Observation skills are core to your role as an early childhood educator and caregiver.  You must be able to plan and implement activities appropriate to the individual developmental level of each child.  Children develop in predictable patterns but at different rates and learning just where an individual child is developmentally is done through regular and planned observation. In this course, you will learn various methods of gathering, analyzing and organizing observational data on young children with emphasis on patterns of physical, cognitive, social and emotional development. In this course you learn by doing. You will learn by applying observation techinques to early childhood and elementary settings. What you learn in this course will benefit you by adding to your skills as a reflective and intentional teacher or caregiver to young children

The course is divided into sessions and each session has two parts.  The first part is the "session lesson" which is equivalent to the classroom lecture and provides information for completion of the required lab portion of the course.  The lab consists of required observation hours. These hours are not optional and failure to complete them is equivalent to skipping a class.  The second part of each session consists of assignments which will help you fulfill your observation/lab requirement and provides verification for your participation in the course..

NOTE: This course requires completing assignments on a fixed weekly schedule, with some mid-week deadlines. Registration closes January 18.

Course Prerequisites

There are no formal prerequisites for this course.  However, knowledge of child development is essential to understanding the observations you will make as part of this course.  If you do not have a background in child development or if there are gaps in your knowledge, there is a section on the navigation bar entitled Child Development. There you will find resources and references to information in each developmental area.  Your textbook is also a valuable resource for developmental information. 

This is an observation course.  You must have access to children between the ages of birth and eight to fullfill the requirements of the course.  I will not place you in a field setting but if you do not regularly work with children please contact me for ideas and suggestions about how you might find observation sites.

Course Objectives

Upon the completion of this course, you should be able to: 

• Demonstrate understanding of developmental patterns, as a framework for assessing observation data. 
• Identify the reasons for and value of making ongoing observations of children and programs. 
• Identify biases and describe how biases can effect observations. 
• Develop techniques for gathering observation data in a variety of settings. 
• Develop written observations that are factual and descriptive. 
• Practice using different types of techniques in observation and assessment including both formal and informal techniques. 
• Demonstrate the ability to record observations of children using a variety of techniques such as anecdotal records, checklists, running records, specimen records, event samplings, time samplings, rating scales, and case study in the placement setting. 
• Identify ways to share observations and assessment results with families. 
• Demonstrate professional conduct throughout the observation and assessment process.

Your course grade will be determined by points awarded for each assignment according to the following percentages::

Your final grade will be based on the following scale. Please note that you must also complete and receive a 70% or better on all required observations and the Work Sample Presentation in order to pass the course, regardless of your scores on the other assignments.

There are no exams in this course. You are expected to take your examinations at one of the NVCC campus Testing Centers. Be sure to allow enough time to complete your exam before the Testing Center closes; Testing Centers have specific policies relating to the administration of ELI exams. You will need to take a photo ID, your NovaConnect empl ID number, and the appropriate Exam Pass when you go to the Testing Center.  

For Testing Center locations, hours of operation and policies, click here.

For information on taking exams outside of the metropolitan area, click here.

I am here to help you succeed in this course. Occasionally questions or problems may arise. Here is how to contact me when they do:

E-mail: sjohnson@nvcc.edu
Telephone : 703-948-7717 .
My office hours vary by semester and term. If you would like to meet in person I would be happy to arrange an appointment time suitable to both our schedules. I am located on the Loudoun Campus.

1. Use your web browser to connect to http://www.nvcc.edu/bbstart. Follow the directions to determine your email, Blackboard and VIVA account user names and passwords.
2. Access your email account and make sure you know how to use it; you will be required to use this account for all course-related email.
3. Log on to Blackboard at http://learn.vccs.edu.
4. Click on this course under "My Courses." Review the entire course to make sure you understand what will be required of you. Then start completing the assignments.

Please note that account generation takes approximately one week from the time of your paid registration. If you cannot log on after one week, contact the IT Help Desk. If you can log on to Blackboard, but your course isn't listed, please contact ELI or your instructor.