But how to observe? How to analyze and record? What kind of observation does the kindergarten observation record include? From what aspects should each observation record be recorded? ..... Many problems often bother teachers. Here's how to write observation records in kindergartens:
First, the nature and significance of observation records
As far as teachers' local behaviors are concerned, some observations obviously don't need to be recorded ―― if teachers' observations are for immediate judgment and immediate teaching actions. As far as all teachers' teaching behavior is concerned, from the consciousness level, it is from non-observational teaching behavior, non-recorded observational teaching behavior, and finally to teaching behavior based on recorded observation or even systematic long-term observation record.
Therefore, from this sequence, it is far from enough to know what to observe and how to observe in order to establish the norms and scientific basis of teaching activities. Observation without proper recording tools, like teaching without reflection and planning, is difficult to ensure real progress.
(A) observation record is a purposeful behavior.
Records can be used in many ways and at many levels. Its most basic purpose is to serve as an auxiliary link of observation, an observation factor or a continuation in the later period. Therefore, it is common to remember what you want to observe. Of course, it is also possible to generate new observation purposes from the recording process.
But this is only the purpose of looking forward, and recording also has the purpose of looking back, that is, recording is to provide feedback for teachers' self-management and reflective growth. Functionally, it exists as an intermediate link between observation and feedback. All teachers' recorded texts can be kept in special places, but the recorded content itself is not independent. If a behavior and phenomenon are recorded, and these records are not used, analyzed and sorted out at that time and later, and relevant enlightenment is obtained from them, then the previous records are meaningless.
However, due to the characteristics of the record itself, it is a material and static document, not a fleeting scene and concept, nor a one-time consumption item, so it can be reused, and of course it can also be sent for other purposes, such as research, communication or reporting with parents, discussion among colleagues, and various evaluation or appraisal activities.
(2) Observing records is a planned behavior.
When we say that education is a planned behavior, we do not rule out accidental, generative and unexpected situations. But now we also know that the flexibility is not an exception to the plan, but based on a plan, or sometimes as a supplement to the plan. Similarly, when we say that observation records are a planned behavior, we do not rule out occasional or one-off records in a few cases, and some immature plans are easy to change.
The planning of observation records is to plan the time arrangement, mode and process, including the scale, frequency, time period, total duration, the design and use of auxiliary tools (including tables and various machinery and equipment), preservation and arrangement, etc.
(3) Observing records is a meaningful behavior.
Regular recording and good recording tools are not only of great significance in themselves, but also can produce many incidental and sometimes unexpected benefits:
1. Written records are more objective and true than brain memory, and are less likely to fade with time.
2. Written records can further deepen the memory of the brain.
3. Recording is a process of rearranging phenomena, clarifying and thinking in consciousness.
For teachers' records, this thinking process is of great significance in many aspects: first, it can enhance and deepen teachers' understanding of children's current development in all aspects, and grasp children's interests, communication and interpersonal relationships, problems they face and various growth abilities; Secondly, we can find the source of curriculum generation, or infiltrate some education and teaching contents; Thirdly, according to certain norms and requirements, the records include the process of teachers' reflection on their own teaching behavior and the process of understanding everything that happens in the process of teacher-student interaction, which helps teachers to clarify whether the relevant purposes are clear, whether the means and purposes are in line, what needs to be improved, whether the children's response meets the expectations of education and teaching, and why children react like this.
4. Recording can also help teachers.
Think about a problem that has not attracted the greatest attention at present: many phenomena in the educational process and many materials in the educational environment lack proper naming. This is because the specific ongoing education and teaching process lacks reflection, actions and scenes, so either concepts are not needed, or because of the help of objects and scenes, accurate or recognized concepts are not needed in advance. However, the recording is not the case. It is reflective, divorced from specific actions and scenes, and is an activity carried out in a standardized written language, so the naming of related phenomena and objects becomes inconvenient in reality, and then directly becomes in reflection.
5. Record the reaction to observation behavior: standardize and facilitate the observation of teachers, make observation a habit of teachers, ensure effective time saving, and make teachers more directional when observing in the future.
6. The accumulation of long-term records can produce many benefits: understanding the use of resources as a whole, understanding children's interests and development level in some aspects, and understanding children's individual differences; Understand the reasons behind the phenomenon of individual children, understand their development process, and understand the laws and principles of some materials.
7. Continuous and directional records can test the validity of some teachers' assumptions and measures, whether it is necessary and how to make adjustments.
8. It plays a media role in teaching and research activities, cooperation and communication among teachers, and communication of family information.
9. It is an important part of teachers' personal files and the historical basis for teachers' self-reflection and future professional promotion.
