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The Learning Ladder II
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| Module 4: Observing and Recording Children's Behavior | ||||
| Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 |
Welcome to the Introduction to Module 4!
Module Objectives
Observing children's behavior and play and then documenting what you see is one of the important jobs of a family child care provider. Observing what children do helps you to understand what materials and experiences they are ready to handle. When we observe and collect this information, we can plan a curriculum that meets each child's needs and interests.
In this module you will learn ...
- to understand why carefully observing children is important
- to describe what you are seeing without including opinions
- the uses of portfolios and how to organize evidence of children's progress
In this module you will ...
- use various methods of observation
- use observation as a tool to understand children's development
- create an activity for parents so they can practice observation of their own children
Terms from the Field
Below are words and definitions that you may need when you work as a Family Child Care Provider. You will learn more about these words later in the module.
When you see the speaker
after each of the definitions you can hear the pronunciation of the term
and what it means.
free play - Free play is a time in a family child care provider's daily schedule that allows children to select where and what they will play with. For example, during free play Tamara might decide to play at the sand table with cups.
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free play [WAV] (149kb WAV file) free play [RAM] (31kb RAM file) |
cognitive skill - thinking skills that children develop in order to know and understand the world around them. For example, a child might discover that he or she can fill a large bottle with water from a cup.
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cognitive skill [WAV] (259kb WAV file) cognitive skill [RAM] (27kb RAM file) |
fine motor skill - the ability to use hands and fingers to complete skills such as writing with a pen or cutting with scissors.
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fine motor skill [WAV] (90kb WAV file) fine motor skill [RAM] (19kb RAM file) |
gross motor skills - skills that children master using large muscles. Some of these skills include walking, running, and jumping.
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gross motor skills [WAV] (195kb WAV file) gross motor skills [RAM] (21kb RAM file) |
self-help skills - skills that include a child's ability to take care of his/her own needs. Examples of these skills are putting on clothing and washing hands and face without help.
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self-help skills [WAV] (245kb WAV file) self-help skills [RAM] (25kb RAM file) |
emergent literacy - Emergent literacy means the things children are able to do before they actually learn to read and write. An example of emergent literacy in children is learning how to hold a pen.
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emergent literacy [WAV] (108kb WAV file) emergent literacy [RAM] (23kb RAM file) |
documenting - the practice of writing down what you observe.
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documenting [WAV] (91kb WAV file) documenting [RAM] (11kb RAM file) |
observational method - a way of watching children to get information about how they are learning and developing.
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observational method [WAV] (152kb WAV file) observational method [RAM] (17kb RAM file) |
appropriate - something that is correct or right for a certain situation. For example, it is appropriate for children to participate and ask questions while a provider is reading a book to them.
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appropriate [WAV] (126kb WAV file) appropriate [RAM] (27kb RAM file) |
inappropriate - something that is incorrect or wrong for a certain situation. For example, it is inappropriate for children to make loud noises while a provider is reading a book to them.
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inappropriate [WAV] (124kb WAV file) inappropriate [RAM] (25kb RAM file) |
portfolio - when a provider collects examples of a child's work to demonstrate what the child is learning.
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portfolio [WAV] (162kb WAV file) portfolio [RAM] (17kb RAM file) |
assessment tool - a form that providers use to understand what skills a child has.
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assessment tool [WAV] (75kb WAV file) assessment tool [RAM] (17kb RAM file) |
If you find other words that you don't understand, you can do two things :
1. Learn how to identify a word without a dictionary.
Or
2. Use an online dictionary that will be at the bottom of each page. See below.
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| Now go to the activities for Part 1. | |
