Working with children means to perform a number of complicated activities to establish positive relations and promote their development. For this reason, a specialist who wants to create the positive atmosphere within the child collective and outline the further perspectives for its development should have at least basic knowledge related to the major needs and desires of all its members.
This fact conditions the great significance of the data collection as it will help a specialist to acquire the knowledge needed to create the efficient model of development. There are numerous ways of collecting the information about a child and his/her behavior. However, observation is now considered as one of the most efficient approaches that could help to understand the basic needs.
Besides, the term observation implies not just the class interaction. There are many other efficient ways to learn about children. A teacher might communicate with family members, watch how a child communicates with his/her friend, how he/she performs various tasks, play, etc. (Guidelines for effective observation n.d.). All these methods could contribute to the establishment of good relations between a child and his/her teacher.
Additionally, one should remember that observation is a continuous and long-term process that should be aimed at the fixation of all changes of a childs personality to create the complete picture. Furthermore, only under these conditions an observer will be able to trace the formation of an individual, admit his/her successes and failures, and respond to some threatening tendencies.
Another benefit of the long-term observation is the opportunity to observe a child in various situations. It is the crucial aspect of the whole learning process as it provides the possibility to evaluate the efficiency of the used methods and a childs progress. For instance, having noticed the unethical character of pupils actions, an educator should explain him/her the socially accepted manner of behavior.
The further observation will help to determine whether a child understands the new model or not. In this regard, it is also vital to consider the social setting and environment that impact the behavior of an individual. The size and structure of a social group have an overwhelming impact on a childs behavior and observing its alterations a teacher is able to highlight the dominant traits of character and create the plan or the further development.
Furthermore, it is mistaken to assume that observation should be performed when a child is active only. On the contrary, the way he/she rests and spends his/her free time could indicate the type of the character, personal preferences, dominant inclinations, etc. Besides, the differences between the manners of behavior could also reveal the impact various external factors have on an individual. That is why educators should tend to create conditions beneficial for various types of observation.
Altogether, the importance of the given tool makes it one of the main methods which should be used to trace the evolution of a childs personality. Observing a child, a teacher should fix all changes and track them to be able to create the complete picture. It could serve as the basis for reflections related to the personal growth of a certain pupil. Finally, analyzing the way a child acts, a specialist will improve his/her comprehension of the main mechanisms of the functioning and formation of an individuals identity. In these regards, observation could be considered one of the major concerns of the modern educational sphere.
Reference
Guidelines for effective observation. (n.d.).