Observing and Recording the Behavior of Young Children

“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 (previous edition)

In the Sixth Edition of their classic text, the authors reiterate the critical importance of observing and recording the behavior of young children, especially in the current atmosphere of accountability and testing. In addition, because children with special needs are now widely included in a majority of early childhood classrooms, they have completely rewritten a chapter to focus more broadly on observing behaviors that may be viewed as disquieting. Designed to help teachers better understand children’s behavior, the book outlines methods for recordkeeping that provide a realistic picture of each child’s interactions and experiences in the classroom. Numerous examples of teachers’ observations of children from birth to age 8 enrich this work and make it accessible, practical, and enjoyable to read.

With more than 130,000 copies in print, this valuable resource for pre- and inservice educators features:

  • Fresh information about how children think and learn, how their language develops, and how their families, their culture, and their environment influence and help to shape them.
  • Observations that reflect the increasingly diverse population in contemporary early childhood classrooms.
  • The imperative for teachers to widen their lens in order to meet the needs of young children with a range of developmental capacities, abilities, and behaviors.

Dorothy H. Cohen and Virginia Stern, both of whom died before the Fourth Edition, held faculty positions at Bank Street Graduate School of Education. Nancy Balaban is retired from Bank Street Graduate School of Education where she was director of Infant and Family Development and Early Intervention Program. Nancy Gropper is retired from Bank Street Graduate School of Education where she has been associate dean for Academic Affairs, department chair, and director of Student Teaching Programs in the Early Childhood and Childhood Education Department.

1124337612
Observing and Recording the Behavior of Young Children

“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 (previous edition)

In the Sixth Edition of their classic text, the authors reiterate the critical importance of observing and recording the behavior of young children, especially in the current atmosphere of accountability and testing. In addition, because children with special needs are now widely included in a majority of early childhood classrooms, they have completely rewritten a chapter to focus more broadly on observing behaviors that may be viewed as disquieting. Designed to help teachers better understand children’s behavior, the book outlines methods for recordkeeping that provide a realistic picture of each child’s interactions and experiences in the classroom. Numerous examples of teachers’ observations of children from birth to age 8 enrich this work and make it accessible, practical, and enjoyable to read.

With more than 130,000 copies in print, this valuable resource for pre- and inservice educators features:

  • Fresh information about how children think and learn, how their language develops, and how their families, their culture, and their environment influence and help to shape them.
  • Observations that reflect the increasingly diverse population in contemporary early childhood classrooms.
  • The imperative for teachers to widen their lens in order to meet the needs of young children with a range of developmental capacities, abilities, and behaviors.

Dorothy H. Cohen and Virginia Stern, both of whom died before the Fourth Edition, held faculty positions at Bank Street Graduate School of Education. Nancy Balaban is retired from Bank Street Graduate School of Education where she was director of Infant and Family Development and Early Intervention Program. Nancy Gropper is retired from Bank Street Graduate School of Education where she has been associate dean for Academic Affairs, department chair, and director of Student Teaching Programs in the Early Childhood and Childhood Education Department.

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Observing and Recording the Behavior of Young Children

Observing and Recording the Behavior of Young Children

Observing and Recording the Behavior of Young Children

Observing and Recording the Behavior of Young Children

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Overview

“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 (previous edition)

In the Sixth Edition of their classic text, the authors reiterate the critical importance of observing and recording the behavior of young children, especially in the current atmosphere of accountability and testing. In addition, because children with special needs are now widely included in a majority of early childhood classrooms, they have completely rewritten a chapter to focus more broadly on observing behaviors that may be viewed as disquieting. Designed to help teachers better understand children’s behavior, the book outlines methods for recordkeeping that provide a realistic picture of each child’s interactions and experiences in the classroom. Numerous examples of teachers’ observations of children from birth to age 8 enrich this work and make it accessible, practical, and enjoyable to read.

