A Primer on School Observations

Rachel Weisbecker, MA & Marie Chesaniuk, PhD

Sometimes, in the course of trying to help a school age client, there are missing pieces of their case. Children are not always good reporters of their situation due to limitations of their verbal skills, understanding of social and academic contexts and the school system at large, or because they don’t know what to look or ask for in the first place. Sometimes parents have limited information, lacking access to their child’s school experience or facing difficulties communicating with sometimes many different instructors involved in their child’s academic life. Teachers also may be challenged to give a full report being tasked with observing a whole class at a time rather than just one student and only seeing the student in the very specific context of their class. School observations by the child’s therapist can bridge these gaps and increase collaboration and inform realistic, contextualized recommendations.

Observers should aim to watch both an academic class and an unstructured social period, like lunch or recess. The approach should be unobtrusive, sitting in the back and blending into the environment, while still gathering detailed, descriptive notes on classroom activities, transitions, and the general environment. Observations should focus not only on the target child but also on their peers to provide a comparative baseline. Does the child stand out from peers in the way they respond to transitions, attend to class, complete work, or engage socially?

There are two main approaches to classroom observation, as described by Hintze et al. (2002): naturalistic and systematic. Naturalistic observation involves watching a setting without any predetermined focus, simply recording what seems significant. This approach can help generate hypotheses about behavior. In contrast, systematic direct observation targets specific, predefined behaviors and uses standardized methods for collecting and analyzing data. Techniques include frequency recording (counting behavior occurrences), duration and latency recording (timing behaviors), and various time-sampling methods (e.g., whole-interval, partial-interval, or momentary time-sampling). When multiple behaviors are present, it is recommended to prioritize based on which are most disruptive, easiest to change, or likely to result in positive behavior change.

Specific strategies can be applied depending on the child's needs. For emotional lability, a structured environment and strategies to reduce stress—such as extra response time or calming activities—are key. Motor restlessness may be alleviated through frequent movement breaks or active classroom responsibilities. For students with attentional issues, instructions should be given clearly and in manageable chunks, while students with executive functioning challenges may benefit from clear goals and step-by-step task breakdowns.

When addressing social skill deficits, teachers should offer lessons on emotions and appropriate interactions, and facilitate positive peer engagement. For students who are noncompliant or disruptive, strategic seating, time-outs, and consistent reinforcement of rules can be effective. On the playground, where conflicts may arise, setting firm limits and pairing students with buddies can promote cooperative behavior. Lastly, for students struggling with low self-esteem or negative self-talk, providing opportunities to highlight their strengths and offering genuine praise can be powerful motivators.

Effective school observation and collaboration with teachers are essential for developing meaningful, personalized strategies that support a child’s academic and social-emotional development. Attached is our primer for best practices for classroom observers.