The importance of observing and assessing children Observations means noticing what a child is able to do and where they are struggling. It is also knowing whether the child can understand things and say things. Assessments is basically reflecting or giving feedback on the information from the observation considering the child 's learning Observing and assessing children is very important and there are lots of reasons why practitioners carry out assessment and observe children. Observing children when they come into the setting is important because each individual will have a different background and they will have different experiences and knowledge and by observing them and taking assessments can tell us what the child can do and where …show more content…
Another example is a child who is left handed will need left handed scissor so the practitioner should remember to provide that child with left handed scissors. These examples are observations that take place day after day. From other observations we may notice that a certain child may need to be referred to a other services or specialists such as audiologist or speech and language therapist. It is very important that we observe children throughout their life even if you do not notice any problems. It is vital that we do not fall into just observing children when their is a problem .Observations and assessment are very useful and helpful because they also tell us about the child 's interests and it tells us what specific area is the child 's strength and which area is there weakness. It also help to plan the next step for …show more content…
This is because it is very useful to know the outcomes and how well the child is doing and whether the child has any problems ect. Parents should be involved so they can support their child throughout their education. When parents do get involved they can find out about their child 's progress to see how they are getting on and to see if they are developing in the right way.. It is important that we review the child 's progress with their parents this is usually done by having a discussion with the child 's parents or it is done on parents evenings. Their are also other ways in which they review the child 's progress. When the practitioner is working with parents and they are getting involved it is good practice to find out about how the child is at home and to find out if they behave and find out their interest. This can be important because at home the child maybe behaving differently to how they are within the setting. At home children may have different opportunities for example they may have the opportunity to communicate with their siblings where as in school they don 't have that opportunity. They are also likely to do different activities at home such as gardening or shopping or going out somewhere. Some children may also speak a different language at home that is different to the
Tickell acknowledges that the curriculum does identify the connection between parents and practitioners, however views that there could be more partnership to overcome those who are at a disadvantage. A suggestion that practitioners should give to parents and carers a short summary outlining the children communication, language, personal, social, emotional, and physical development between 24-38 months, and when appropriate, shared with health visitors if seen as necessary.
To conclude child observation is a method to understand the child’s world, how they react within their environment. I found it really useful to learn about the child’s development, thoughts, focus on feelings and at different ages the child goes on developing his/her capacities. Every single context can change what the observer sees because a child can have different reactions in front of his/her parents and in front of a carer. Social workers learn from the experiences and reflect within their own practice. It is an important technique for social workers, needed to develop these skills associated with being a practitioner.
working with a child as an individual can show the practitioner if that child needs help in a certain area of development and also if that child is in the correct age band of the eyfs, if they child is below in any then the practitioner can help put some needs& activities in place for this child to help their development. Help with
Observation is very important in young children because that is how you get to know a child better. While observing how a child interacts with their peers, adults, and how they behave in different settings, you are getting to know the child without speaking to them.
At all times practitioners should behave in a open professional manner, the children copy adults around them and the adults should be setting a good example of how to behave appropriately
By understanding and identifying where children are at, they are then able to determine which strategies to help facilitate development in each domain. In Quan’s case, his cognitive skills show that he is able to grasp a variety of concepts and words which is evident through observing his interacts with the toys in the classroom. According to Copple and Bredekamp (2009), “It is helpful to remember that they are not merely functioning less effectively than older children or adults; their narrow focus on a limited amount of information at any given time is actually useful while they are learning so many things so rapidly” (p. 130). By understanding each child’s cognitive development, teachers are then able to create instruction and experiences to facilitate learning and development in those specific cognitive areas. Not only are preschoolers able to interact with materials, but they are also able to, “Use their senses to observe and explore classroom materials and natural phenomena” (Dichtelmiller & Jablon, 2001, p. 118). Due to the importance of providing sensory rich experiences, teachers need to use a variety of hands-on and observation opportunities to help facilitate learning with preschoolers. This is important due to preschoolers mostly learning through their five senses and through their experiences inside and outside the
Observation is important as the practitioner can find out what the child is interested in and what motivates them to learn alongside their progress and how they behave in certain situations, additionally at the same time it identifies if children need assistance within certain areas of learning or socially (DCSF, 2008). Furthermore the observations check that the child is safe, contented, healthy and developing normally within the classroom or early years setting, over time the observations can be given to parents as they show a record of progress which helps to settle the parent and feel more comfortable about their child’s education. Observations are not only constructive within learning about an individual child, they can be used to see how different groups of children behave in the same situation and how adults communicate and deal with children’s behaviour (Meggitt and Walker, 2004). Overall observations should always look at the positives of what children can complete within education and not look at the negatives and all observations should become a fundamental part of all practitioners work alongside reflection (Smidt, 2009).
Parental involvement promotes the social growth of a child. Children whose parents are involved in their education have many advantages. They have better grades, test scores, long-term academic achievement, attitudes and behavior than those with disinterested mothers and fathers (Gestwicki, 2001). Parents becoming involved in their child's schooling creates extra sources of social constraint to influence the child's behavior (McNeal, 2001). For example, parents talking to their children and becoming involved in the school conveys a message to the child of education being important. Parents should be talking with your children's teacher and letting her know about your family. The more she knows about your child, the better she will be able to connect with your child.
Parents must have sense of ownership in their child’s success. Parents must know what is going on with their child at school and in their personal life. If there are negative indicators, action must be taken to correct these issues. A child’s success is affected by the interactions of the parents. If there are distracters in the personal life of the child it can be detrimental to their education; therefore, these distractions need to be minimized if not removed.
Forman, G., & Hall, E. (2001). Wondering With Children: The Importance of Observation in Early Education: Five Reasons to Observe Children. ECRP: Early Childhood Research & Practice. Retrieved May 20, 2010, from http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v7n2/forman.html
Parents are an important ingredient to the perfect education. Parents who aren't involved in their children's education only impede the efforts made by teachers and students to create a good education. These parents are oftentimes uninterested with their children's education as a whole. To achieve perfection in the educational system, parents have to take an active role in that education. Parents who don't include themselves in their children's education aren't always informed about the student's progress, aren't aware of the current curriculum, and don't have any idea of the student's strengths and weaknesses in school. An involved parent is informed and sometimes included in the decision-making process. Parents who take an active role are kept informed of the progress made by their children. The parents know the curriculum and assist the children with their nightly studies, and can discuss their children's feelings about education.
To conclude, my research shows a clear link between parental involvement and children performing better in school. Children who's parents are involved in their education are showing better performance and are achieving higher grades. They also show better behaviour, more enthusiasm, ambition and higher levels of engagement. compared with children who's parent are not involved in their education. My research also shows that parental involvement has great benefits for both children and parents in many ways, so much so that the most effective schools are those who encouraged parents to be involved.
Involving parents with school activities will benefit the school parent and the child. Teachers will have more help and will know the children closely if the parents are involved. Children feel happy and secure to see their parents around and it makes them confident too. We can start the involvement by inviting parents as volunteers for story reading and school outings. The importance of parental involvement is stressed in Lev Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory which states parents, caregivers, peers, and the culture at large were responsible for developing higher order functions. On the other hand, parents will also have a sense of inclusion in their child’s development process. Parents will share more family time and bonding with their young kids which supports the child’s psychological needs
It is vital that in any setting there is good and clear communication between a setting/early years practitioner and the parents. By working together, it gives each child the best possible chance to develop to their full potential. In an early years setting it is imperative that they have an environment that is set up to support physical development. Practitioners can support parents in many ways to help with further development at home (Spencer, K, & Wright, P. 2014).