With more than 130,000 copies in print, this valuable resource for pre- and inservice educators features:

  • Fresh information about how children think and learn, how their language develops, and how their families, their culture, and their environment influence and help to shape them.
  • Observations that reflect the increasingly diverse population in contemporary early childhood classrooms.
  • The imperative for teachers to widen their lens in order to meet the needs of young children with a range of developmental capacities, abilities, and behaviors.

Dorothy H. Cohen and Virginia Stern, both of whom died before the Fourth Edition, held faculty positions at Bank Street Graduate School of Education. Nancy Balaban is retired from Bank Street Graduate School of Education where she was director of Infant and Family Development and Early Intervention Program. Nancy Gropper is retired from Bank Street Graduate School of Education where she has been associate dean for Academic Affairs, department chair, and director of Student Teaching Programs in the Early Childhood and Childhood Education Department.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780807774199
Publisher: Teachers College Press
Publication date: 12/20/2015
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
File size: 459 KB

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.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Sixth Edition ix

1 Getting Started 1

Why Records? 1

Keeping Records 6

Language as a Tool in Recording 9

Importance of the Environment 12

2 Recording a Child's Behavior During Routines 14

Organizing the Information 14

The Meaning of Routines to Young Children 18

Recording Eating Behavior 19

Recording Toileting Behavior 22

Recording Behavior at Nap Time 24

Recording Behavior During Transitions 26

Patterns of Behavior During Routines 28

3 Recording a Child's Use of Materials 32

The Meaning of Materials to Young Children 32

What to Observe 37

Records of Use of Materials 39

How the Child Does What 40

Records Illustrating Detail 43

Interpretation: The Last Dimension 46

Patterns of Behavior in Use of Materials 46

4 Recording Children's Behavior with One Another 50

How Children Learn to Socialize 50

Do We Really See What Is Going On? 53

What to Observe 55

Patterns of Behavior in Children's Responses to Other Children 61

Group Membership 63

5 Recording Children's Behavior in Dramatic Play 66

Capacity for Symbolic Presentation 68

A Framework for Recording Dramatic Play 73

Focusing on Dramatic Roles 76

Social Aspects of Dramatic Play 82

Patterns of Behavior During Dramatic Play 89

6 Recording the Child's Relationships with Adults and in Adult-Directed Activities 91

Teachers Observe Themselves 91

Recording a Child's Interaction with an Adult 92

Gaining Information About a Child's Larger Social World 97

Recording a Child in Teacher-Directed Group Activities 98

Patterns of Behavior in Children's Relationships with Adults 100

7 Clues to Cognitive Functioning: Developmental Approach 104

How Do Children Learn? 104

Developmental Approach to Thinking in Early Childhood 106

How Can We Know a Child's Approach to Thinking? 110

8 Clues to Cognitive Functioning: Individual Approach 121

Temperament of a Child 121

The Influence of Culture and Social Experience 123

How Do We Know What Children Are Thinking About and Learning? 123

How Can Teachers Discover What Children Know? 129

9 Observing Children Develop the Power to Think 133

Forming Generalizations 133

Ability to Differentiate 134

Ability to Perceive Similarities and Differences 135

Ability to Draw Analogies 135

Ability to Perceive Cause and Effect 136

Time Orientation 137

Ability to Classify 138

Perceiving Patterns 139

Understanding Spatial Relationships 140

10 Recording Children's Developing Language and Emerging Literacy 143

Language and Culture 143

Recording Children's Use of Language 145

Observing Speech 155

Observing Emergent Literacy 160

11 Recording Behaviors That Are Disquieting 163

Value of Gathering Information 163

Examples of Unusual Behavior 164

12 Observing and Recording the Behavior of Infants and Toddlers 169

Making Sense of What You See 169

The Value of Recording 170

The Influence of Time of Day 171

What to Observe 172

13 Patterns: Summary and Interpretation 200

Patterns 200

Features of the Final Summary 202

Interpretation 208

Final Summary 209

References 213

Index 217

About the Authors 229

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Like the earlier editions of this book, the sixth edition provides a theoretically sound and pragmatically useful 'how to' for observing and recording young children that simultaneously supports essential understanding and appreciation of how children develop. 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, executive director, Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education

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