为什么要观察幼儿
Why Observe Young Children?
Amy 和 Duane 开始觉得，自己在低龄幼儿班里就像裁判一样。似乎每次一转身，都能看到玩具在教室里被扔来扔去。最近，他们花了很多时间引导几个经常扔玩具的孩子转做其他活动，同时努力保障其他孩子的安全。
Amy and Duane have begun to feel like referees in their young toddler classroom. It seems as if every time they turn around, they see toys thrown across the room. Lately, they have been spending a lot of time redirecting several children who are doing most of the throwing and trying to keep the other children safe.
一天，在备课时，Amy 和 Duane 决定轮流观察这些“扔玩具的孩子”。接下来几天的观察让他们发现，孩子们扔玩具并不是为了故意伤害谁，而是自创了一种用玩具投向其他玩具的“游戏”。两位老师决定在教室里专门划出一块区域供孩子们玩这个游戏。他们提供了软球、软积木和一张大的纸靶，并示范怎样堆叠积木、把积木打倒，以及把积木和球投向纸靶。
One day during planning time, Amy and Duane decide to take turns observing the "throwers." Over the next few days, their observations reveal that the children are not throwing toys to hurt anyone on purpose. Rather, the children have created a "game" of throwing toys at other toys. The teachers decide to dedicate an area of their classroom to this game. They provide soft balls, soft blocks, and a large paper target. They model stacking the blocks, knocking them down, and throwing blocks and balls at the target paper.
几天后，扔玩具的事件大幅减少，Amy 和 Duane 需要把孩子引导到更安全活动中的次数也随之减少。通过观察，老师们更清楚地理解了孩子们在做什么，以及为什么这样做。他们还找到了有效的办法，在尊重孩子兴趣的同时保障他们的安全。
After several days, the number of toy-throwing incidents goes way down, as does the number of times Amy and Duane redirect children to safer activities. Through observation, the teachers gained a better understanding of what the children were doing and why. And they found a successful way to respect children's interests while keeping them safe.
教育工作人员观察婴幼儿有着重要的理由。例如，他们通过观察来：
There are important reasons why education staff observe infants and toddlers. For example, they observe to:
了解孩子，从而提供个别化的照护与课程，包括互动、教学实践、学习体验、一日生活环节和作息安排。
Learn about children to individualize care and the curriculum, including interactions, teaching practices, learning experiences, routines, and schedules
在持续评估的循环中，评估并追踪孩子在一段时间内掌握技能和概念的进展。
Measure and track children's progress in acquiring skills and concepts over time as part of the ongoing assessment cycle
Amy 和 Duane 的故事表明，当工作人员有目的地观察孩子时，他们就能更好地理解孩子怎样思考、感受，以及怎样认识周围的世界。这又能帮助他们作出恰当的决定，提供有观察信息作为依据、能回应孩子需要的照护。
Amy and Duane's story shows that, when staff are intentional about observing children, they are better able to understand how children think, feel, and learn about the world around them. In turn, this helps them make good decisions about how to provide responsive, informed care.
通过观察来提供个别化照护与课程，并追踪孩子的进展，使观察成为一种有力且能提供丰富信息的学习工具。不过，观察还有其他同样重要、同样能带来丰富信息的理由。
Individualizing care and the curriculum and tracking children's progress make observation a powerful and informative learning tool. However, there are other reasons to observe that are also powerful and informative.
通过观察理解孩子的目标与意图
Observing to Understand Children’s Goals and Intentions
尊重，是指教师在观察孩子的行动时，相信他们是在追寻自己的兴趣，并探索自己对世界的疑问。尊重意味着相信，即使很小的婴儿也有自己的目标，并会尝试不同的策略来实现目标，或弄明白周围事物是怎样运作的。¹
Respect is the teacher's process of observing children's actions and assuming they act in pursuit of their interests and questions about the world. Respect assumes that even very young infants have goals and try different strategies to meet their goals or figure out how things around them work.¹
带着尊重的观察，体现了一种信念：幼儿的行为有其目的和意义，值得我们关注。相信幼儿有自己的目标和意图的教育工作人员，会向自己提出一些非常重要的问题：
Respectful observation reflects a belief that young children's behaviors have purpose and meaning and are worth attention. Education staff who believe young children have goals and intentions ask themselves very important questions:
这个孩子为什么会这样做？
Why does this child do what he does?
他想表达什么，或想完成什么？
What is he trying to communicate or accomplish?
我应该怎样回应，才能支持这个孩子？
How should I respond to support this child?