Second, the classification and category of observation records
(a) According to structural records (also corresponding to structural observation):
1. Open diaries or anecdotes. This recording method is often used for local observation and random observation, similar to diary or narrative. This kind of record is often a case study or reflection on a specific problem; It pursues "quality" but does not guarantee "quantity"; It often has no prior structure, does not artificially decompose the situation, but tries to keep the situation and objects true and complete from a certain angle. Writing requirements: The record of specific events, whether done afterwards or on the spot, should include the following elements as far as possible.
(1) original record
The recording of specific events does not completely exclude the subjective opinions such as observers' feelings and comments, but the first step is to keep the original records of events, which should be as objective, concrete and direct as possible. Recorders should not pursue comprehensible integrity in the original events, nor should they speculate on the motives, purposes and feelings of the actors, but should only pursue intuitive integrity, that is, the process and events of perception.
(2) The point of view and understanding of the recorder
Teachers' research in the teaching process is not aimed at studying themselves, not satisfied with discovery, but for practicality, guidance and teaching; It does not study work outside work, but studies while working, turning research into a process and a step of work, making research attached to or internalized in work. In this way, all the observation work and information collection work of a teacher can not be separated from her understanding and judgment.
The contradiction between the requirements of pure research and pure work requires a coordinated but not mediocre treatment. Our basic principle is to ensure the independence of all parties first, make clear their respective requirements and conditions, and then make the research process and results subordinate to the needs of the work. In other words, our goal is subjectivity and value pursuit, but we put objectivity and regularity as the starting point. This is the universal principle for us to engage in all educational practice, management and research. Therefore, our specific principles and measures are:
First, only after the original record is completed can the observer's judgment, reasoning and feelings be "attached" to the original record in some form, such as parenthesis, marginal notes, comments and analysis at the end, etc. , but it is not "infiltration" and indiscriminate mixing.
Second, a "qualitative" recorded text of a completed educational process or phenomenon cannot lack subjective elements such as the recorder's judgment, inference, reflection, understanding, impression and feeling, because the recorder is not an irrelevant researcher, but an internal member who is responsible for the immediate scene and phenomenon and has practical concern for some phenomena and events. The above subjective elements are the concrete manifestation of the recorder's responsibility and concern, and they are completely reasonable.
Third, a large number of observation records not only reflect teachers' activities for the purpose of observation, but also highlight teachers' own behaviors. As for the record of one's own behavior, the recorder can completely reflect his feelings and motives at that time, of course, there are sometimes marginal notes or brackets, but it is no longer an inference of the psychological process of others in nature. The thoughts and emotions that a person realizes on the spot in a situation should be as observable as other people's behaviors, so they are also objective factors for themselves.
(3) Complete process and scenario
This mainly refers to the records sorted or recalled afterwards, but it is impossible to make such a requirement for on-site records. This is not only because of time, but also because live recording requires the greatest objectivity, directness and richness, which are in conflict with integrity.
The record of events has two emphases, one focuses on phenomena and the other focuses on human behavior. Records reflecting people focus on revealing the background, motivation, purpose, process, result, feedback and various influencing factors of people's behavior, such as recording a child's case. Records reflecting phenomena and their laws focus on reflecting the ins and outs of things, such as recording the discussion and handling of a thing. It can be seen that no matter what kind of records are required, they should be complete, reflect the whole process and explain the background, influencing factors and consequences. It must have some continuity.
Therefore, the record of events is often not an isolated act and its record, but a horizontal comparison in quantity or a vertical accumulation in time. Because it is difficult to ensure the integrity of behavior, it can neither reflect personality nor law.
2. Table recording: This recording method is often used for overall observation, structural observation and experimental observation. It reacts and judges the content of the scene according to the pre-designed table. Table records can be divided into the following three types according to the purpose, span and time of observation:
(1) Regular, long-term and continuous record form.
This form is often used to record the development of individual children, the implementation of written terms such as kindergarten system and class norms, the overall situation of activities in each link, and the general activities of various departments in kindergartens. That is, what happens every day. This kind of record should enter the management of kindergarten, form a habitual system, and penetrate into teachers' daily work.
(2) Subject (problem), stage and continuity record form.
In order to solve specific problems, teachers often need to do some investigation and understanding before taking specific measures, formulate targeted plans and action plans, test the effect of the plans and give feedback. If the problem is complicated and involves many factors, it is difficult to get a final decision in a short time, so it is necessary to design a table according to the relevant factors and aspects and record it in stages and systematically.
(3) Investigation, regular and intermittent recording.
The first two kinds of records are passive in time, that is, the time of recording depends on the content of the activity, what kind of records are made in what link and what kind of content happens, so it is also arbitrary. The third kind of recording here is active in time, because when and how long it is recorded is decided by the observer according to his own research purpose rather than the content of the activity, so it is also arbitrary. The first two observations were continuous observation, and the third observation was sampling observation. The first two observations are aimed at the overall situation, while the third observation is aimed at local development or specialized behavior.
