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The most popular Out of the Box Training Kit sold by Exchange in the last six months is based on the article "Observation: The Primary Tool in Assessment" (Exchange; November, 1996). In this article, author Kay (Stritzel) Rencken makes these suggestions for how teachers can create opportunities to observe children...

"Early childhood teaching is a task that is filled with movement. Often teachers are doing ten tasks at the same time, moving from place to place, talking to children in the block, house, and writing centers. This view of perpetual motion pervades the profession. It is hard for many teachers to understand when they will find the time and how they can remain stationary and unobtrusive enough to observe the children. It requires a different mindset of the role of teaching young children. Observing and recording is just as crucial to good teaching as providing the setting, structuring the day, and planning the curriculum. Anne Benjamin (1993) gives many practical hints on how the teacher can effectively observe and record by planning what and when you observe, providing activities that don't directly involve the teacher, and having spots in the room that let teachers see and hear what is happening.

"Teachers can also become skilled participant observers. They observe the development of a particular child or activity within the setting. These narrative observations often read like a story. They relate what happened during the day and are the basis for reflection and planning activities that will occur the next day. Teachers are full of stories of what happened in their rooms. These stories can be the basis of putting theory into practice or practice into theory as they are shared with other early childhood educators. These stories give voice to a group that has been silenced for far too long."

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Now is the time to look ahead in your staff development planning. Take a few minutes to look through our extended list of Out of the Box Training Kits on Curriculum Development, Positive Discipline, Assessment, Family Partnerships, Environments, Early Care and Education, Professionalism, Infants and Toddlers, and Health and Safety. Then pick out five Kits that meet your needs and get one of them for free.

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