Observing and Recording the Behavior of Young Children

This classic text has been helping teachers better understand young children's behaviour for over 6 decades. Now available in an updated seventh edition, this popular resource is designed to deepen pre- and inservice teachers' understanding of children (birth–age 8) as unique individuals within a developmental context. Observation notes recorded over time reveal patterns in children's behaviour, as well as ways in which behaviours may change. To strengthen teachers' efforts to better understand children as individuals, the authors provide a timeless methodology for documenting young children's behaviour as they actively engage in classroom life. They outline methods for recordkeeping that capture children's interactions and experiences in the classroom. Numerous examples of teachers' observations of children enrich this work and make it accessible, practical, and enjoyable to read. Book Features: Provides early childhood educators with a guide for observing and recording as a way of better understanding children, while holding judgment in abeyance. Examines the need for teachers to reflect on their own experiences, even as children, and how these may influence their reactions to children's interactions and behaviours. Focuses on the centrality of family, community, and culture in children's lives, reflecting the diversity in contemporary early childhood classrooms. Explains the imperative for teachers to observe and record the behaviour of young children as a means of interpreting their developmental capacities and abilities.

Table of Contents:
Preface to the Seventh Edition 1.  Getting Started Why Records Keeping records Language as a Tool in Recording Importance of the Environment 2.  Recording a Child's Behavior During Routines Organizing the Information The Meaning of Routines to Young Children Recording Eating Behavior Recording Toileting Behavior Recording Behavior at Rest Time Recording Behavior During Transitions Patterns of Behavior During Routines 3.  Recording a Child's Use of Materials A Note on Technology The Meaning of Materials to Young Children What to Observe Records of Use of Materials How the Child Does What Records Illustrating Detail Interpratation: the Last Dimension Patterns of Behavior in Use of Materials 4.  Recording Children's Behavior With One Another How Children Learn to Socialize Do We Really See What Is Going On? What to Observe Patterns of Behavior in Children's Response to Other Children Group Membership 5.  Recording Children's Behavior in Dramatic Play Capacity for Symbolic Representation A Framework for Recording Dramatic Play Focusing on Dramatic Roles Social Aspects of Dramatic Play Patterns of Behavior During Dramatic Play 6.  Recording the Child's Relationships With Adults and in Adult-Directed Activities Teachers Observe Themselves Recording a Child's Interactions With an Adult Gaining Information About a Child's Larger Social World Recording a Child in Teacher-Directed Group Activities Patterns of Behavior in Children's Relationships With Adults 7.  Clues to Cognitive Functioning How Do Children Learn? Developmental Approach to Thinking in Early Childhood How Can We Know a Child's Approach to Thinking? 8.  Clues to Cognitive Functioning Temperament of a Child The Influence of Culture and Social Experience How Do We Know What Children Are Thinking About and Learning? How Can Children Discover What Children Know? 9.  Observing Children Develop the Power to Think Forming Generalizations Ability to Differentiate Ability to Perceive Similarities and Differences Ability to Draw Analogies Ability to Perceive Cause and Effect Time Orientation Ability to Seriate and Classify Perceiving Patterns Understanding Spatial Relationships 10.  Recording Children's Developing Language and Emerging Literacy Language and Culture Recording Children's Use of Language Observing Speech Observing Emergent Literacy 11.  Recording Behaviors That Are Disquieting Value of Gathering Information Examples of Unusual Behavior 12.  Observing and Recording the Behaviors of Infants and Toddlers Making Sense of What You See The Value of Recording The Influence of Time of Day What to Observe 13.  Patterns Patterns Features of the Final Summary Interpretation Final Summary References Index About the Authors

About the Author :
Dorothy H. Cohen and Virginia Stern, both of whom passed away before the fourth edition, held faculty positions at Bank Street Graduate School of Education. Nancy Balaban is retired from Bank Street, where she was the director of the Infant and Family Development and Early Intervention Program. Nancy Gropper is retired from Bank Street, where she held positions as associate dean for academic affairs, department chair, and director of student teaching programs. Jane Andris, a Bank Street alumna, is a clinical assistant professor in the Early Childhood Research Center at the University of Louisville.

Review :
PRAISE FOR PREVIOUS EDITIONS: "The sixth edition adds to the remarkable history of this volume with nuggets of updated insights reflecting the changing environments in which our children develop and grow." - Jon Snyder, Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (for sixth edition) "Responds to new knowledge about how children think, learn, and develop language, and about the influences of families, culture, and other environmental influences." - Zero to Three (for fifth edition)