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observing and recording children's behavior is one of the necessary professional skills for teachers. in order to achieve effective observation, observation record sheets are widely used. however, conventional observation records have problems such as vague record positioning and lack of effectiveness. based on this, we introduced the "oadi" circular handbook observation record and compiled a handbook diary to improve teachers' observation and recording capabilities.

the "oadi" cycle is a thinking mode and a cycle of "seeing-interpreting-thinking-doing" in the individual learning process. through special discussions + problem communication + practical diagnosis, we compiled a set of handbook diaries suitable for teachers in our kindergarten. it can flexibly record the process of children's activities using small patterns, keywords, etc. it is not only an effective recording process, but also a creative process that shows teachers’ thinking, which can help teachers form an effective main line of thinking. as time goes by, teachers can continue to update and connect the account diaries to accumulate more information and establish a complete growth record for children.

　key points for preparing a handbook diary

the "oadi" circular handbook observation record follows the steps of "seeing-interpreting-thinking-acting". therefore, we compiled a teacher's handbook diary based on these four elements.

see: capturing key events. for each observation, teachers should record based on children's activity trajectories. recording questions must be clear, and try to focus on one or two valuable questions to eliminate interference from other events. for example, during independent activities after the meal, the teacher found that the children showed a strong interest in the garlic in the planting area, and they talked around the garlic. the teacher decided to carry out a series of observation activities with the theme of "garlic growth observation". during the observation process, the teacher focused on the two questions of "children's awareness of garlic" and "how children care for garlic", eliminating the interference of other events.

solution: understand the developmental levels of young children. teachers obtain valuable questions through observation records, and then explain and evaluate children's behavior. still taking the "garlic growth note" diary as an example, children will observe garlic every day and record their changes. through observation and recording, the teacher obtained the children's preliminary understanding of the growth of garlic and the behavior of caring for garlic. they explained, evaluated and understood these behaviors and language, and found that the children had a strong interest in exploring the growth process of garlic, but lacked scientific knowledge. and maintenance methods.

thinking: use creative ways to stimulate thinking. teachers summarize the information after explanation and evaluation and form abstract concepts, theories or models, which is a tedious process. therefore, the diary should be interesting and full of emotions. it should be a super observation record manual that integrates activity arrangements, thoughts and behaviors, etc. teachers can add beautiful hand-drawn illustrations and decorate them with colorful tapes, stickers, seals, etc. to feel the satisfaction of producing "private results."

for example, the "garlic growth notes" handbook diary not only records children's activities, but also incorporates rich science knowledge and interactive links. the handbook diary is equipped with real event photos, exquisite hand-drawn illustrations, and decorative elements such as colored tapes and stickers, making observation records vivid and interesting. at the same time, the teacher also designed open-ended questions to guide children to think deeply and explore, such as "why do you think garlic needs sunlight?" "what impact does water have on the growth of garlic?" etc. for children's doubts, teachers promptly use video introductions, personal explanations, on-site practice and other methods to answer questions.

ok: provide appropriate support. the observation records in the handbook diary are practical and are the practical improvement after "insights, thinking" and the prerequisite for the next round of "insights, thinking, action".

in the "garlic growth notes" handbook diary, based on the children's "insights and thoughts" on the maintenance behavior of garlic, the teacher provides corresponding exploration opportunities, such as magnifying glasses, rulers, record books, etc., to help children observe garlic. teachers constantly record children’s behaviors and findings, conduct in-depth analysis, and adjust support strategies. for example, when children have questions about photosynthesis of plants, teachers promptly introduce relevant popular science knowledge to help children understand this concept. the teacher noticed that the children had some questions while observing garlic, such as "why do the leaves of garlic grow?" "why do small whiskers grow on the roots of garlic?" etc. in order to answer the questions, the teacher organized another exploration activity to help the children understand the growth principle of garlic by reviewing information, watching videos, etc., and continued to record the children's questions during the subsequent exploration, provide interpretation, analysis, and follow-up support.

　improve the handbook diary in response to problems

in practice, we mainly compile five types of diaries, which refer to daily interesting things, emergencies, project activities, emotional sharing, and in-depth learning.

in the diary of daily interesting things, teachers record the interesting daily things they see; interpret why such interesting things happen and what causes children to be interested in something; think about how to continue children's interest; clarify this how to follow up on the matter.

for example, in the diary of the "slow child", the teacher captured through observation that haohao (pseudonym) was slow to put on shoes. after interpreting the observed content, the teacher found that haohao has a certain ability to organize himself, but lacks task awareness. based on the interpretation, teachers further realized that they should pay attention to the overall development of children's organizing ability and the development of individual children in the class, and improve children's self-organizing ability and self-discipline. on the basis of "thinking", teachers put it into practice, communicate with parents, and encourage children to help each other complete tasks in daily activities. the teacher used the "insights, thoughts and actions" of the incident in the form of pictures and texts, coupled with interesting decorations, to present a diary of "daily interesting things".

a diary focusing on emergencies can help teachers comprehensively observe and analyze the causes of emergencies, children's behavior and subsequent extensions, and help teachers summarize their experience in handling emergencies. during the project activities, teachers can present the teacher’s “insights, thoughts, and actions” in the form of a flow chart through a handbook diary, as well as the process of children’s continuous iterative improvement of experience. in the handbook diary that focuses on emotional sharing, teachers can promptly record children's emotional reasons, quotations, behaviors, representations, etc., understand children's temperament types, personality characteristics, ability development, etc., and according to the situation of children in this class, through the environment creation, personalized education, personal growth manuals, etc. form a positive emotional support strategy. in the handbook diary that focuses on in-depth learning, teachers can flexibly use a variety of support strategies through observation to maximize children's in-depth learning.

observation has direction and children can grow

the handbook diary frees teachers from boring written records, and records become something worth looking forward to. during the handbook design process, teachers constantly internalized experience and made precise observations against the "learning and development guide for children aged 3-6". with the deepening of "oadi" circular thinking, teachers' observation records have become increasingly richer in form, their purpose has become clearer, tracking records have become more complete, and the effectiveness of support strategies has also been significantly enhanced. the process of building a handbook diary system also provides a solid basis for teachers to provide personalized support strategies. teachers gradually master the essentials of observation, can choose appropriate observation methods according to the characteristics of different children, and provide targeted recording and analysis guidance. .

after using the diary, we have also seen significant improvements in children's behavioral performance. for example, in emergencies, teachers observe and record children's performance in emergencies through diaries, evaluate their coping abilities, and provide appropriate support strategies based on understanding. this kind of targeted guidance enables most children to further help others solve problems on the basis of independently resolving conflicts, and demonstrate good social behavior and moral sense. for another example, teachers record children’s performance in emotional sharing, adjust support strategies, and help children improve their higher-level emotional management ability of “perspective thinking.” this not only helps children better handle interpersonal relationships, but also provides a solid foundation is laid for their future emotional development.

(the author’s unit is zhongyuan kindergarten, fenghua district, ningbo city, zhejiang province)

"china education news" october 06, 2024 page 02

author: chen yiqiong and mao youjing