Observation concepts and methods

Classroom Observation

Interview Transcripts

Interview #1 with myself and Mrs. Evans.

Myself: Hello I am a student and I am interested in observing your classroom for one hour of play if that is possible?

Mrs. Evans: Sure, we have playtime at 10:00 AM and at 1:00pm.

Myself: Great, I just need to observe one student. I will be there tomorrow at 12:30.

Mrs. Evans: Your welcome, I will speak to you again when you arrive. Make sure to come prepared to learn and take some good notes.

Myself: Thanks again for this opportunity and I appreciate your time.

Interview #2 with myself and Mrs. Evans

Mrs. Evans: A good student for your observation today would be Billy.

Myself: Thanks, I was going to ask if there is a student you recommend I observe.

Mrs. Evans. Billy is one of the smartest kids in the class and really teaches the other kids what he knows and is learning.

Myself: Sounds like a good test subject. I am just going to sit in the corner and take notes and stay out of the way.

Mrs. Evans: These kids won't probably notice you are there.

Anecdotal Record

- Billy begins playing with the class which contains 15 other students. There are many toys and activities that the children have access to and can play with.

- Billy begins by himself with some cardboard boxes and begins stacking them over and knocking them down. He makes sound effects with his mouth as he imagines destroying the imaginary walls he is building.

- 10 minutes into playtime another boy begins playing with Billy and helps him stack the boxes. They seem to enjoy each other's company and take pleasure in breaking down their boxes.

- 15 minutes into playtime, it appears Billy has become bored with his wall building and destroying and has begun playing with some puzzles. Billy choose an animal puzzle.

- 20 minutes into the playtime Billy has put together puzzle at least five times and has mixed up other puzzle pieces from other puzzles and tried to fit them into his original animal puzzle.

-30 minutes into playtime Billy begins to play with a larger group of children who are playing a different version of the wall building game but in this instances, some other toys are also added to the pile. The game becomes too disruptive and Mrs. Evans commanded the group for a mandatory rest time for the remainder of the session.

Second Observation

- Billy began to play again with his blocks, in a very similar fashion as before.

- 10 minutes into playtime Billy began kicking and biting another student and was sent to the nurses office. Mrs. Evans advised me that the observation period was over and good luck on my education.

Outline

The purpose of this assignment is to observe, document and interpret the activities of children who are engaged in playtime. This exercise is designed to sharpen observation skills and familiarize myself with the classroom environment. The child I choose to observer was recommended to me by the teacher of the kindergarten classroom, Mrs. Evans. Billy, a 6-year-old boy was recommended to me by Mrs. Evans as a good test subject to observe.

Billy is a white boy and comes from an upper middle class family, as do most of the students at this elementary school. His parents are both doctors and live in an affluent neighborhood. Billy is an only child who suffers from asthma and occasional epileptic seizures when not on his medicine. According to Mrs. Evans Billy has had outbreaks in class where he fights and bites the other students.

I became aware of my biases once I entered the classroom. I was expecting a much more chaotic and disorderly environment, but the scene was quite calm and orderly. I was also expecting the classroom to be much smaller, in this instance there were many different stations within this large classroom to conduct a variety of classroom activities and instructions. I dealt with my biases by simply ignoring them and taking on a fresh and clean attitude.

The first time I was able to observe Billy for one playtime period lasting nearly 45 minutes. During this time, I realized that Billy was a very happy and free child that seemed quite within his element while playing. His activities demonstrated a large amount of imagination and curiosity. Billy appeared to be ahead of his class in a developmental sense. His playful actions were made with more confidence and sure handedness than most of the other clumsy children. The second time I observed Billy he got into an altercation with one of his classmates and was sent away to the nurse's office for his medicine.