Karmen
Wade - Blog post 1: August: The Habit of Kidwatching
When I read the
title of the article, “The Habit of Kid Watching” my first initial thought was
that as a teacher I pretty much already do that every single day most of the
time! The article really opened my eyes to the true definition of kid watching.
Kid watching is not always a simple task. The classroom can be very busy place
with 22 or more students in one room at a time. With so much to do in so little
time, it can be extremely hard for a teacher to find the time to sit down and
just watch the students. As I read I
realized that kid watching is a more complex task. An eye opening sentence for
me was “taking what we know about students and turning that knowledge into
effective learning invitations.” This really made me think about the students
in my classroom. Each day I observe my students. A lot of times, I do not take
the time to write down something I have noticed or observed about a student.
This article helped me realize that it is important for me to take an extra
second and write down little notes that are observed naturally each and every
day. I enjoyed reading this article and am trying to incorporate some of the
note taking skills used on the clipboard from the article. I would love to
observe examples of kid watching notes or templates from other teachers
also. This article really helped me see
that kid watching is something that I can use in order to see what my students
need so that I can help them learn more!
The importance of kid watching really comes out in this article. Like you mentioned, teachers are always watching their students. What's key is watching them with the purpose of making instructional decisions to best meet their needs. I'm glad you noted the importance of coming up with some way to take note of your observations. These can be as informal as a note jotted on a blank paper for each child or a more formal typed template. In the end, it should be what works for you. Another point in that article is that quality not quantity of notes is important. Take note of what you need to to best meet the needs of your kids.
ReplyDeleteHi Karmen,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your thoughts on this article and how you realized that kidwatching is more than just observing students, it's taking time to make a note of it and then, most importantly using the anecdotal notes to provide insight into your students, individually and collectively to guide your instruction and support. Thank you! Sincerely, Dawn