观察成为寻找这些问题答案的工具。它让我们有机会在作出回应前，先花一点时间了解孩子的目标或意图。从尊重孩子的角度去观察，能帮助工作人员获得关于孩子的重要发现，例如：每个孩子有怎样的个体特点，他们如何回应其他孩子和成人，哪些任务对他们来说容易或困难，以及他们如何表达自己的愿望和需要。² 这些发现使工作人员能够回应每个孩子的兴趣和需要。
Observation becomes a tool to seek answers to these questions. It provides opportunities to take a moment to determine a child's goal or intention before responding. Observing from a respectful point of view helps staff make important discoveries about children, such as what they are like as individuals, how they respond to other children and adults, what tasks are easy or hard for them, and how they convey wants and needs.² These discoveries allow staff to be responsive to each child's interests and needs.
当孩子的行为难以理解和应对时，带着尊重去观察，并对孩子行为背后的动机保持好奇，就显得尤其重要。婴幼儿的语言能力仍在发展，因此，行为是他们主要的沟通方式。即使已经开始使用词语或手语，他们用来表达自己的词汇也仍然有限。有些行为，例如身体攻击、咬人和发脾气，会让孩子和成人都感到困扰，但这些行为同样有其意义。例如，幼儿咬人可能有很多原因：她可能正在出牙，可能想要另一个孩子手里的玩具，可能饿了、累了，甚至可能是兴奋或高兴。她也可能只是想知道，把一只胳膊放进嘴里是什么味道、有什么感觉，随后又对由此引发的“因果”反应产生了浓厚兴趣。
Respectful observation and curiosity about what motivates children become particularly important when their behaviors are challenging to understand and manage. Infants' and toddlers' language skills are just developing, so their primary mode of communication is behavior. Even when they begin using words or sign language, their vocabulary for expressing themselves is still limited. Although some children's behaviors, such as physical aggression, biting, and tantrums, are troubling for both children and adults, these behaviors have meaning. For example, there are many reasons why a young child bites. She may be teething. She may want a toy that another child has. She may be hungry, tired, or even excited and happy. She may just want to know what an arm tastes or feels like in her mouth, and then become fascinated by the "cause-and-effect" reaction that follows.
对行为进行结构化观察，包括记录行为发生前后出现了什么、发生在一天中的什么时间，以及还有谁参与其中，能够为了解孩子可能的意图和需要提供线索。与孩子的家人交谈，可以获得更多信息。行为的规律逐渐显现后，成人便能根据孩子传递的信息作出相应回应，例如：提供出牙期咬嚼玩具，确保同一种玩具有多件可用，在容易出现咬人行为的情境中待在孩子近旁，或调整进餐和午睡的时间安排。³
Structured observation of the behavior—including what happens before and after it occurs, what time of day it occurs, and who else is involved—provides clues about the child's possible intentions and needs. Conversations with the child's family provide additional information. A pattern of behavior emerges. Adults then match their responses to the child's message (e.g., provide teething toys, make sure there are duplicates of toys, stay physically close to the child in situations that lead to biting, change the schedule for eating and napping).³
前面介绍的观察方法称为“回应性过程”。⁴ 这一方法包含三个步骤，教育工作人员和家庭成员都可以使用：
The observation approach described earlier is called the "responsive process."⁴ This approach has three steps and may be used by education staff as well as family members:
观察
Watch
观察孩子。
Observe the child.
记录正在发生的事情、引发这一行为的因素，以及行为发生后出现了什么。
Note what is happening, what causes the behavior, and what happens after the behavior occurs.
提问
Ask
这个行为对孩子、家庭、教育工作人员以及其他人分别意味着什么？
What does the behavior mean to the child? Family? Education staff? Others?
调整
Adapt
判断引发孩子行为的原因，并找出可能的回应方式。
Decide what causes the child's behavior and identify possible responses.
尝试其中一种回应方式。
Try out one of the responses.
观察孩子的反应，看看是否需要换一种回应方式。
Watch the child's reactions to see if a different response is needed.
原文脚注 / Source notes
1. Sandra H. Petersen 与 Donna Wittmer：《婴幼儿课程的无限契机：以关系为基础的方法》，新泽西州上萨德尔里弗：Pearson Education（2009年），第92页。
1. Sandra H. Petersen, and Donna Wittmer, Endless Opportunities for Infant and Toddler Curriculum: A Relationship-Based Approach, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education (2009), 92.
