Synopses & Reviews
WEEK BY WEEK: PLANS FOR DOCUMENTING CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENT, Sixth Edition, addresses a dilemma facing pre-service and in-service teachers--how to manage detailed, meaningful documentation on their students' development and achievements while attending to the other functions necessary to keep children safe and actively involved in learning. This all-purpose guide provides a concrete, systematic plan for recording each child's development in all developmental areas, incorporating material on observation methods and techniques, principles of child development, and appropriate practice. Technical aspects of various methods of documentation are presented, as are reviews of the efficiency of each method in capturing important information. This edition features integrated coverage of NAEYC standards and new integration of TeachSource Videos, available for viewing at the book's website. Real-life examples, practical tips, forms with clear instructions, and step-by-step guidelines for gathering observational information and building a portfolio for each child make the book useful and relevant to teachers in training as well as practicing professionals. Available with InfoTrac Student Collections http://gocengage.com/infotrac.
Review
"I have used WEEK BY WEEK for years and I wouldn't consider changing texts. The information is presented in a way that students can understand and use in their day-to-day work with young children. The observations can be used in a variety of ways to benefit the children, parents, teachers, and other professionals."
Review
"[This] comprehensive guide to child and classroom observation tools provides both structure for immediate application to practitioners as well as principles to apply to self-constructed tools. [The] text is well received by students."
About the Author
Barbara Ann Nilsen, Ed.D. is a former professor of Early Childhood and Elementary Education at Broome Community College in Binghamton, New York. She is a past president of the New York State Association for the Education of Young Children. In addition to authoring WEEK BY WEEK: PLANS FOR DOCUMENTING CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENT, Sixth Edition, Barbara is the author of AN INTRODUCTION TO LEARNING AND TEACHING: INFANTS THROUGH ELEMENTARY AGE CHILDREN, also published by Cengage Learning.
Table of Contents
1. Using the Class List Log to Look at Separation and School Adjustment. 2. Using Anecdotal Recordings to Look at Self-Care. 3. Using Checklists to Look at Physical Development. 4. Using Running Records to Look at Social Development. 5. Using Frequency Counts to Look at Emotional Development. 6. Using Conversations to Listen to Language and Speech. 7. Using Time Samples to Look at Attention Span. 8. Using Standardized Tests to Look at Cognitive Development. 9. Using Rating Scales to Look at Literacy. 10. Using Work Samples to Look at Creativity. 11. Using Technology for Documentation of Dramatic Play. 12. Using Documentation for Child Abuse Suspicions and Looking at Self-Concept. 13. Using Program Assessments to Look at Children in Groups. 14. Using the Portfolio for Communications with Families and Looking at the Child's Interactions with Adults. 15. Using the Yearly Plan to Observe and Record Children's Development.