Anecdotal Records
•Planning and Adapting Curriculum- Anecdotal records allow teachers to plan activities and experiences to help children reach the next level of development appropriate for their age. Teachers can tailor the curriculum to meet the needs of each individual child and those of the children as a group. Teachers will use anecdotal records to aid in planning and adapting the curriculum to promote the development of the children in their program. By documenting what a child is doing, or isn’t doing, teachers can use this information to build or extend learning in the children’s areas of emergent interest or Kindergarten readiness skills. For example, if a Teacher observes a child who is having difficulty or needs assistance with their pencil grip then we can adapt the curriculum to reflect how we are supporting this child’s fine motor development and include activities that strengthen hand muscles and reinforce proper tripod grasp
• Improving Teacher and Program Effectiveness-Using anecdotal records gives teachers a chance to see where they may need to improve their teaching techniques. After observing a child/children teachers can see whether the materials they have presented are being understood. If they aren’t, then teachers need to reflect and develop new ways of engaging children so that they are better able to comprehend the information being presented to them. Teachers need to make a conscience effort to improve their effectiveness as an educator and for the program. Anecdotal records give teachers a chance to see how their teaching strategies are working or not. For example, if you plan an activity for children to work on their one-to-one correspondence and you observe the children/child isn't understanding the connection, you may need to rethink your approach in teaching this concept. You can collaborate with other teachers to find alternative ways to support this child’s development
•Tracking Children’s Progress for Teachers and Families- This is the best way for teachers and families to specifically see how their child is learning. Anecdotal records are a great way for teachers and families to see the progress their child has made over a period of time. When you use anecdotal records as evidence in assessments they can provide you with specific examples of a child reaching the next developmental level. Families can be a valuable resource to teachers, as we all know parents are children’s first teachers and they typically know their child the best. Parents can also provide you with their own anecdotal records when they witness their child doing something at home that they weren’t able to do or express before. These family anecdotal records should be encouraged
• Screening for Special Needs. Anecdotal records can be used to help screen for special needs. Well trained teachers are great observers and the more time they have worked with children the more sensitive they are to what is considered typical behavior. Through anecdotal records we can document how a child behaves and interacts with adults and their peers, which is necessary when you need to provide examples of a child’s atypical behavior. When you speak with families about your concerns then you have a written observation or multiple observations that will help you explain your concerns. These anecdotal observations can also be used with other paraprofessionals so that they know what to look for when they observe the child.
The Advantages of Anecdotal Records
•They are first hand observations that states just what a teacher sees, not their opinions. •Anyone should be able to read an anecdotal record and understand what a teacher observed, and if there are previous observations they should be able to see a child’s progress.
•Are relatively easy to do, and can be done every day.
•Teachers can do anecdotal records on just one child at a time or as a group.
•Multiple teachers can work on observing a child at the same time and they can compare notes to look for similarities or differences.
Possible Obstacles
•You may never witness a child doing something that you may need to in order to complete an assessment.
•Parents may not be able to help you, as they may not have had their child for a long period of time. For example, they may have just adopted a child or is a foster parent.
• A child may be rated at a lower developmental level when in fact they are actually much higher due to a child’s lack of interest, special need, or other issue. Children with a special need or developmental delay could make it difficult to provide an accurate anecdotal record in relation to providing the appropriate activities or experiences to show growth. Collaboration with Special Education Teachers and Paraprofessionals should be done regularly in circumstances where children have an IEP.
How to Overcome Obstacles
•It is important that teachers work together to provide a better overall view of a child’s development, progress, or effectiveness of the program for a child.
•Maintain a collaborative approach towards anecdotal records. Then our accuracy of recording a child’s development or needs will be more detailed and precise. Work together with other staff and families to get the best possible depiction of the child as a whole. Rating Scales
•Planning and Adapting Curriculum- Using a Rating Scale gives teachers a way to evaluate and develop the curriculum according to a set of standards. Knowing what areas of development a rating scale focuses on allows teachers to develop activities and experiences to promote those specific areas.
•Improving Teacher and Program Effectiveness- Using rating scales gives teachers and programs a means to evaluate their effectiveness. Using the outcomes of all the children in the program assessment rating scales you can get see where all the children started and where they ended. Using this information, you can create program and individual goals of the children.
•Tracking Children’s Progress for Teachers and Families- A rating scale will give you a consistent tool to use to assess a child’s development. Typically it is conducted 3 times a year, so you get a beginning, a middle, and an end outcome that you can share with families during parent/teacher conference. During these conferences you can develop specific goals for child to work while they are at the program as well as at home.
•Screening for Special Needs- Rating scales are generally developed for typically developing children. If you notice that a child doesn’t “fit” the example of typical expectations of a child in that age range then there might be an issue. You can use the rating scale to clarify your concerns to families or specialists.
Advantage of Using Rating Scales
•Universal tool to use with all children in the program
•Provides teachers with a tool to show children’s growth and development
•Can be used to show programs overall outcomes and develop goals
•Beneficial to use during parent/teacher conferences so show where a child began and where they are now
•Uses areas of development, including social-emotional, language and literacy, mathematics, physical and health, and cognitive development
Potential Obstacles of Using Rating Scales
•Not all children will exhibit the characteristics in a rating scale, so they may be rated in a lower level of development than they really are
•Some families might not like the tool you use, so you will need to explain the benefits of using the rating scale.
•You might not agree with the tool being used. This can be difficult if this is a program wide tool that is used.
•You aren’t familiar with the tool and are unable to explain the processes that go into it. •Your program gets a negative score for your program
How to Overcome the Obstacles
•Become familiar with the Rating Scale and learn how to appropriately use it. Training is key!
•Explain to parents that this is a tool to get an idea of where their child is at developmentally. This does NOT define their child.
•Find the positives in using the Rating Scale. Your dislike for the tool will be evident when you conduct your parent/teacher conferences.
•If your program gets a negative result, or gets a lower score than the previous year, don’t lose hope. You can find where you need to spend more time with the children and don’t forget to focus on the positive too!