Learning Through Observation When Assessing Young Children

The value of observation in the assessment of a child is very important 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.

It also provides us with information by helping us to determine where a child stands in his or her development. This information can be used to put together activities that can help the child’s progress. It also helps educators see what things are right or wrong.When collecting the data we can pick their strongest strengths and help them to continue develop them and branch out to new activities that will help them with any issues they might have and improve in the future. We can learn through observation by writing important details that cannot be notice on a standardized test. Observation is a tool to help us learn about each child, our environment, and our work in caring for children. Also it helps the teacher to identifying the source of a problem (not just the individual child but also his or her environment and the children associated with him/her).

Other means of assessments are done once a year. While observing a child you can repeat observations over a period of time can show how a child’s development is progressing. The value of observation is very important to anyone that is in contact with a child to have better understanding of their strength and abilities. Teachers/educators can help a child in a timely manner while other assessments you need to wait for the information to arrive and this could take about six months to a year and sometimes it can jeopardize the child’s development.