Lesson 12: Child Observation, Lesson Plan and Implementation

Attention

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able

  • Complete the use of the checklist to assess children
  • Use the checklist to inform lesson planning
  • Implement lesson plan that was created based on checklist findings
  • Reflect upon observation as a technique to gather data and improve practice
  • Explain the pros and cons of using a checklist

Teaching

The numbers of children with special needs in early care are rising.  Some of the children are receiving services but a lot of them are not.  One of the reasons that observing and assessing is SO IMPORTANT in early education is because that is how we determine if a child will need services. The soon we can determine that a child needs early intervention, the higher the chances of success are for the child. 

For this observation you will observe a child with a special need.  If there is not a child with a diagnosis at your site then talk to the site mentor about who might be a good fit for this exercise and why.

Before observing the child, first find out if the site uses any checklists for observing (ex: ASQ).  If the site already has checklists then use theirs.  If not, then you may choose one from the list provided.  Also before observing the child, review the checklist and make notes about what you think may be a challenge to find out.  Checklists may seem like an easy tool but sometimes they can take time to fill out based on what the child is doing, resistance and time.

Some programs use a checklist for an initial assessment on children and then will use the information to determine the platform for planning and future observations.  This is an easy tool to use but a big responsibility to assure you are checking off the correct boxes.  The boxes also do not inform the interaction and can be closed in nature, meaning you can only observe what is stated in the checklist.

When using the checklist, be thinking about how it would be helpful to write down notes (BUT DON’T DO IT) so that you can accurately paint the picture of what is happening.

Developmental Milestones Checklist 0-3 PDF | MS Word

Developmental Milestones Checklist 3-8 PDF | MS Word

Math/Science Checklist PDF | MS Word

Assessment

Lesson 12 Assignment

You will be using the Anecdotal Form and the Lesson Plan Form for this assignment.

Observation

  1. Decide why you are observing this specific child (aside from its required in this course).  What is the objective?
    1. What are you hoping to gain from the observation? 
  2. Choose a time that best works for you and the site to observe this child.
  3. Use any checklists that your site may already have or you can use the checklists outlined in the Lesson Plan above.  If they do not have one then please talk to your instructor.

Planning

  1. In the comments section of the ANECDOTAL FORM write your analysis or interpretation of the observations
    1. What is the observation telling you?  How does this relate to your lesson plan?
  2. Create a lesson plan using the LESSON PLAN FORM (do only the first two sections). 
    1. Assure this is related to your observation and observation objective.
    2. Review this LESSON PLAN RUBRIC as you put your Lesson Plan together.

Implementation

  1. Implement your activity
  2. Complete self-assessment portion of the planning form.

Possible Class Discussion

Share what checklist you used for your observation.  How did this checklist work for you and how did it not?  Be specific with examples.