Anecdotal Observation Report

Anecdotal recordings can be used in many different ways to observe children. It can be used to preserve details about developing skills, behaviors, or incidents for later judgements and reflections. Anecdotal recordings are short, but detailed enough to draw the developmental issue to a conclusion. Anecdotal records are useful for teachers, parents, and the students. Teachers, on the right side of the paper take note of opinionated observations, ideas of how to solve the problems, and a solution that they are going to try. While on the left side of the sheet of paper, the information is all observations, actions, and conversations that the specific child had. The teacher can then make a copy of the left side and add it to the child’s portfolio

for the parents to have access to. It’s not important to copy the right side of the anecdotal record because this is more useful for the teacher and ideas of ways to help the child overcome the given behavior. This type of information is important for the parents to see because their child may not portray this type of behavior outside of school. When using this method of recording, it is important to write the information down IMMIDEITLY as it happens. Write it down exactly how it happens too!

Even the way that the children pronounce certain words. It is important to be as descriptive as possible when writing the information down because you want the reader (parent because you should never share personal information with others) to be able to feel like they are there when the situation happened. And always remember to keep the information to facts and not opinions! Much like any other type of observation, anecdotal recordings also have disadvantages. This type of recording is not a lengthy. The observations happen over several minutes and then are over with. While those few minutes are taking place, the teacher can only focus on one to two children at a time. So during this time span, the teacher has given their attention to a maximum of two children, oppose to having interactions with the other children. “Self-care skills are points of observing and recording used to recognize milestones, plot, share progress, and plan curriculum.” (Page 65) The normal progression of self-help skills are dressing, feeding, toileting, and washing. As we already know, not every child is on the same page developmental wise. Some may need extra help, while others are ready to do it

independently. You could use an anecdotal record to observe a child’s behaviors and comments when they attempt to use the big boy potty and then come up with ideas on how to help them accomplish this big step. Or you can use the record to observe how a little girl was struggling putting on her coat and becoming angry. In result, you could open up the dramatic play as a dress up theme for the week, to practice dressing. There is so many ways to use the anecdotal record to focus on self-care skills with young children. The record shows you which child is having trouble with understanding certain self-care skills and then to resolve the problem, the teacher can plan her curriculum around the results.