A checklist is just what it sounds like: a list that educators check off. Using this method is a little bit like going bird watching. Start with a list of items you want to observe and then check off each item when appropriate.
One popular choice for educators is to use developmental checklists to record what they have observed about individual children; these developmental checklists consist of lists of skills from the different developmental domains for a specific age range.
Checklists are quick and easy to use, so they are popular with educators. They can be used to record observations in virtually any situation, and do not require the educator to spend much time recording data; in general, a few moments is all it takes. One other advantage is that there are many different pre-made checklists available for use from a variety of sources. For example, certain websites connected with ECE offer developmental checklists that educators can download and print out. Educators can also create a checklist that exactly meets their needs, depending on what they want to observe and record.
As it is such a popular choice for educators, the example we will present here shows how to use a developmental checklist. These developmental checklists are generally used to record observations of one child at a time. The list of skills is targeted for a specific age group (e.g. 12 to 24 months). They may be divided into the different developmental domains or focus only on one aspect of a child’s development.
Once you have chosen or created a checklist, you then observe the child in a variety of natural contexts and check off all the relevant skills or behaviours. Usually, there is a space to indicate the relevant date(s) on the checklist, as this might be an important piece of data.
As the checklist method does not allow for the recording of a lot of qualitative data, you might choose to have a column for comments.
A blank checklist could look something like this:
Child’s Name: Alan