Observation Techniques

Your portfolio of Observations of Children should demonstrate a variety of different observation techniques and various ways to present your work.

Observations of child development can be recorded in:

• written records to record details of what the child does and says, and more importantly how the child does and says things.
• audio tape recordings to record details of spoken language, tone of voice and other sounds.
• video recordings to record details of what is seen and heard of the child's development.

The advantages and disadvantages of different methods of recording observations.

RECORDING METHOD		ADVANTAGES	DISADVANTAGES
WRITING		Convenient and requires no special equipment except a notebook and pen.	Things may happen too quickly to accurately record every detail.
AUDIO TAPE RECORDING		Records all the sounds so no details are missed. This is helpful to record language development, especially in school children.	Requires a tape recorder, audio tape and a quiet area with a minimum of background noise. Very young children use non-verbal communication in gesture, facial expression and actions which are not recorded.
VIDEO TAPE RECORDING		Records all the details that can be seen and heard by the camera. This is helpful to record planned activities in one area of a room.	Requires special equipment and knowledge to use it effectively. Lighting and background noise can affect the recording. Children may be inhibited, move away or play to the camera.

Now we know how to record observations of child development writing
audio tape
video recording
So the next step is choose an appropriate observation technique.

	OBSERVATION TECHNIQUES
		Anecdotal		Schedule		Charts and Pictograms
		Time Sampling		Event Sampling		Target Child

OBSERVATION TECHNIQUE		Different observation techniques help to focus the observation so appropriate data is collected and presented in meaningful ways.
ANECDOTAL		This is a written narrative that tells the story as it happens. Observations can be of planned activities, but spontaneous observations can show surprising things about a child's development that might never be seen.
SCHEDULES		It is helpful to research the area of development before observing. A pre-planned development checklist helps to focus the observation, but can be limited unless individual details are recorded.
CHARTS AND PICTOGRAMS		Charts and pictures can present observation data in colourful ways to make your portfolio appear more interesting.
TIME SAMPLING		Observations of children are recorded at fixed regular intervals of time to note what is happening at that moment. For example children's play during a morning can be recorded every 15 minutes.
EVENT SAMPLING		Observations focus on particular events to build up a pattern of a child's behaviour over a period of days or weeks. For example to discover what provokes tantrums, or how a child reacts to leaving their carer at the start of each day in nursery.
TARGET CHILD		A series of observations to give a picture of an individual child's holistic development. A baby will change rapidly during your time in placement and a longitudinal study of a child's development over several months is fascinating.

Find out more about different observation techniques

Introduction
Anecdotal	Schedule	Charts and Pictograms
Time Sampling	Event Sampling	Target Child

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