How our biases can affect our observations Here are examples of how bias and stereotypical attitudes can affect the quality of an observation. The observer only records the child’s negative or difficult behaviour and does not record anything positive about the child. The observer records very detailed observations only on the children that they really like and less detailed observations of the children that they dislike. The observer applies a racist attitude to describe a child’s behaviour—for example, ‘Houng only ever speaks Vietnamese—she refuses to speak English’. Consider what you would do if a co-worker was continually making biased and stereotyped comments about the children throughout their observations. This is a very difficult situation to deal with and knowing what to do can often be very confusing. A set of guidelines such as the ECA Code of Ethics, discussed earlier would be a useful tool in this situation. Activity 4 Ensure observations are recorded carefully and accurately To be an effective observer, you need to develop the skills of being able to record exactly what you see children do and hear them say. In other words, it is important that you do not record your own opinions or views or what you think is happening in the main body of the observation. At this stage, you should try not to judge what you are observing. You need to try to describe the behaviour, play and language without labelling the child or coming to conclusions. cli Let’s refer to the picture. It was appropriate to record: The child is standing in front of a painting easel and is looking at the camera. This is a clear record of what happened. It would not be appropriate to record: The child is looking at the camera. She is easily distracted. She never finishes what she starts. She has a very poor concentration span. This example is full of the recorder’s assumptions, judgements and guesses about the child’s temperament and behaviour.
How our biases can affect our observations Here are examples of how bias and stereotypical attitudes can affect the quality of an observation. The observer only records the child’s negative or difficult behaviour and does not record anything positive about the child. The observer records very detailed observations only on the children that they really like and less detailed observations of the children that they dislike. The observer applies a racist attitude to describe a child’s behaviour—for example, ‘Houng only ever speaks Vietnamese—she refuses to speak English’. Consider what you would do if a co-worker was continually making biased and stereotyped comments about the children throughout their observations. This is a very difficult situation to deal with and knowing what to do can often be very confusing. A set of guidelines such as the ECA Code of Ethics, discussed earlier would be a useful tool in this situation. Activity 4 Ensure observations are recorded carefully and accurately To be an effective observer, you need to develop the skills of being able to record exactly what you see children do and hear them say. In other words, it is important that you do not record your own opinions or views or what you think is happening in the main body of the observation. At this stage, you should try not to judge what you are observing. You need to try to describe the behaviour, play and language without labelling the child or coming to conclusions. cli Let’s refer to the picture. It was appropriate to record: The child is standing in front of a painting easel and is looking at the camera. This is a clear record of what happened. It would not be appropriate to record: The child is looking at the camera. She is easily distracted. She never finishes what she starts. She has a very poor concentration span. This example is full of the recorder’s assumptions, judgements and guesses about the child’s temperament and behaviour.
9238_documents.docx