Curriculum Planning 2nd Assignment

Observation and assessment are tools used to collect and offer families, parents, and educators with vital information about the growth and development of children. Observation and assessment increase the effectiveness of teachers because they allow them to design future learning programs. Assessment and observation are two different instruments and involve the use of different tools. 

The differences between observation and assessment are discussed in the present paper. 

Assessment occurs when an adult sits with the child and asks the child to respond to the different request, for instance, count objects or point to a picture. An assessment is administered in a standardized way both in the way material are presented and the direction of the assessment, which means that the testing conditions are identical for all children (Snow, Van & Committee on Developmental Outcomes and Assessments for Young Children, 2008). Different assessment tools used include authentic assessments, achievement tests, standardized tests, developmental screening tests, performance tasks, and aptitude tests (Snow, Van & Committee on Developmental Outcomes and Assessments for Young Children, 2008). The effectiveness of a specific tool is based on its appropriateness for the intended objectives (Dorn, Sabol, Madeja & Sabol, 2014). For example, basic skills can be assessed using fill-in the blank, false-or-true, and multiple choice tests. These tests can also be used to discover what children can remember. Performance tasks, however, can be used to assess other advanced abilities. For example, they can be used to evaluate how a student can solve a specific mathematical problem. 

Assessments mostly predict school achievement, are related to socioeconomic status and may not indicate whether a specific program supports a child in all developmental areas. The nature of young children limits assessment as this nature does not match well to standardized testing context demands (Snow, Van & Committee on Developmental Outcomes and Assessments for Young Children, 2008). While subjecting children to different kinds of tests can help in obtaining different types of data for different purposes, most of the tests take away the time that children can use in developmentally appropriate programs (Neaum, 2015). Assessment tests also focus on what children do not know to demonstrate weakness areas. Observations, nevertheless, are based on what children know and record their strengths. Concern domains in observations are also noted and connected to these strengths. Assessment test outcomes also do not offer new information to observers (Neaum, 2015). 

Standardized tests are also not age-appropriate because of their standardized nature, which only helps a few students (Neaum, 2015). Non-standardized tests are also subjective, take long to be administered and are expensive. There is also the issue of the person administering the test. Ethical issues emerge if teachers are also the assessment test administrators since teachers do not have the required objectivity. If another unfamiliar person to children administers the assessment, children will be uncomfortable and may not perform effectively. 

We cannot create a full picture of our students based on standardized tests only. We need to observe them in different settings to obtain bits of information that we can then combine to create a full picture. Observation allows us to do this as it involves collecting information about child growth in a natural context. Understanding the students in this context allows us to map and plan for their future learning. We can achieve this because observation occurs when the regularly occurring classroom products and activities are used as proof of what the child can do and understands (Snow, Van & Committee on Developmental Outcomes and Assessments for Young Children, 2008). Observation involves examining the whole child, not skills or parts of development that do not match the setting as done in assessments. For example, an authentic assessment may entail having a child count to determine the numbers of his or her friends at school even though when the same child is required to count objects during a test, authenticity will be absent. Different tools are used during observation. Examples include documenting, time sampling, learning stories, tracking, target child, and checklists (Neaum, 2015). 

Observation uses the daily behavior of the child as the basis for inferring skills and knowledge. Caregivers and teachers gather data over time and in different settings to gain an extensive understanding of the child’s ability and knowledge (Snow, Van & Committee on Developmental Outcomes and Assessments for Young Children, 2008). Observation allows teachers to view many child development aspects simultaneously (Podmore & Luff, 2012). Compared to standardized tests that focus on cognition only, observation allows teachers to observe both the cultural, social, physical, and emotional components of children, which are both important for young children (Podmore & Luff, 2012). 

Observations also involve keeping detailed records over time, which demonstrates development in different areas (Neaum, 2015). Teachers can share this data with parents during conferences to allow them to understand the progress of their children and how teachers understand their children. Sharing entails offering information about the development and growth of children and it mostly involves love, caring, and concern and good moments, which is different from assessments. Assessment information is mostly recorded in report cards, which does not demonstrate whether or not the teacher understands the child as records in observations demonstrate. 

Observational records demonstrate the importance of the curriculum based on the needs of the child, which can be used for future curriculum planning. Planning is based on understanding the age group and writing goals for that group. For instance, when observing children as they play, I usually highlight the observations, state my assessment of the students, and ask other practitioners for their opinions on various students. Observations generally demonstrate what activities students engage in daily and highlight any issues that must be tackled. Then, I can share the data obtained with other staff members and discuss with them about it and use the outcome to formulate ways of adapting the different instructional strategies to support student learning. Observation offers insights that enhance planning to address the individual needs of children and assess the learning that occurs (Neaum, 2015). It is challenging to obtain insights that can be used for future curriculum planning using regular assessments since these assessments do not consider information regarding the nature of the child. Effective observations must, however, be objective in which the observer does not rely on impressions that are based on their individual specific beliefs and values (Podmore & Luff, 2012). When observing children, most observers are subjective and their observations mostly reflect the things that they value. 

We need to both observe and assess students at different periods because the data we obtain from these techniques tells us about the ability of each student and the next learning step. For instance, I can use assessments and observations to measure the things that students know already and understand, the things that need more experience and practice to be understood, and the difficult things. I can then apply the data obtained from both methods to plan the next instructional steps. Sometimes I can use the data to reflect on my individual instructional practices and alter ineffective teaching activities and classroom routines. The observation and assessment data can also be used to design individualized education programs (IEPs) for children. IEPs involve writing goals for each student to outline the anticipated learning outcomes for the entire school year (Allen & Cowdery, 2014). These goals must be specific, observable, measurable and meaningful to allow us set the instructional direction for our students. The goals are vital because they can be used by both teachers and families to examine the progress of students in the educational plan and improve communication between teachers and families. The following table demonstrates the differences between assessment and observation. It includes a comparison of different assessment and observation terms, their definitions, and examples. 

Observation and Assessment Comparison Matrix 

Conclusion  

Assessments and observations are different ways of examining the development of children. Observations offer extensive information about the different developmental and growth components of children, such as the physical, emotional, and social aspects. Assessment only offers information about the cognitive development of children. These methods can, however, be used in combination to develop individualized education programs for children. 

References  

Allen, E. K., & Cowdery, G. E. (2014).  The exceptional child: Inclusion in early childhood education . Nelson Education. 

Dorn, C. M., Sabol, R., Madeja, S. S., & Sabol, F. R. (2014).  Assessing expressive learning: A practical guide for teacher-directed authentic assessment in K-12 visual arts education . Routledge. 

Podmore, V. N., & Luff, P. (2012).  Observation: Origins and approaches in early childhood . Maidenhead, Berkshire: Open University Press. 

Neaum, S. (2015).  Child Development for Early Years Students and Practitioners . Learning Matters. 

Bottom of Form 

Snow, C. E., Van, H. S. B., & Committee on Developmental Outcomes and Assessments for Young Children. (2008).  Early childhood assessment: Why, what, and how . Washington, D.C: National Academies Press.