Observing Development of the Young Child

Used successfully in early childhood programs all over the country since its inception, this unique and mainstay text looks at children’s development in every domain, preparing students to become skilled observers, with concrete detail about how to record what is observed, how to interpret the data, and to become adept at using the observations to plan for learning.

The new edition of Jan Beaty’s best-selling book has undergone an extensive revision. The book’s original features and organization remain, while new research, issues, and more extensive coverage of observation is included in the new edition. Chapters 1 and 2 were reorganized and expanded to include the basics of observation. The text itself has become more streamlined, more reader-friendly, with fewer chapters (12 instead of 14), yet with many more boxed ideas. Other examples of observation tools that have been added include running records, rubrics, rating scales, portfolios, documentation panels, and other forms of visual documentation. Strategies for working with dual language learners are included throughout the book. The reorganization and restructuring of the text improves on its past success; the simplification and improvements will appeal to students and instructors alike. What emerges is the most current observation text on the market, modernized to reach today’s population of early childhood education students.