CM CLUB - OBSERVATIONS & Evidence i.e. video clip.....

[looneytune]

Hi all

Just typing up my obs, trying to keep as simple as poss! If you have something that you've got a video clip of which shows the observation, how exactly do you record this? At the mo I have my ob typed up and have put a note saying have video evidence but where should I store this evidence? Is it ok to just be mixed with all other pics and vids or should it be in a special 'observations' place?

Bumpity bump

Typing?
Video?
Don't ask me. I haven't got typed observations or video recordings!

lol, my handwriting is bad so prefer to type! Video clips were taken for us and parents like photo's are. I've always done LOADS of pics and vids because I just love to capture their moments. It just so happens that I have a mindee standing up in middle of the room for the first time and wrote an observation on it so wondered how to show this or should I just make a note that there is a video clip as evidence?

I've been thinking about this all weekend. I think you need an Ofsted coloured TV in your specially assigned observation room

looney - beware of making your observations too tidy - my friend got inspected and the inspector asked why all her obs were typed - "did she not spend any time with the kids?"...I think they like to see some scribble and haphazard obs - shows you are doing it on the job and making it up....

Does that make sense? Although thats just one inspector - yours could be totally different!!! I take 100s of photos but not videos yet - forgot to put video on the permission slips years ago - keep forgetting to add it on!!!

NOT making it up - that should read - sorry my typing is horrendous!!

that inspector is a cheeky b.....d, and I would have told him so. Of course you dont type obs or daily diaries when kids are there, thats done at the weekend

I have a sheet on my notice board where I make scribbled notes of what the kids do during the day. I take photos. At the end of the day or at the weekend I take an hour max to type the info onto their files. I have heard that ofsted like the observations to be handwritten and spontaneous. My argument is that if you have your pc out to put pictures on, it takes minutes to type the observation under the picture, it is easier for parents to read and it is a way of keeping a back up copy if the original file goes missing in the parents' hands.

It is also easier to cut and paste information from the observation sheets to their summative assessment at the end of the term or whenever you do your summative assessment.

I have received outstanding twice both before and after EYFS and each time the inspector was impressed by my paperwork.

Not sure about video evidence. I organised a Christmas show for the parents last year and asked the parents for written permission to video the children. Ofsted inspector asked me if I had asked for permission.

I take very few pictures and do very few observations. I only record WOW moments. I used to record every activity, every moment of the children's progress. There were too many pictures and observations and they lost significance.

paper - thats a good point - too much and it does tend to get lost....but too little and you miss some of the wow moments like you say. I am slowly coming to terms with the fact I may not do too well in my next inspection simply because I have no idea what they are looking for.....so I guess I need an inspection to find out!