September 8, 2019
Thanks to the work of our colleague, Veronica Oliva-Clour, Observing Young Children: A Tool for Meaningful Assessment has been approved for use in Minnesota by their rating system, Parent Aware.
What a gift to teachers and early childhood educators that they may use a system of assessment that honors the spirit of the child! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if many more states approved this tool? It can happen — we just need YOU to petition your state’s rating system. Wisconsin and Minnesota have already approved this tool — your state could be next.
LifeWays has always asked our community members to be part of the revolution to change childcare in America for the better. This is one way we can do that!
Mary O’Connell, Your Living Arts Weekly blog editor
Learning to Observe Children: A Tool for Meaningful Assessment
Social Awareness
Some great resources for observation
The following resources have been recommended by students in our online course Learning to Observe Children (the next round begins October 31st — join us!):
- The Therapeutic Eye: How Rudolf Steiner Observed Children, by Peter Selg.
- Developing the Observing Eye – Teacher Observation and Assessment in Early Childhood, by Cynthia Murphy-Lang (free e-book)
- Ages and Stages Questionnaire, a popular developmental screening tool
- Movement Journeys and Circle Adventures, Nancy Blanning and Laurie Clark. Some caregivers and teachers use the zoo exercises in this book to observe, assess and provide therapeutic support for children’s movement.
- Reading Children’s Drawings, The Person, The House and Tree Motifs, by Audrey E. McAllen.
- First Grade Readiness, edited by Nancy Blanning, from the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America.
- The Well Balanced Child by Sally Goddard Blythe