In this way, it is generally necessary to use a fixed form of records. No matter what the purpose is, how long the time is, and whether it is continuous or not, it is not a two-time behavior. It can be used many times, with a certain time span and a relatively strict structure.
Obviously, qualitative records and quantitative records, structural records and open records need to complement each other and can also confirm each other. Moreover, the two are mutually transformed: ① mature or standardized anecdotes or diary records, as mentioned above, cannot be completely random and arbitrary, but have specific requirements and some fixed and necessary elements, so they should also be partially tabular. It's just that the table here is not a fill-in-the-blank and optional small table, but a short and descriptive big table. (2) Qualitative behavior records can add new items to quantitative records at any time, or serve as the preparatory work for quantitative work; ③ The data obtained from quantitative records can be added to the arrangement of qualitative records at any time.
(2) According to the observation time:
1. On-site record: The on-site record is completely first-hand information, so it is relatively easy to ensure the authenticity of parts and details. The disadvantage is that in any case, only fragments of behaviors (in a broad sense) and some prominent or remarkable behaviors can be recorded, but not comprehensive, complete and continuous, especially it is not easy to notice some potential, secondary or external factors and influences.
Of course, if conditions permit, the above difficulties can be alleviated to some extent if there is a special person to make auxiliary records or audio and video recording equipment. However, these auxiliary records are greatly limited in terms of conditions and scope of application. The limitations of special personnel are obvious, and the equipment lacks flexibility, responsiveness and understanding. Due to the above limitations, we especially need the following two points as a supplement.
"Scene" is a relative concept, and in some cases it is not completely instantaneous. In time sampling observation, the observer usually records several quantifiable behaviors in a certain time unit, for example, the number of times or the occurrence of a certain behavior in a unit of 5 minutes during the observation time of half an hour. A large number of aggressive studies and various social behavior studies have adopted this method.
2. Post-event memory recording: This method is used for public qualitative recording. The use of post-event memory records is usually related to the following factors: the observer adopts deep participatory observation, requires full participation in the current event, can not be distracted to make observation records, or has to adopt post-event memory records in order to avoid unnecessary interference with the object; Record continuous and complete events; People's perception of the environment is a whole perception, and in the process, they get a lot of information that they don't realize or don't realize. Therefore, in the process of observation, they didn't realize it at the scene, but they may recall it later because of some association or touch, which can greatly enrich the background and details of the recorded content.
3. Combination of on-site and afterwards: This method is usually used for qualitative records. In the current social science, when conducting case records or in-depth interviews, because it is basically impossible to record complete events or behaviors on the spot, but it is necessary to ensure first-hand, real and some immediate information, researchers often adopt the method of combining on-site records with post-event records. For example, an observer can record several important clips by shorthand or audio and video recording, and then sort them out afterwards, so as to get a complete record. This situation also applies to teachers' local observation or observation records of specific events, whether they are bystanders or participants.
This method is similar to "field notes" in social science research, and its main points are as follows:
1. As the forgetting of memory information is positively related to time, record it as soon as possible after the observation, or supplement the missing contents in the field record.
2. Printing and archiving are preferable to handwriting, which is convenient for reading and dissemination. This also applies to the recording of memories afterwards.
3. Records shall be copied in at least two copies, one for future reference and the other for revision at any time. This also applies to writing and typing, and it is actually a basic principle for teachers to handle all personal files.
4. After finishing the field records, usually follow the following steps:
(1) Description: Organize the sketch of the scene objectively and concretely, and restore the records of fragments or tables to continuous events. In the process of sorting out, it is very likely that qualitative records and quantitative records will complement and confirm each other.
(2) Memories: In the process of sorting out, it is likely to recall the details or backgrounds neglected in previous observations and records. That is, the teachers had seen some phenomena before this observation, but they didn't pay enough attention at that time. However, when sorting out the current information in the later stage, because it is no longer a simple perception and judgment, but involves understanding and interpretation, it is easy to evoke the previous related information-the original experience we usually say. This mechanism of opposition and mutual influence between before and after experience is the key to our understanding of constructivism, and it also shows the importance of the continuity of observation and its record.
(3) Analysis and inference: the observer's analysis opinions and inferences, including the reason (motivation), the essence of the phenomenon, the key to the problem, the significance, the influencing factors, various related relationships, etc. , which involves judgment, induction and various hypothetical views.
(4) Impression and feeling: The pure personal impression and feeling of the event is more subjective and vague than the previous analysis and inference.
(5) Further information: On the basis of previous observation and record, further thinking about the exposed tendencies and problems, waiting for the next observation.