Week 2 Reflection

 During Week 2 of ELEC 316, we discussed the importance of observations and the ways in which they can be measured. Observations may be recorded via running records, anecdotal records, time sampling, event sampling, checklists, rating scales, and rubrics. It was noted that observations can be objective or subjective in nature, however, observers should consider that objective observations are better measured than subjective observations because they exclude all personal opinions and feelings. Observations are crucially important in the early childhood classroom as they inform teachers of student learning, engagement, and higher-order thinking. Teachers observe to gather information about behavior and learning, to inform their instructional plans, and to help understand the student’s thought processes.

In my future classroom, I’m most excited to use anecdotal records which focus on the what, where, and when of a single event, and rubrics which focus on skills and behaviors at each category level. Rubrics can be analytic or holistic in format and are highly organized in structure. Analytic rubrics, while more time consuming to create, describe the expectations for each attribute. This gives students a better understanding of what is required and also gives teachers a clear idea of what to look for in a project/assignment. 

This week we had the opportunity to make an analytic rubric. Through this process, my group faced a challenge that influenced our product. I noticed it was difficult to assess student work when there was a lack of detail. For example, four points were awarded if a student had arrows pointing in the right direction, however, we neglected the amount of arrows needed to earn a four on the grading scale. This ultimately hindered the effectiveness of our rubric. From this activity I learned that detail is important but it is equally important to make sure the criteria is achievable.