Silkysteps early years forum - planning ideas for play - Unit 402 - Observation and Assessment in the early years sector

Hi, throughout the unit you looked at the different ways early years setting's observe children and assess their development?

Have you been able to conduct a child case study where you've carried out observations over a period of time on a child?

Consider how you're able to evaluate those observations and assessments to see the child's

current development level
their interactions (adult/child; adult/child/child)
specific events (milestones, wow or spontaneous moments)
additional needs and how you were able to identify them
different skills and how you can plan to support them
likes/dislikes and how you support these.

Page 387 of this Early Years Educator handbook looks at evaluating observations made on children's learning and development.

Quote:
Each time you makes an observation, you should then evaluate it and create an assessment of the child's development, their needs and also how they are doing in relation to the current framework (EYFS if you work in England). This is good practice in ealry years settings and will help in the creation of meaningful plans for the child. In addition, for the purpose of this qualification, you should show that you can link what you have seen to relevant theoretical perspectives.

Expected developmental stages
You can use a range of sources to assess children in relation to expected developmental stages. It is always good practice to explain your sources because charts and milestones of expected development can vary. For example:

During the observation I saw that P pointed to a ball. P is nearly ten months old and pointing is part of his expected development. According to ICAN's stages and sequences of language development, pointing and gestures can be seen from 6-12 months. P is therefore showing expected development

Current Frameworks
You should also in your assessment make links to the EYFS. To do this you will need a copy of the statutory framework - EYFS on gov.uk. It is worth reading the areas of learning and development carefully as well as the Early Learning Goals for each area. In addition, you should also read carefully the characteristics of effective teaching and learning as these also could be referenced. For example;

When P was pointing to the ball. he was concentrating and very focused. This links to the 'Active learning' characteristic of effective teaching and learning. Being able to concentrate in this way is helpful as it means he can learn more.

Theoretical perspectives
After each observation, you should also consider how what you have seen links to the theoretical persectives that have been covered in other units and other theoretical perspectives that you are aware of. It is important to link these appropriately. For example

When P was pointing to the ball, he wanted to attract the attention of an adult. The adult responded and so P may learn from this that pointing can gain attention of an adult. This links to behaviourist perspective of language learning, which suggests that children learn language and communication as a result of positive reinforcement.

Next steps
As part of your evaluation, you should then make some recommendations about how to supportthe child's development and interests further. These 'next steps' will be the basis of activities that you create and carry out with the child. It is important that next steps are realistic. A child who is not yet walking but who is moving by holding onto furniture is highly unlikely to be ready to walk in the next week. Instead, 'next steps; might be to provide more opportunities for cruising. It is not uncommon therefore for 'next steps' to be activities that help a child practise and existing skill. For example, the next steps for a child who has a favourite book is to share the book again and see if the child can point to any of the characters or finish off the end of a sentence.
Development Matters guidance

Hope this helps