Transcript Chapter Five: Observation

Chapter Five: Observation
Lecture by: Chris Ross
Uses of Teacher Assessment
Strategies
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
Diagnostic Evaluation & Instructional
Planning
• A continuing investigation into a child’s ability
in specific objectives.
Formative & Summative Evaluation
• Formative evaluation => 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 => 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.
Advantages of Using Classroom
Assessments
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 teacher’s objectives
and curriculum
• Can be correlated with diagnostic needs
Disadvantages of Using
Classroom Assessments
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
Purposes of Observation
Understanding Children’s 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
Understanding Children’s Behavior
• Observation of Social Behavior
▫ How do they communicate with peers?
▫ How do they play?
▫ How do they become part of a group?
Evaluating Children’s Development
• Beaty (1997) Eight reasons for systematically
observing and recording development of young
children.
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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 child’s records
Evaluating Children’s 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
Evaluating Children’s 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
Evaluating Children’s 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
Evaluating Children’s Development
• Play-Based Assessment =>assessment 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.
Evaluating Children’s 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
Evaluating Learning Progress
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.
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)
Evaluation of Learning Progress
• Observation to Improve the Classroom
Environment & Instruction
• Observation & Documentation
▫ Documentation => a process of documenting
information about progress of project activities
and recording information about children’s
interests, ideas, thinking and problem solving
within their activities.
Types of Observation
Anecdotal Record
• Anecdotal Record => a written description of an
incident in a child’s behavior that can be
significant in understanding the child.
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.
Anecdotal Record
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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
Running Record
• Running record => an instrument developed to
measure authentic and performance
assessments. Descriptions are given for
qualitative characteristics on a scale.
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
Time Sampling
• Time Sampling => Observation to determine the
frequency of a behavior. The observer records
how many times the behavior occurs during
uniform periods of time.
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
Event Sampling
• Event Sampling => 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.
Event Sampling
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Event
Sampling
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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
Checklists & Rating Scales
• Checklists => 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 => a scale using categories that
allow the observer to indicate the degree of a
characteristic that the person possesses.
Observing Development
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.
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 children’s emotional
behaviors and responses
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 children’s 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
Language Development
• Purposes for Observing Language Development
▫ Become aware of child’s 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 child’s dominate language
Observation Guidelines
Observation Guidelines
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Determine the observation site
Observer behaviors during the observation visit
Ethics during the observation visit
Avoiding personal bias