Effective teachers understand that observation and assessment are very important in curriculum development, implementation, and teaching. Observations and assessments are essential to help inform teaching practices and guide learning activities. They are a looking glass into the child’s physical abilities, interests, strengths, and learning and should be used to inform what the educator does next.

Through observation, an educator can determine if the content planned for the children was absorbed, if a child is struggling developmentally in any areas, or if the teaching strategies effectively support students’ learning and can provide information for sharing with families about child growth and development.

Having well-planned, intentional, developmentally appropriate daily activities gives teachers solid information about scaffolding children’s learning and developing curriculum for their classroom. Scaffolding is providing support and guidance to children as they learn new skills and gradually removing the support as children learn the skills.

To illustrate how a teacher might use observations to impact curriculum choices for an individual child, reconsider the scenario presented in the work sampling document of Holly’s engagement in a measurement activity (see Figure 6.9).

Holly uses art to capture her learning. In a measuring activity, Holly must find three objects: one longer than her shoe, one the same length, and one shorter than her shoe. She found that Blueberry (Gavin’s stuffed bear) was the same length as her shoe. After writing Blueberry on the data collection chart, Holly drew this picture of him.

This behavior, observed in a natural environment as children are engaged in play, provides the teacher with a wealth of information about the child’s learning, development, and interests. This observation and authentic assessment give a snapshot of what is happening in the classroom. They can give the teacher information about Holly’s interests and development that could inform future activity plans for Holly and the classroom in general.

Using the narrative attached to the work sample in Figure 6.8 as an anecdotal record, Holly’s teacher used this observation to plan how to scaffold her learning. Table 6.2 shows an example of a curriculum plan tied to the observation.

When using observations for planning for children, remember that learning is a continuum of growth that occurs over time and at differing rates across the domains of development (Copple & Bredekamp, 2008). Thus, it is vital to remember that children may exhibit development at one level in one domain and be either ahead or behind that development in another. It is also critical to note that this authentic assessment is unlike a formal, standardized test, resulting in a cut-and-dried outcome. Instead, authentic assessment will provide rich information about a child and guide teaching practices. Expectations of a narrow and specific behavior from the child in response to curriculum based on observation would be inappropriate.

To summarize, observation and assessment are intricately connected to pedagogy or teaching. Observing children provides data from which an educator plans curriculum. Observation subsequently helps the educator assess the child’s learning from the curriculum, providing more evidence of growth and development. The data collected in observation also assists the educator in adapting the curriculum to meet children’s needs. In the scenario with Holly, the plan the teacher wrote after observing her play becomes the curriculum. Assessment will occur through another observation after the plan is executed, and the teacher can determine if the goal of playing with numerals and artistically representing them deepens and strengthens Holly’s learning. Through careful observation, documentation, interpretation, and reflection, teachers can plan and implement an effective curriculum so each child can thrive as they master major developmental milestones.