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The following global ideas guide the design and delivery of this course:

• Early Childhood Education and Child and Youth Care Counsellor are professions which focus on direct work with children, youth and families in a broad range of settings.

• Study and observation of skilled practitioners provide insight into roles, responsibilities and    contexts of practice.

• The purpose of observation is to be more effective in responding to others.

• Observation is dynamic and continuous, formal and informal.  Observation skills include observing, recording, interpreting and reporting.

• Effective observers have clear focus, purpose and intention.  They conduct themselves in a legal, ethical and respectful manner. The manner in which observations are recorded, reported and used, influences interpretation of the material collected.  Choice of language needs careful consideration, as it influences perceptions and interpretations

• Observation of and reflection on the self-in-action are integral to on-going practitioner development. Accurate observation requires awareness of personal values and filters, preconceptions and biases. The observer's presence and behaviour affects the situation being observed.

• Competent practitioners consider different hypotheses when interpreting their observations.  Their conclusions are tentative, open to reflection, review and revision.

• Context and events are linked, thus contextual factors need consideration when observing, recording and interpreting.

• Positive change in the lives of children and youth happens with support, encouragement, planning, discussion, action and evaluation.