29.3: Guidelines when Observing Children
- Page ID
- 142508
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Things to Keep in Mind
Caregivers observe, record, and capture moments in a child's development every day. The artifacts gathered are used to plan curriculum, assess growth, and change the environment. In the article "Who is Watching? Thinking Ethically about Observing Children," the authors highlight some of the ethical tensions that can arise within early childhood settings when trying to balance the rights of children, the responsibilities of caregivers, and the role of students training as future caregivers.[1]
When observing and documenting young children:
- Take every precaution to maintain confidentiality and ensure privacy.
- Be respectful and keep a reasonable amount of space between you and the child to minimize interference in playing and learning.
- Be attuned to children's body language, temperament, and communication styles.
- See each child as a unique individual with individual perspective, set of feelings, interests, and way of socializing, along with their cultural context, belief system, and values.
- Share information with the child about what you have observed, when appropriate.
- Collect photos and other observation methods in a non-intrusive manner.
- Ensure observation evidence and pictures are used only for the purposes intended.
- Handle photographs and data with care and sensitivity and store information securely.
- Realize that a child's reactions, behaviors, and conversations may not be what you expect, and therefore you should refrain from being judgmental or tainted by your cultural biases.[1]
[1] Peterson, G., & Elam, E. (2021). Observation and Documentation - The Key to Intentional Teaching. In Observation and Assessment in Early Childhood Education is licensed under CC BY.