Anecdotal Notes in Early Childhood Education
Use Objective Record Keeping to Evaluate Children's Development
Nov 15, 2009
In order for teachers of young children to fully understand their students, it is important to keep records on a regular basis. In the rush of moment-to-moment activities, it is easy to lose track of developmental milestones and other important events. When there is a concern about a child’s development, having a written record becomes even more important.
Anecdotal notes are a type of record keeping in which a teacher or other adult in the classroom records a child’s actions, behaviors, verbalizations, learning style or process for a period of time. As opposed to a more subjective or interpretive type of record, this kind of documentation is strictly objective. The teacher’s judgment about the child’s intentions or motivations should not be included.
What Information Should be Recorded?
Anecdotal notes should be used to record the day-to-day development of students, as well as specific issues as they relate to each individual child. Some of these issues might include:
- Specific behaviors, especially those that are a cause for concern
- Speech patterns
- Language development
- Social/emotional development
- Peer interactions
How to Take Anecdotal Notes
- Record observations at regular intervals.
- Record developmental milestones and other important events as they occur.
- Keep a pad of sticky notes and a pen at hand at all times. When a child is observed engaging in an activity to be recorded, the observation can be quickly jotted down to be recorded more formally at a later time.
- Always record the date and time of the observation.
- Try to record the exact words or actions of the child in question.
- Try to record the exact words and actions of anyone interacting with the child during the observation.
- The notes should be brief and focused. True anecdotal notes do not include the thoughts or opinions of the teacher. They are strictly an observation of what a teacher sees happening at any given moment during the school day.
- Be sure the notes are written legibly.
Develop a System
Anecdotal notes are most effective when taken on a regular basis. Without an organized system, however, taking anecdotal notes can be time consuming. With a streamlined system, it can easily become a simple, routine part of the preschool day. Here are a few suggestions for developing a system:
- Assign specific days to observe the same children on the same days each week.
- Observe the children across a variety of times, activities, and settings.
- Be sure to put date and time of observation on every note.
- Transfer sticky note observations to children’s permanent records in a timely manner.
Subjective vs Objective Anecdotal Notes
Anecdotal notes should be objective, only recording the observed events, and should not include a teacher’s thoughts or opinions. The following are examples of the same observation:
Subjective:
10/12/09, 10:35am
Hunter was playing with Caden in the block center. Caden finished his building and Hunter knocked it down. I’m sure he did it on purpose. Hunter has been very upset today and I think he is angry. When Hunter knocked down the building Caden started crying. Caroline asked Hunter to apologize and he did, but I could tell he didn’t want to.
Objective:
10/12/09, 10:35am
Hunter was playing with Caden in the block center. Caden finished his building and Hunter knocked it down. When Hunter knocked down Caden’s building, Caden cried. Caroline, the other classroom teacher, asked Hunter to apologize and after a delay of about a minute, he did so.
A Valuable Record
Once recorded, anecdotal notes are a valuable part of student records. They can be used to enhance written assessments and can offer important information at parent/teacher conferences. By developing a system and keeping them objective, teachers can make anecdotal notes a vital part of classroom record-keeping.
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