When I first looked at the article and discovered it was about kidwatching, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. While reading this article I thought about how much I subconsciously kidwatch in my classroom already. I watch my students as they work to determine what would work best for them to help them learn.
As I read, I realized how much more I could be doing with my students. The part of the article that i enjoyed the most was how to keep notes during kidwatching. I had never thought to write down the things that I observe as I monitored my classroom. I feel like walking around with a clipboard would be the most ideal way to keep the notes. I am learning how to use reading conferences in my classroom. I feel that kidwatching will be something beneficial to add to my classroom. After reading through the article I still had a few questions. I love the idea of kidwatching and can't wait to implement in it my classroom, but I am also a visual learner. I like how the article gives examples of certain notes or thoughts that could be written on the clipboard about the students. I would like to see a template of what is used when writing, or even see how a teacher is able to maintain doing this with each of their students all year. I get nervous with change, but am excited and willing to try something new with a little help! :)
I love your willingness to try something new! There are a lot of ways to keep track of notes. The most important thing is to find something that will work for you. This can be something that we develop together.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that it would be great to see some visual examples of notes that are written down during kidwatching. I would love to see a form or something that the teacher uses to keep track of the students' engagement during these activities. I like the idea of kidwatching, but I would like to have concrete information to use when thinking about the students and addressing their needs as learners.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that it would be great to see some visual examples of notes that are written down during kidwatching. I would love to see a form or something that the teacher uses to keep track of the students' engagement during these activities. I like the idea of kidwatching, but I would like to have concrete information to use when thinking about the students and addressing their needs as learners.
ReplyDeleteHi Ashleigh,
ReplyDeleteI loved that you want to try out kidwatching not only when you are observing students work independently, but also as a tool for conferencing and monitoring their learning and engagement. I was sharing in a comment earlier to Cristin how I liked to use blank copies of my seating chart to keep track of student engagment such as who was answering questions, who was on task, who I conferenced with and what each student was working on. I've also used in reading and writing workshops a three ring binder or spiral notebook with a blank page for each student where I just wrote the date and quick notes about what I noticed and what goal/suggestion was given so I would have a follow up. This helped me to hold my thinking and it helped provide feedback to students. Thanks, Dawn