Blog Post
1-August
The Habit of
Kidwatching
Molly Peake
Making informal and formal observations on students is something that
teachers do on a regular bases. Reading
the article that O’Keefe wrote on The Habit of Kidwatching he explains the
difference between an observation and Kidwatching. When I first heard the term “kidwatching” I
thought that some educator had just invented a new word for observing students. However, O’Keefe defines kidwatching as when
a teacher performs “direct, intentional and systematic observations” while
taking observational data. The data a
teacher pulls from observations allows for analysis of a students’ weaknesses
to drive instruction.
As I read the article it led me
to reflect on the many possibilities to begin taking with data that
observational data could provide. I
reflected on my own classroom practices and students. With the Kidwatching data that I have begun to
take I would like to utilize this information to aid my literacy instruction
and make a better classroom. I would
like to report more to parents and students about authentic learning that is
taking place in my classroom. Hopefully,
Kidwatching will fuel my desire to know more about each individual learner in
my classroom, the learning process that each student possess, as well as areas
of strengths and weaknesses that I have as a teacher. I want to “learn to see what is really there”
in my classroom and utilize to make not just a better classroom but the best
classroom.
I'm glad you picked up on the fact that kidwatching entails more than just looking at a student. You use the information you gather to make instructional decisions for that student to best suit his or her learning needs. Kidwatching combined with conferencing and other formative assessments give you a better idea of how students are performing than a one time score on a standardized test. Your goal of being more intentional with kidwatching and helping students grow is a great one! I'd love to hear about how this informs your choices for instruction.
ReplyDeleteHi Molly,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the thoughtfulness with which you approached this article and how you got that kidwatching wasn't just another template or activity, but rather an consistent way of informally gathering informal data on students to help inform your practice but also to really know our students and to see who they are, not just how they are doing on tests and formal assessments. This information matters and can be very beneficial. I am glad that you want to see what is there in your classroom so that your decisions can be validated and informed. Thank you! Dawn