4.2: Why We Observe

Why?

There are important reasons why caregivers observe infants and toddlers.

The most common purposes behind caregiver observation include to:

• Learn about children to individualize care and the curriculum, including interactions, teaching practices, learning experiences, routines, and schedules
• To measure and track children's progress in acquiring skills and concepts over time as part of the ongoing assessment cycle.

When caregivers are intentional about observing children, they can better understand how young children think, feel, and learn about the world around them. In turn, these understandings aid caregivers in making decisions about providing responsive and informed care.

Respectful observation reflects a belief that young children's behaviors have purpose and meaning and are worth attending to. The crucial part of observation involves a great deal of thinking beforehand (Cagliari, 2004). Caregivers who believe young children have goals and intentions ask themselves essential questions:

• Why does this child do what he does?
• What is he trying to communicate or accomplish?
• How should I respond to support this child?
• What could I do to support them?"[1]

Observation becomes one tool in seeking answers to these questions. It provides opportunities to engage in a "pedagogy of listening" (Cagliari, 2004). We often silo contexts for observation by separating our observation time into two distinct categories: observation of what the child is doing now and observation to reflect on later. But a caregiver is a "participating observer" (Cagliari, 2004). As the children actively build knowledge, caregivers watch and listen, and while observing, the caregiver can find "strategies that will consequently guide the activities onward" (Cagliari, 2004). Observing from a respectful point of view helps us make essential discoveries about children, such as what they are like as individuals, how they react to other children and adults, what tasks are easy or hard for them, and how they convey their wants and needs (Dichtelmiller and Ensler, 2004). These discoveries allow caregivers to be responsive to each child's interests and needs.[2]

Observations are conducted every day in early childhood classroom environments. Caregivers are constantly surveying the environment. Forms of intentional observations are: completing safety checks to ensure the equipment and materials are safe for the children to use and daily health screenings to ensure children are healthy enough to participate in activities. Intentional caregivers use their observations to plan and implement curriculum, set up engaging learning environments, monitor the children's social interactions, track behaviors, communicate with families, and assess each child's progress and development. Through purposeful and planned observations, intentional caregivers can:

• Evaluate program and caregiver effectiveness
• Make improvements to ensure quality practices
• Plan and implement developmentally appropriate curriculum
• Measure and assess a child's development
• Develop respectful family partnerships
• Understand cultural practices
• Choose learning strategies to support and accommodate the diverse needs of children
• Ensure ethical conduct and professional standards of practice.[3]

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[1] U.S Department of Health and Human Services ECLKC Look at Me! Using Focused Child Observation with Infants and Toddlers is in the public domain.

[2] U.S Department of Health and Human Services ECLKC Child observation: The heart of individualizing responsive care for infants and toddlers is in the public domain

[3] 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.

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This page titled 29.2: Why we Observe is shared under a mixed 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Amanda Taintor.