CHAPTER 4: The Power of Observation: Learning About Infants and Toddlers Infant and Toddler Development and Responsive Program Planning: A Relationship-Based Approach Third Edition Donna S. Wittmer Sandy Petersen © 2014, 2010, 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Wittmer/Petersen. Infant and Toddler Development and Responsive Program Planning, 3e. © 2014, 2010, 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 4-2 …deepen awareness and appreciation of children’s ongoing, meaningful discoveries Adults not only begin to see a child differently, but they may also see the capabilities of all children differently. Observing- A Powerful Skill

Wittmer/Petersen. Infant and Toddler Development and Responsive Program Planning, 3e. © 2014, 2010, 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 4-3 “Observing helps you build relationships by revealing the uniqueness of every child— including the child’s temperament, strengths, personality, work style, and preferred mode of expression” (Jablon, Dombro, & Dichtelmiller, 1999, p. 9). When a child feels understood, the relationship grows. When family members know that a teacher understands their child, teacher-family relationships develop as well. Why Observation is important

Wittmer/Petersen. Infant and Toddler Development and Responsive Program Planning, 3e. © 2014, 2010, 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 4-4 The ethics of observing NAEYC The over-riding Principle in NAEYC ’ s Code of Ethical Conduct (2005) states: P-1.1-Above all, we shall not harm children. We shall not participate in practices that are emotionally damaging, physically harmful, disrespectful, degrading, dangerous, exploitative, or intimidating to children. This principle has precedence over all others in this Code.

Wittmer/Petersen. Infant and Toddler Development and Responsive Program Planning, 3e. © 2014, 2010, 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 4-5 We learn about infant’s and toddler’s:  thinking and learning  feelings and regulation  body use  interests and pleasures  relationships  challenges  skills  strategies … interactions, materials, equipment, and toys to make available to children to encourage engagement, participation, and relationships

Wittmer/Petersen. Infant and Toddler Development and Responsive Program Planning, 3e. © 2014, 2010, 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 4-6 Anecdotal records  short accounts of children ’ s behavior written while or soon after the behavior occurs.  factual account of who, what, when, where  interpretations or inferences

Wittmer/Petersen. Infant and Toddler Development and Responsive Program Planning, 3e. © 2014, 2010, 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 4-7 Running records  written observations that capture the details and sequence of children ’ s behavior  typically longer than anecdotal records

Wittmer/Petersen. Infant and Toddler Development and Responsive Program Planning, 3e. © 2014, 2010, 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 4-8 Event Sampling  record and analyze the nature of certain events.  begins with a question, such as “ When, where, and how does the child bite others? ”

Wittmer/Petersen. Infant and Toddler Development and Responsive Program Planning, 3e. © 2014, 2010, 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 4-9 Time sampling  a chart is used to observe children’s behavior at designated times. For example, to determine how many children are using particular areas of the room and if there are any areas that are not being used by the children.

Wittmer/Petersen. Infant and Toddler Development and Responsive Program Planning, 3e. © 2014, 2010, 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 4-10 Documentation It is a special way of observing that records children’s experiences through a variety of media for use in analyzing and understanding their construction of knowledge. (Gandini & Goldhaber, 2001)

Wittmer/Petersen. Infant and Toddler Development and Responsive Program Planning, 3e. © 2014, 2010, 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 4-11 Documentation Often documentation includes a series of photos, video recordings, and other visual means that are displayed to communicate the remarkable process of how infants and toddlers learn.

Wittmer/Petersen. Infant and Toddler Development and Responsive Program Planning, 3e. © 2014, 2010, 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 4-12 Documentation “construct a shared understanding of children’s ways of interacting with the environment, of entering into relationships with other adults and other children, and of constructing that knowledge” (Gandini & Goldhaber, 2001, p. 125)

Wittmer/Petersen. Infant and Toddler Development and Responsive Program Planning, 3e. © 2014, 2010, 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 4-13 Documentation “The intent of documentation is to explain, not merely to display” (Edwards, Gandini, & Forman, 1998, p. 241)

Wittmer/Petersen. Infant and Toddler Development and Responsive Program Planning, 3e. © 2014, 2010, 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 4-14 Assessment: Developmental profiles A developmental profile lists a sequence of behavior in domains such as communication, emotional, social, thinking, and motor development

Wittmer/Petersen. Infant and Toddler Development and Responsive Program Planning, 3e. © 2014, 2010, 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 4-15 The Ounce Scale  ages birth to 3 ½.  The Observation Record A Family Album Developmental Profiles with associated learning standards.  Each element is divided into eight age ranges

Wittmer/Petersen. Infant and Toddler Development and Responsive Program Planning, 3e. © 2014, 2010, 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 4-16 High Scope Child Observation Record (COR)  “whether children are developing as they should be. They use the results to continue what is working and improve what is not; for example, to decide whether to provide more training to caregivers or to redesign infants’ and toddlers’ play areas” (High/Scope, 2008).

Wittmer/Petersen. Infant and Toddler Development and Responsive Program Planning, 3e. © 2014, 2010, 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 4-17 COR … observations describe children’s behavior. The information can be entered into a Web database and summarized to plan for individual children and a group.

Wittmer/Petersen. Infant and Toddler Development and Responsive Program Planning, 3e. © 2014, 2010, 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 4-18 The Teaching Strategies GOLD for Infants, Toddlers, and Twos  social/emotional, physical, cognitive, and language.  observe children intentionally  respond to children’s interests, strengths, and needs  share information with families  identify children’s levels of  support the inclusion of children with disabilities.

Wittmer/Petersen. Infant and Toddler Development and Responsive Program Planning, 3e. © 2014, 2010, 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 4-19 Screening tools Programs may use screening instruments to find out if a discussion should occur between the care teacher(s) and a child ’ s family to refer them to an assessment team for a more comprehensive evaluation to determine if the child has a disability.

Wittmer/Petersen. Infant and Toddler Development and Responsive Program Planning, 3e. © 2014, 2010, 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 4-20 Screening tools The Ages and Stages Questionnaires® (ASQ): A Parent-Completed, Child- Monitoring System, Third Edition. The ASQ is a widely-used parent-completed child monitoring system developed by Bricker & Squires.

Wittmer/Petersen. Infant and Toddler Development and Responsive Program Planning, 3e. © 2014, 2010, 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 4-21 Sample questions and methods of observation  What are the interests of each child and the children in the room?  What concepts (space, time, object permanence, light, how to relate to peers) is a child or are the children exploring?  When, where, and how frequently does a particular behavior occur, for example, biting?  How does each child spend his or her time when playing?  Anecdotal records, running records  Event sampling  Time sampling documentation

Wittmer/Petersen. Infant and Toddler Development and Responsive Program Planning, 3e. © 2014, 2010, 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 4-22 Sample questions and methods of observation  What does a child or what do the children in the group know about water, for example? What opportunities could be provided to help the children learn about the properties of water?  How is a child or how are the children in the group developing?  How do we know if a child should be referred to an assessment team for a comprehensive evaluation to determine whether he or she is eligible for special support services?  Anecdotal records of children’s conversations, strategies, or concepts explored; documentation of children playing with water  Developmental checklists  Developmental screening

Wittmer/Petersen. Infant and Toddler Development and Responsive Program Planning, 3e. © 2014, 2010, 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 4-23  Information about the child  Photos of the child  Family photos  Dates observations--documentations  Planning forms  Developmental profile Portfolios of Observations/Documentations

Wittmer/Petersen. Infant and Toddler Development and Responsive Program Planning, 3e. © 2014, 2010, 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 4-24 What the observer brings to the observations  Past experiences, beliefs, and values  Culture  Presence