Observations - how to get started ??

[Tily Bud]

Right so I know that the obs should be child led, and then planning done from there but i just cant seem to put this into practice:rolleyes:

Do i set up an activity then observe the child then plan from there, or do i observe the child in free play then plan from there ??

How long should an observation take ?, should it only cover one activity ?

Totally confused xx

I have the sheet for recording them from my local eys but just cant seem to get started x

I keep daily diaries which include photos but not sure they are in depth enough to be classed as obs x

[Tily Bud]

Gosh , is everyone else in the dark also ???

Cheryl xx

[Spangles]

Both of what you say are right.

At our meeting they said an ob can be something that you just see happening i.e. suddenly notice a child does first step or builds a two block tower or whatever.

It could be you sit there and just watch a child for say ten minutes and note what they did, where they went, what they liked, etc and see what you can conclude.

You could set up an arts & crafts activity and do an obs for the whole activity - see how it goes, who liked what, if anything went wrong and could be improved, what the next step might be for different mindees.

There's no right or wrong way to do them I don't think, it's quite open. Plus, there's no set number that you have to do each week or month or whatever.

Lots of them, I think, just occur naturally to be honest.

That's how I see it anyway.



Sorry that was probably of no help to you whatsoever!

[Tily Bud]

Thanks Lorri xx

I think im finding i hard as i like to know what to do and when and this all seems to be down to individual preferance - that is until Ofsted get a look in and say weve been doing it wrong :D

[Spangles]

You can just take photos and put them in a kind of scrap book with a little detail on it like what child was doing, date, what it covers on EYFS, what you may do as a follow on, that's an ob and dead easy.

[Tily Bud]

That sounds a lot more like it Lorri xx

[MissTinkerbell]

Just to add.... I was told on my Effective Planning and Observation course that our observations should consists of the following

Child-initiated observations - 80%
Adult-initiated observations - 20%

Your child-initiated observations will be when they are doing free play or have chosen an activity without your input. They will inform you of what the child can do and be used to inform the next step of your planning. They will also give you insight into the child's interests. These may be brief notes on a post-it note, a photo with notes about what the child was doing or a piece of produced 'work', once again with notes about the context.

They may also take the form of a more detailed observation, where you maybe sit down for 10-15 minutes and just record what you see and hear. Later use the EYFS to record the learning that took place, what areas of the EYFS have been covered and what your next steps will be:

ie - you may have watched a child watching the rain out of the window. So your next steps might be going splashing in the puddles, exploring pouring water from one container to another, pouring water over different surfaces.

EYFS areas covered will be PSE (develop a curiosity about things and processes; seek and delight in new experiences); CLL (respond to different things; use 1 and 2 word utterances); PSRN (notice simple shapes and patterns); KUW (learn by observation about actions and effect; show an interest in why things happen); PD (reach out for, touch and hold objects); CD (respond to what they see) - this is only a few of the learning skills that could be attached to this observation.

Adult-initiated observations take the form of observing an activity you have set up in order to see whether a child can do a specific skill. For example you may want to find out if a child has some understanding of whether things exist when they are out of sight (PSRN). So you might set up an activity with some of the child's favourite toys and a blanket or cloth and hide things and see if the child can find them.

Record what you see and here and then once again use the EYFS to record the learning that took place, other areas that have been covered and the next steps.

As for how many to do per week. I think that's more or less up to us, but when I was teaching and we were starting to use the EYFS we were told, as a rough guide, Ofsted were saying that 1 detailed observation per week and then other observations as and when you see them.

I hope that this helps and makes it a bit clearer.

[Tily Bud]

Thanks Melanie xx

[tomthumb]

Thank you, found it really useful! was just getting started on my obs and realised that I have done quite a few without even knowing!! :blush:

Elodie X

[theoldwoman]

Thanks Lorri xx

I think im finding i hard as i like to know what to do and when and this all seems to be down to individual preferance - that is until Ofsted get a look in and say weve been doing it wrong :D

Hi, have just joined the forum, very impressed by all the help and support - what does one do with all the obs when you have them?

[sarah707]

Hi, have just joined the forum, very impressed by all the help and support - what does one do with all the obs when you have them?

Hello and welcome!

Don't forget to pop into 'say hello' and introduce yourself!

What to do with all the paper.... well I had a conservatory built to put it in! :laughing:

Some of it goes to parents, some is saved for evidence for Ofsted, some we are supposed to share with children's pre-schools / nurseries etc. The rest we file to prove what we've been doing I suppose...

All good fun! :D