have inter-reliability when a later study replicates the earlier study and gets the same findings as the initial research.
Conducted professionally. This is always important, but especially when you are observing at another site. Always be sure to:
This last one is imperative: You must maintain confidentiality, even if your sister’s best friend’s baby is in a program that you thought was terrible! For example, when I was a consultant with local child care programs, friends would often ask me for recommendations. This presented a dilemma, since I couldn’t compromise program confidentiality but hate to see children in low-quality care. So I wouldn’t recommend programs, but I could suggest what questions to ask. For example, when a friend was thinking of placing her toddler in a chain center with high turnover, I advised her to ask specific questions about staff longevity and compensation.