2. Margo L. Dichtelmiller 与 Laura Ensler：〈婴幼儿评估：一个项目的经验〉，载《聚焦幼儿与评估》（华盛顿特区：美国幼儿教育协会，2004年），第18页；Petersen 与 Wittmer：《婴幼儿课程的无限契机》，第94—95页。
2. Margo L. Dichtelmiller, and Laura Ensler, "Infant/Toddler Assessment: One Program’s Experience," Spotlight on Young Children and Assessment (Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2004), 18; Petersen and Wittmer, Endless Opportunities, 94–95.
3.《深入探究：透过行为发现意义》（华盛顿特区：美国卫生与公众服务部、儿童与家庭管理局、开端计划办公室，2006年），第1课：幻灯片3—5。
3. Digging Deeper: Looking Beyond Behavior to Discover Meaning (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start, 2006), Lesson 1: Slides 3–5.
4. 同上，第1课：幻灯片1；第3课：幻灯片1。
4. Ibid., Lesson 1: Slide 1; Lesson 3: Slide 1.
通过观察与孩子建立关系
Observing to Build Relationships with Children
观察帮助教育工作人员更深入地理解孩子作为一个人的独特存在，从而更有能力与孩子建立能回应其需要的关系。关爱孩子、值得信任的成人，与他们照护的婴幼儿之间建立的关系，为孩子提供了安全的依托，而这正是学习的基础。当婴幼儿与身边的成人相处时感到安全、彼此有联结，并得到支持，他们就更愿意探索和尝试。
Observation leads education staff to a deeper understanding of the child as a human being. In turn, this leads to a greater capacity to engage in a responsive relationship with the child. Relationships between caring, trusted adults and the infants and toddlers they care for provide the secure base that is the foundation for learning. When infants and toddlers feel safe with, connected to, and supported by the adults around them, they are more likely to explore and experiment.
对于那些工作人员起初可能尚未感到有较深依恋或情感联结的孩子，观察也能帮助双方建立关系。¹ 观察提供了一个机会，让工作人员放慢脚步，有意识地关注孩子，发现此前可能没有留意到的方面。即使在最具挑战的情境中，一点新的发现，也可能打开更深入理解孩子的大门，成为双方真正建立关系的起点。
Observation also helps staff build relationships with children with whom they may not initially feel a strong attachment or emotional connection.¹ It provides an opportunity to slow down, pay attention in a deliberate way, and look for things about a child that may not have been noticed before. Even in the most challenging situations, finding one new insight may be the means for opening the door to a deeper understanding of the child and the true beginning of relationship.
原文脚注 / Source notes
1. Petersen 与 Wittmer：《婴幼儿课程的无限契机》，第94页。
1. Petersen and Wittmer, Endless Opportunities, 94.
通过观察与家庭建立关系
Observing to Build Relationships with Families
除了增进与孩子的关系，与孩子的家庭分享观察信息，也能加强家庭与教育项目之间的联系。《Head Start 项目绩效标准》（HSPPS）45 CFR §1302.34(b)(2)–(3)及(6) 涉及定期与家长沟通孩子的一日生活环节、活动、发展与进展，包括通过家长与教师面谈进行沟通。在以家庭为服务场所的项目中，家访人员与家长共同制订家访计划，“运用持续评估的信息，使学习体验适合每个孩子”（45 CFR §1302.35(b)(1)–(2)）。正如前文所述，观察是幼儿持续性评估的重要组成部分。
In addition to strengthening relationships with children, sharing observations with children's families strengthens the home-program connection. HSPPS 45 CFR §1302.34(b)(2)–(3) and (6) address communicating regularly with parents about their child's routines, activities, development, and progress, including through parent-teacher conferences. In home-based programs, home visitors plan home visits together with parents "using information from ongoing assessments that individualize learning experiences" (45 CFR §1302.35(b)(1)–(2)). As noted earlier, observation is a key part of ongoing child assessment.
教育工作人员通过以下做法，可以帮助家庭感到自己受到重视，并认识到自己在孩子教育中的引领作用：
Education staff help families feel valued and see themselves as leaders in their children's education when they:
定期与家庭分享对孩子的观察。
Regularly share their observations of children with families
有意识地、定期地请家庭提供信息并分享他们的看法。
Ask families for their input and perspectives intentionally and regularly
分享观察的方法与技巧。
Share observation techniques
支持家庭积极参与观察，并在观察自己孩子的过程中积累经验，也能加深家庭成员与孩子之间的情感联结和关系。
Supporting families to become engaged, experienced observers of their own children also deepens the family-child bond and relationship.