The document provides tips for early childhood educators to make regular child observations an everyday classroom practice. It recommends setting aside short, daily observation periods and developing an organized note-taking system. Teachers should collaborate with colleagues to observe and track individual children's development over time. The tips also suggest involving children in the observation process and using technology like cameras, recorders, and voice recognition software to document observations.

1. 6 TEACHING YOUNG CHILDREN VOL 2 NO 4
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Julianne Wurm
Use small chunks of time. Set aside
5 to 10 minutes a day to sit and watch
and listen to the children while taking
notes. Your 5- to 10-minute observa-
tion periods will add up over time. Try
increasing observation times by 30
seconds per day. Soon observation will
become a natural and integral part of
your work.
Create a system. Develop a system
before you begin so that your notes
are easy to understand and use right
away. Some teachers write on sticky
notes, steno pads, or index cards using
a retractable pen they keep tucked in
a pocket. You need to devise a system
that works for you, including paper and
pens that you like.
Collaborate with colleagues.
Classroom team members can take
turns being in charge of the room
while another teacher observes. Some
directors can arrange their schedules to
work in the classroom for a brief time
so teachers can conduct observations.
Agree on a system for recording and
summarizing observation notes and
work together to collect information
about all the children.
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Keep track of individual observa-
tions. Create an observation log to
document the dates, times, and places
you observe individual children. List
one child’s name at the top of a page,
and use the lines below for information
on your observations.
Invite children to join in. When you
first begin observing, curious children
may want to watch and talk about
what you are doing and why. Offer
paper, clipboards, and pens and pencils
so children can choose to observe and
record things of interest to them. Their
observations—drawings, scribbles, and
so on—will let them participate and
can serve as samples of their work.
Use technology to document chil-
dren’s projects, interactions, and
structures. Consider a digital camera,
tape recorder, and video camera. Take
photographs. Turn on a tape recorder to
collect children’s actual conversations.
And set up a video camera on a tripod
to record yourself engaged with the
children. Later, you and your colleagues
can watch the video. Voice recogni-
tion programs such as Dragon Natu-
rallySpeaking will help you transcribe
audiotapes in record time. They may
take a little time to adjust to, but once
mastered, they are wonderful to use.
Making Observation an
Everyday Practice
Regular observation in the classroom provides information about children’s activities, interests, skills, and needs. You can use
what you learn to assess progress, plan the curriculum, and exchange information with families. It can be difficult to make sure
you observe every child regularly. Here are some ideas to help you make observation an everyday practice in your classroom.
Observation Log
Name: Chelsea
2/27/09 2:Oopm reading nook
3/4/09 1O:45 am water table
3/12/09 12:15pm block center

2. FOR THE PRESCHOOL PROFESSIONAL TYC.NAEYC.ORG 7
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Encourage families to participate.
You can start by inviting parents to
observe their children and classmates.
Provide materials, a brief explanation
of the process, and then ask them to
write notes about what they see and
hear. Families and teachers could
discuss their collected observations at
a parent meeting. Talking to family
members about what they are seeing
and what it could mean about chil-
dren’s development can help them con-
nect behavior to learning in a concrete
way.
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Share your observations with the
children. Children enjoy listening to
you read your notes on their activities
and conversations. They may have
ideas about why they and their friends
said or did certain things. They can add
a new perspective on what you think
you saw and heard.
Pick a spot and a time. Observation
allows teachers to notice and document
patterns in children’s behavior over
time. To make daily observation a hab-
it and to refine your skills, you could
observe at the same time or in the same
place in your classroom or outdoors.
For example, every day for a week sit in
the block area from 10 until 10:15 a.m.
or take notes while the children prepare
snack. Once observation becomes part
of your routine, the children will accept
it as a normal part of their day.
Give yourself time to develop ob-
servation skills. Change is easier in
small steps. It takes time to develop and
master observation skills, so be patient
with yourself. Focus on the learning
process and how much information
you are gaining about the children and
what is really going on in the class-
room.
SUPPORTING DUAL
LANGUAGE LEARNERS
Good observations are essential
in any classroom. With strong obser-
vation skills you can document how
much a dual language learner en-
gages in and enjoys age-appropriate
play even though you may not un-
derstand his language. Reach out to
neighboring programs to create a pool
of bilingual observers. In your own
classroom, use a digital camera that
takes sound movies or a small digital
recorder. Get help to translate the
recordings so you can fully document
the expressive language of your dual
language learners and keep accurate
notes on their interests, strengths,
and learning needs.
©ELLENB.SENISI