Infants, Children, and Adolescents in Action

Using the Observation Program in Class

Infants, Children, and Adolescents in Action-the Observation Program that accompanies your textbook-contains hundreds of segments specifically selected to illustrate the many theories, concepts, and milestones of development. The Observation Guide is designed to help your students use the Observation Program more effectively in conjunction with the text, to deepen their understanding of child development and to apply what they have learned.

This Instructor's Resource Manual's chapter-by-chapter "Media Materials" sections include a summary of the segment of the Observation Program that is appropriate for each chapter, as well as the tape log reading where that segment starts.

In general, instructors assigning the Observation Program have students read the chapter, watch the associated section of the Observation Program, and then answer the questions and carry out all or selected activities in the Observation Guide. This section is particularly suited for helping students prepare for text-based examinations.

Each section of the Observation Guide, which is conveniently designed with perforated pages so it can be turned in as a course assignment, contains three types of learning experiences:

• Mastering Course Content These questions will help students use the Observation Program to master essential concepts and make course content more memorable.

• Building Connections These exercises will help students use the Observation Program to see the interconnectedness among all aspects of development. Although each observation segment highlights a specific topic, every facet of development is related to others; the child grows as an integrated whole. The "Building Connections" section encourages students to review observation segments and many parts of the text, keeping in mind linkages among physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development as well as diverse contexts that support all aspects of children's functioning.

• Applying Your Knowledge: Learning Activities These activities involve observations and interviews of children, parents, and teachers; discussion with classmates; and individual reflection, using segments of the Observation Program as a starting point. At the end of the Observation Guide, students will find some helpful suggestions for observing and interviewing young children.

Here are some assignment ideas from other teachers who have used the Observation Program successfully in their classes:

"In general, I give very difficult tests (all out of the Test Bank). I use the video as "extra credit." On test day, all of the video observations for the chapters covered on the test are due.

"Usually I test every four or five chapters. For each chapter they hand in, students get 2 percentage points added to their test. Although this seems like a large percentage, I think that doing the pages often raises their actual test grade. If I was to require it, they would complain, but students love the idea of extra credit. About 80 percent of the students actually do the guide. The remaining 20 percent are the students who don't need the credit (high test scorers) and the usual few who barely show up for the test."

-Nancy L. Eldred, San Jose State University

 

"I usually allow a certain maximum number of extra credits, up to 20 percent of the student's grade, which can be earned outside of class.

One of the advantages of using the Observation Program is that it allows students to see concepts in another way.

The Observation Program can be used as a multisection activity, coordinated in our case across six sections."

-Mary Ann McLaughlin, Clarion University