HD 315 The Art of Observation

Ive taken quite a few classes that put an emphasis on observation but
none of them were quite like this class. The professor put an emphasis on the
fact that this was an art class focusing on how we observe. She didnt tell us
to look at specific developmental domains when we were observing, instead
our focus was on us getting to know ourselves as observers. I think that
being influenced by Vygotsky cause me to focus mostly on interactions and
language while I was doing my observations.
The book that we had to read covered ages 0 to 8 years old but the
class required us to do an observation of adolescents as well. Since I want to
work with adolescents in the future I was glad to have the opportunity to
observe that age group. All of the observations that I did for this class were
done in informal settings. I did all of my observations at the homes of each
child expect for the adolescents, for that one I observed a group of boys
hanging out after school. Most of the observations that I have done in the
past have been in a classrooms where I sit/stand off to the side quietly
watching as if I were a fly on a wall. This class gave me my first taste of
observing in the action.
The first three observations that I did were done with children that I
knew well; my nieces, my young cousin and the son of one of my good
friends. These children are all used to me getting down on their level and
playing with them when visit so I think it threw them off when I wanted to sit
back and watch them. With my toddler and infant nieces they both came
over to me and watched me as I wrote down my notes. I ended up giving the

HD 315 The Art of Observation

younger one paper and a crayon so that she could mimic me. When I
observed Kamron, my friends son, he eventually took my pencil and hid it
from me and then dared me to find it. Observing in the action was weird for
me at first; I was worried that I was missing things as I engaged them in play
instead of taking notes. I dont work in a classroom but observing in the
action gave me an idea how difficult the job of a teacher can be at times.
Teachers need to constantly observe their students to gauge their progress
and they have to do it in the action. Teachers rarely if ever get the
opportunity to be a fly on the wall in their classrooms. Observing is a vital
tool for teachers but it is sometimes easier said than done.
The book that we read for class had a section with different forms and
types of observation tools as well as tips for how to organize the information
gathered. Again since this was a class about the art of observation our
professor gave us an assignment where we had to create our own
observation framework. We had to create out own form to follow for
observations and explain it so that anyone could use it. I took this
opportunity to make a framework that could be used with adolescents
because that is the age group that I am interested in working with. My form
had a space to tally the amount of time a student participated in a discussion
and then there was a side column where additional notes could be written.
I took this class in the fall of 2015 and there were a lot of changes
going on, on ground classes starting requiring a weekly online component. I
had professor Jarman, an older professor, and she had a lot of difficulty

HD 315 The Art of Observation

adjusting to the new system. We didnt get much feedback on the
assignments that we turned in and I think that was due to all of the changes
that were being made, not to mention she had many other school
responsibilities in addition to teaching her classes. Even with minimal
feedback just by doing the assignments was able to reflect on my self and
grow as an observer. Im now much more comfortable observing I the action
and can observe even if Im not given a form to follow.