Observation is an essential skill for all who work as carers and educators of children. It is the key way to assess a child's stage of development, to asses their progress, alert you to their needs, to plan for their teaching and to enjoy each child's unique qualities. Now thoroughly updated to cover new policies, trends and regulations in line with EYFS Statutory Framework (2021), this book offers a focused guide to observational techniques that will enable you to become a skilled practitioner. This new edition includes main development checkpoints in the first six years of life under the headings of the three prime areas and four Specific areas of the EYFS. The second section of this chapter describes theoretical perspectives of children's development and encourages students to research and analyze theories in order to complete a series of challenging activities. Pedagogical features include chapter objectives, key questions, chapter summaries, case studies and a set of activities to assist planning which includes considering sustainability and conservation within the early childhood environment. It offers focused guidance for the early years sector. Written primarily for trainee and practicing teachers, and those studying for foundation and undergraduate degrees in Childhood Studies, this book is key reading for a range of childcare practitioners who work in a variety of settings, including nurseries, hospitals and home.

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

This thoroughly revised and updated fourth edition outlines methods for keeping records that provide a realistic picture of a child's interactions and experiences in the classroom. Numerous records of teachers' observations of children from birth to age 8, some retained from previous editions, some newly added to reflect today's early childhood settings, enrich this work and make it concrete, accessible, and fun to read.

This is a book about the process of finding user-friendly and purposeful ways of observing and planning that will help those who are working with young children in a variety of settings to look with insight at children, providing what they need in order to develop and learn optimally. By examining the historic background of observing and planning, and describing examples of good practice in different group settings, this book will help to monitor a child′s progress - what is needed now and to work out what is needed next. The real life case studies from various settings including day care, nursery school, primary school, private sector and Soweto examine different observation techniques, looking at their strengths, drawbacks and use in everyday practice. Examples from the UK and internationally illustrate the history and importance of observation in a range of contexts, while a glossary clearly explains the key terminology. All the examples given in this book can be used with different National Framework documents worldwide, bearing in mind however the authors′ belief that curriculum frameworks must be used as a resource and never as a limiting straitjacket. Drawing on key theory and research, the book′s chapters cover: Flexible planning Record keeping Working with parents Using technology. Full colour photographs, illustrations and useful charts and diagrams make this an accessible and engaging resource that will no doubt be invaluable to any early years practitioner. This book was originally published as Getting to Know You - part of the 0-8 series.

In the Sixth Edition of their classic text, the authors reiterate the critical importance of observing and recording the behaviour 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 behaviours that may be viewed as disquieting. Designed to help teachers better understand children's behaviour, 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 over 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; and 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 behaviours.

Observation is an essential skill for all who work as carers and educators of children. It is the key way to assess a child's stage of development, to asses their progress, alert you to their needs, to plan for their teaching and to enjoy each child's unique qualities. Now thoroughly updated to cover new policies, trends and regulations in line with EYFS Statutory Framework (2021), this book offers a focused guide to observational techniques that will enable you to become a skilled practitioner. This new edition includes main development checkpoints in the first six years of life under the headings of the three prime areas and four Specific areas of the EYFS. The second section of this chapter describes theoretical perspectives of children's development and encourages students to research and analyze theories in order to complete a series of challenging activities. Pedagogical features include chapter objectives, key questions, chapter summaries, case studies and a set of activities to assist planning which includes considering sustainability and conservation within the early childhood environment. It offers focused guidance for the early years sector. Written primarily for trainee and practicing teachers, and those studying for foundation and undergraduate degrees in Childhood Studies, this book is key reading for a range of childcare practitioners who work in a variety of settings, including nurseries, hospitals and home.