Observing the Whole Child

01/15/2014

Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
Rumi

"Observing young children requires the gathering of evidence of growth in a natural setting," noted Kay Stritzel Rencken in her article "Observation - The Primary Tool in Assessment" in the Beginnings Workshop Book, Professionalism.

"An early childhood classroom is a familiar place where the child feels at ease in experimenting and exploring with blocks, various art media, writing, computers, and puppets. This experimentation and exploration provides a rich storehouse of observable information for the teacher skilled in gleaning it from the play that surrounds the child. Observing in this setting looks at the whole child - not fragments or skills that are out of context. When a child is counting to see how many friends are at school today, there is authenticity; but when asked to count objects for a test, the reason is absent.

"One of the important benefits of doing observations is that teachers are viewing many components at the same time. Unlike standardized tests, which focus only on cognition, observations allow the teacher to see the whole child. The emotional, physical, social, and cultural dimensions of the child are equally important, especially with the younger child."

Enroll More Families - with live streaming video from WatchMeGrow. CLICK FOR A DEMO

Time saving tools for Child Care Join 25,000 other centers that now operate more efficiently than ever by using our software, check-in solutions and payment processing.

For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.