1. Communication Observation

   • During the preschool years, developmental areas overlap. What may seem like a communication skill is also considered a social skill and an adaptive skill. For example, crying is a communication skill because it is a form of communicating distress. It is also a social skill when it is used to let an adult know the child wants to interact or is bored. A communication checklist includes items related to understanding language, talking or expressive language and pragmatic language or the ability to use body language, facial expressions and tone of voice to communicate.

   Social Development

   • Preschool children pass through several stages of social development. A quality observation checklist contains items related to these stages. The first stage is solitary play characterized by one-on-one interactions that are dependent on help from an adult or an older sibling. The next stage is parallel play where a child observes other children and plays next to them, but there is no meaningful social interaction. The third stage is associative play, characterized by children starting to share toys and interact more with a group. This stage may look cooperative, but is not. Children in stage three are too egocentric to exhibit true cooperative play, which is the fourth level -- playing with rules and making plans for play with a peer.

   Behavior

   • A behavior checklist looks at what happened right before a behavior occurred (the antecedent). Samples of antecedents are: the teacher doing something or another child doing something to the child. The checklist would document what behavior(s) a child exhibited after the antecedent, such as hitting, yelling, crying, or refusing to cooperate. The third part of the behavior checklist indicates what the teacher or peers did when the child exhibited the problematic behavior.

   Learning Style

   • A learning style checklist consists of different kinds of strategies a child uses to learn. Observing children at play is an effective way to see their learning styles in action. Children who spend a great deal of time looking at books or watching the teacher and other children before doing something may be visual learners. Children who spend time listening to books on tape or who like to have stories read may have an auditory learning style. Children who like to color, paint or build with blocks may be tactile learners. Children may display multiple combinations of the learning styles such as visual, auditory and tactile preferences.

Observation of children is important for several reasons. Here are some of them:

• Helps you to discover a child’s particular interests/likes
• Helps you see the areas that need to be worked on and/or practiced
• Helps you measure their developmental levels
• Helps you see children’s skills and accomplishments
• Helps you better understand the children

Observation is a lost art form for many teachers. It may seem a trivial thing to do when you are already trying to squeeze so much into a day. However, observation is something that doesn’t take away from your teaching, it adds to your teaching. Have you ever had a parent ask you what center little Susie most especially enjoys? If you are not observing your children on a regular basis, you may very well not know the answer. If you want to be a better teacher, spend time observing your children!

Observing children is not a one time occurrence. It is ongoing. It may not necessarily be a daily thing you do but it should be something you get into the habit of doing. Keep it simple. Keep a small notebook or clipboard handy that you pull out and write on as you are walking throughout the classroom during free time.

Document your observations in a format that works best for you—a notebook, on your computer, etc. This information can later be used for progress reports and/or Parent/Teacher Conferences