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4.1: Observe and Document

  • Page ID
    321760
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    How to Begin

    Creating a responsive, individualized curriculum starts with observing each child: watching and listening to discover how infants actively make sense of their everyday encounters with people and objects, documenting observations, and connecting with each child's family to share information.[1] When caregivers intentionally observe and listen, infants and toddlers reveal clues about their thinking, feelings, or intentions. Infants’ actions, gestures, and words illuminate what they are trying to figure out or how they make sense of people and objects' attributes, actions, and responses.[2] Through documentation, caregivers make visible the ways infants and toddlers learn. Planning infant/toddler curriculum begins with caregivers discovering, through careful listening and daily observation, each infant's interests, abilities, and needs.[3] Written observations of infant and toddler play and interactions reveal emerging skills and ideas. As caregivers observe, they discover ways to extend learning experiences to support the infant in building more complex, coherent ideas. Caregivers' reflections of an individual infant lead to further review on the emerging interests, concepts, and skills of another infant in the small group.[3]

    Anecdotal notes or photos make it possible to reflect on infant and toddlers’ learning experiences. Documentation supports caregivers in planning how to extend, expand, and add complexity to infants' learning through the curriculum offered.

    By taking time to review and reflect on each infant's behavior, temperament, learning interests, developmental profile, and needs, caregivers deepen their understanding and appreciation of each infant. This reflection also gives caregivers ideas on supporting learning and development, responding to infants' interests, expanding on their ideas, and engaging them in planning learning experiences. (California Department of Education)

    Gathering artifacts for documentation, including samples of an infant's work and other materials involving the infant, informs curriculum plans. For example, a caregiver notes an infant beginning to stand up with support and documents the behavior with a photo.

    The caregiver, drawing on her knowledge of infant development, knows the next step in infant motor development will be cruising—moving from place to place while standing and holding on to something for support. As a result of the caregiver’s documentation, she knows to modify the environment to include supports on which the infant might pull up to a standing position to cruise around. When reflecting on documentation, the caregiver will note other children who could benefit from environmental modifications. The curriculum for the infant becomes intentionally designed time and space for the infant to engage with the environmental changes as their physical development unfolds. As caregivers observe, reflect, and document, they become more attentive and responsive to each infant's ongoing development. Caregivers must plan experiences that support infant/toddler learning and development in all domains and content areas.[3]

    Exercise Mateos Ants

    For several days in a row, 23-month-old Mateo spent much of his time outdoors moving back and forth between squatting and standing, all the while looking at the ground. His teacher, Rosa, became puzzled by Mateo's behavior, especially because he did not participate in any other outdoor experiences.

    One day, she decided to step back, observe him, and see if she could figure out what he was trying to do. After a while, she moved closer to him and saw what had fascinated him so—ants! Sitting very close to him, she said, "I see ants. Lots and lots of ants." He looked down, smiled, and said, "Ants." "I wonder where the ants are going?" mused Rosa. "We'll have to watch." Mateo looked at Rosa and smiled again.

    With Rosa on the ground, several other toddlers wandered over. Mateo pointed at the ants and said, "Ants. Ants go home."

    When Mateo's father came to pick him up, Rosa told him about Mateo's interest in ants. His father said, "We're having a terrible problem with ants at home. But my wife can't stand killing any living thing, so we spend a lot of time following them around and trying to close off the place they enter."

    As Rosa cleaned up that day, she thought about Mateo's interest in ants. She decided that she would read The Ants Go Marching to him and teach him the song. She considered adding large, plastic ants to the sand table, if his interest continued, and maybe bringing a magnifying glass outside and inviting Mateo to use it to see ants up close. [1]

    Questions:

    • How does this case study emphasize the importance of observations?
    • Consider the term ‘emergent curriculum’. Is there any evidence of an emergent curriculum in this case study?
    • What else could you do, if you were Mateo’s teacher, to further expand the interest and learning about ants?
    Attributions

    [1]Child Observation: The Heart of Individualizing Responsive Care for Infants and Toddlers” from Head Start is in the public domain.

    Attributions