Early Childhood Observation

Observation techniques:
In the field of Early Childhood Education, observation is a method of gathering information by watching and writing what children do and say. Observation is important in the field because it helps in child development. when caregivers observe and know what the child have said and how he/she have acted in the particular situation then she will help him/her in building such skills according to it.
Observing a child is a tool which is not only use by parents and teachers parents to measure child's developmental progress but it is also help to discover new things about the child which can be included in teaching and uses as guidance strategies. Thus teachers observe children in different settings to see a comprehensive

view of child’s need and growth. The different process of observing children are as follows:
Anecdotal Observation
Checklist
Rating scale
Event sampling
Time sampling
Running record
To see how moral values developed in children it’s good to use anecdotal observation and event sampling.
• Anecdotal Observation:
An anecdote is a "short explanation of a particular event. According to the notes, it is the brief account of a selected incident which has been written as soon it occurs. Anecdotes are helpful for taking quick notes that have been observed throughout the day. It needs to have a beginning, middle and end. They are usually written in past tense. It is important to note down the time and date and place when the observation take place. As a result it tells you a story of what the observer have seen.
Teachers/caregivers can use anecdotal observation to determine molarity in the child.

I choose this observation technique for moral development because teachers can focus on more than one child at a time means it can be notified how other children/peers of the particular child reacted on the same situation. This way caregiver know what is the area where moral values to be taught and discussed more often. Moreover, with the use of anecdotal observation you can look after the classroom. The writing process doesn’t require to sit alone and write it. That’s why a teacher can write the observation and supervise the children at the same time. Also, with the anecdotal observation teacher can work with other children while observing. For example, if teacher is observing how boy B gets the toy from boy A whereas she is helping boy C in writing, she can still watch the boys talking to each other while helping boy C. There is no requirement of her to leave one task to do anecdotal observation. And I believe it’s also good because by letting them solving their problem themselves is also a way to teach moral values. The way they agree on one point to share a toy or lend a toy for some time to each other is also a

nice.
In group setting, by doing several activities the moral behaviour can be teach.

For example, discussing the preferable behaviour among two behaviours. Such as sharing a box of colors or pushing your friend from the table away so that only one of you can use the colors. By discussing these conflicting behaviours the child will focus the behaviour through which he will make other happy. These type of discussions will create empathy and increases the level of moral development in the child. Moreover, by using literature in a group we can teach moral behaviours. By reading a book which is caring and shows respectful behaviour can boost up moral development. For example reading a book where one character felt bad because other didn’t say thank you to him, upset him. In this way we can teach children and let them think about the efforts made by the character just to bring smile and make his friend happy but in reverse the character didn’t appreciate his efforts, will make the child think about

feelings.
As far it is concerned the age of groups then yes the activities will change according to the age group. For example a preschooler might only think about himself. By having a conversation between two of them can resolve the matter because they are young who wants to be happy and make others happy. Also, by modelling the behaviour in the classroom as a drama will also teach the children moral values. Whereas, for school age kids, the modelling is not work more often. Their minds are well developed who needs an appropriate direction to walk on the right path. Hence showing them a documentary video or a video that relives the message can bring a change. For example, in middle schools bullying is more often teach by showing videos so that they will feel the pain of the student, family and their circumstances. They will more understand in that way because they can relate himself to him. Furthermore, according to ages to stages, “A 3-year old child can listen to short stories and books attentively.”