One of
the first things that caught my attention was the word “kidwatching”. I have never associated this word with what I
actually do in class. When I think of
kidwatching, I think in terms on watching for specific behaviors that I am
monitoring. This is usually in response
to a behavior plan or reward system. The
term that I would normally use would be “assessing”. I found that I like the term kidwatching much
better because it seems more encompassing and relates to the entire child and
not just a specific skill. With special
ed students, most of the time they choose to not participate in class
discussions or volunteer to read aloud.
Because of this, I was encouraged by the quote “It is giving voice to
students who might otherwise be silent. It is getting to know each child in as
many different contexts as possible— to know each child as a person unique in
all the world.” My students are
unique. They may not be the best at one
thing but can shine in other areas. I
also liked the quote “It is valuing the contributions each child makes within
the learning community that is our classroom”.
Even in the Resource setting, students have strengths and weaknesses
that we all need to be aware of. Even
the students themselves. By implementing
kidwatching in my room, I will be able to give specific examples of these strengths
and weaknesses when conferencing with my students. I would like to implement the use of the
clipboard for my kidwatching with each student having a page for me to record
information about them. I can jot down
observations when listening to read alouds, note writing difficulties, miscues
and fluency. These notes will be a
valuable tool for me to use when conferencing with my students.
I too loved the line about giving students a voice. I believe that by helping students realize where they shine, they can become more confident in themselves and acknowledge their own strengths.
ReplyDeleteYours is a population I'd like to learn more about. I love that you see the value in kidwdatching and noticing strengths and weaknesses about the whole child. Taking this time and letting them know what you notice seems like it would be an incredibly valuable tool for raising their self-esteem.
ReplyDeleteHi Tina,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate so much the way you view your students. I wish this is the way everyone viewed children - looking at what they have to offer instead of what they are lacking. I, too believe that the term kidwatching is more encompassing than assessing because inherent in kidwatching is the open ended possibilities of what you can discover about a student that isn't prescribed by a checklist or a specific skill. Thank you for seeing your students for who they are and what gifts they all bring. Sincerely, Dawn