It is important that childcare workers are able to identify the needs of children and young people in order to provide them with detailed planning. By observing it is possible to identify the child's pattern of development and the progress being made against the development norms.
The development of observation and assessment skills is an essential part of the childcare worker's work. When observing, the childcare worker looks at what the child does and listens to what the child says, recording the findings accurately. When assessing, a judgement will need to be made on the observation and the discoveries about the child in order to undertake further planning.
Observing children is important and is a professional skill which allows the childcare worker to find out about the child's intelligence, to see whether their skills are developing and to identify their preferences. Observation contributes to a professional approach in order to take children's well-being into account, including:
- understanding the child's pattern of development and learning about normal child development
- meeting the needs of all individuals and understanding that all children have varying needs
- developing good practice
- establishing how the child plays
- is the child making progress?
- highlighting issues the child has, whether educational or medical
- learning the importance of keeping detailed records of the development of children in order to obtain evidence, e.g. to assess whether the child has additional needs and whether the child is in the process of getting a statement, or because the child is behaving very differently from usual which is a cause for concern
- getting to know the child as an individual in order to focus on their strengths
- identifying behaviour that is different from usual
- identifying behaviour that is a cause for concern
- evaluating the setting's provision for the child
- is the curriculum for the child effective?
- planning for the child
- evidence for reporting back to staff and parents/carers
- does the child's learning need to be reinforced?
- learning about the child's interests
- developing understanding of various observation and assessment methods
- developing their ability to evaluate comments
- expand their experience and professional skills
- assessing what has been achieved by the individual/group, and using this to plan for the next stage.
Children may be observed formally or informally. The focus may be on the child or the activity being undertaken. Formal observation will involve carrying out an assessment, making comments, making check-lists and development charts. When observing and monitoring children informally, children will need to be observed playing and mixing naturally with other children.
There is a variety of ways of recording the progress of children in terms of their achievements and development and each setting will have its own way of doing so, including:
- a diary – can be completed daily in order to keep track of the individual child's progress in detail
- notebook – all within the setting use this booklet, recording any progress or incident
- post-its – if the childcare worker observes a child's achievements, they can be filled in and collected at the end of the session/day, transferring the information found to the children's records
- technology – photographs, audio tapes and video can be used to record children's achievements and development.
The information gathered will need to be retained in order to undertake short term and long term planning.
Mae’n bwysig fod ymarferwr yn gallu adnabod anghenion plant a phobl ifanc er mwyn cynllunio yn fanwl ar eu cyfer. Wrth arsylwi mae modd dod i adnabod patrwm datblygiad y plentyn a pha gynnydd a wneir o gymharu â’r normau datblygiad.
Mae datblygu sgiliau arsylwi ac asesu yn rhan hanfodol o waith yr ymarferwr. Wrth arsylwi bydd yr ymarferwr yn edrych ar yr hyn mae’r plentyn yn ei wneud, yn gwrando ar yr hyn mae’n ei ddweud gan gofnodi’r darganfyddiadau yn gywir. Wrth asesu bydd angen cynnig barn am yr arsylwad a’r hyn sydd wedi ei ddarganfod am y plentyn er mwyn cynllunio ymhellach.
Mae arsylwi plant yn bwysig ac yn sgil broffesiynol sy’n caniatáu i’r gweithiwr gofal plant ddarganfod gwybodaeth am ddeallusrwydd y plentyn, gweld a yw eu sgiliau yn datblygu ac adnabod eu hoffterau. Mae arsylwi’n cyfrannu tuag at ddull proffesiynol o weithio er mwyn ystyried lles y plant gan gynnwys:
- deall patrwm datblygiad a dysgu am ddatblygiad normal plentyn
- cwrdd ag anghenion pob unigolyn a deall bod gan bob un o’r plant anghenion amrywiol
- datblygu arfer da
- darganfod sut mae’r plentyn yn chwarae
- a yw’r plentyn yn gwneud cynnydd?
- tynnu sylw at broblemau sydd gan y plentyn, boed yn addysgol neu’n feddygol
- dysgu pwysigrwydd cadw cofnodion manwl ar ddatblygiad plant er mwyn cael tystiolaeth e.e. ar gyfer asesu os oes gan y plentyn anghenion arbennig ac os yw’r plentyn yn mynd trwy’r broses o gael datganiad, neu oherwydd bod y plentyn yn ymddwyn yn wahanol iawn i’r arfer ac yn achosi pryder
- dod i adnabod y plentyn fel unigolyn er mwyn canolbwyntio ar ei gryfderau
- adnabod ymddygiad gwahanol i’r arfer
- adnabod ymddygiad sy’n peri gofid
- gwerthuso'r ddarpariaeth sydd gan y lleoliad ar gyfer y plentyn
- a yw’r cwricwlwm ar gyfer y plentyn yn effeithiol?
- cynllunio ar gyfer y plentyn
- tystiolaeth ar gyfer adrodd yn ôl i staff a rhieni/gofalwyr
- a oes angen atgyfnerthu'r hyn mae’r plentyn wedi ei ddysgu?
- dysgu am ddiddordebau plentyn
- datblygu dealltwriaeth o’r dulliau amrywiol o arsylwi ac asesu
- datblygu eu sgil o werthuso sylwadau
- ehangu eu profiad a’u sgiliau proffesiynol
- asesu'r hyn a gyflawnwyd gan yr unigolyn/ grŵp, a defnyddio hyn i gynllunio ar gyfer y cam nesaf.
Gellir arsylwi a monitro plant yn ffurfiol neu’n anffurfiol. Gellir canolbwyntio ar y plentyn neu’r weithgaredd sy’n digwydd. Bydd arsylwi ffurfiol yn cynnwys gwneud asesiad, ysgrifennu sylwadau, gwneud rhestrau gwirio a siartiau datblygiad. Wrth arsylwi a monitro plant yn anffurfiol bydd angen edrych ar blant wrth iddynt chwarae a chymysgu’n naturiol gyda phlant eraill.
Mae yna amrywiaeth o ffyrdd o gofnodi cynnydd plant o ran eu cyflawniadau a’u datblygiad ac fe fydd gan bob lleoliad eu ffordd ei hun o wneud hyn gan gynnwys:
- dyddiadur - gellir ei lenwi yn ddyddiol er mwyn cadw golwg fanwl ar gynnydd y plentyn unigol
- llyfr nodiadau - gall pob un o fewn y lleoliad ddefnyddio’r llyfryn hwn gan gofnodi unrhyw gynnydd neu ddigwyddiad
- nodiadau gludiog - os fydd yr ymarferwr yn arsylwi ar gyflawniadau plentyn gellir eu llenwi ac yna eu casglu ar ddiwedd y sesiwn/diwrnod gan drosglwyddo’r wybodaeth a ddarganfyddir i gofnodion y plant
- technoleg - gellir defnyddio ffotograffau, tapiau sain a fideo er mwyn cofnodi cyflawniadau a datblygiad plant.
Bydd angen cadw’r wybodaeth a gasglwyd er mwyn gallu cynllunio yn y tymor byr a’r tymor hir.