Observation for assessment

Observations are fundamental for gaining evidence on young children’s learning and development. So, as a practitioner, you will be alert to all that is happening around you, especially during play and everyday activities. You will also need to know the learning statements for the year(s) you work with very well.

Effectively assessing every child in a holistic and systematic way requires great skill and expertise. It takes time, practice and ongoing reflection by every practitioner. You and your colleagues can support each other by observing each other and giving feedback.

Some tips for getting started are:

  • Observe learners when they are likely to be at their best (e.g. during an activity they are enjoying and are absorbed in, and when they are not too tired).
  • You can’t observe everything all of the time. Try to discover one or two useful things from each observation.
  • Use open questions to find out more about what a learner is thinking such as ‘Can you tell me about what you’ve made?’ or ‘What did you enjoy about this activity?’
  • Sometimes you will want to focus on a particular area that you’ve been working on with a child or a group of children. This might involve planning a particular activity such as using instruments in music time.
  • If you are observing child-initiated play, try not to interrupt for about 10 minutes. Get down to the level of the child and close enough to hear without becoming part of the activity. If problems emerge (e.g. a child not holding a paint brush properly) then see how the child reacts rather than intervening to show them what to do. They may try different approaches unprompted or give up and go to another activity. These are useful discoveries and you can respond to all you have found out, in future activities.
  • If a child needs help, then show them what to do and then let them do it independently. This will tell you more than if you talk them through each step.