Reading “The Habit of Kidwatching” by Timothy O’Keefe
has reminded me of several important things.
When watching my students, I must make a conscious effort to notice
exactly what it is that they are doing during different activities and at different
times of the day. I plan to be more
intentional about writing down observations that I see with each student. This will help me make better decisions on
how to improve instruction for all of my students. I like how O’Keefe points out that kidwatching
is a part of the curriculum and should be used to help you reflect on your
students as well as your own teaching.
Don’t focus on the number of times you write down information about a
student, but rather focus on the information you’ve discovered about each
student. Talking with the children about what you notice and getting their
input may give you insight that you never expected. I am getting a binder set up with pages for
each student so I can keep all of my notes organized in one place. I
totally agree with O’Keefe when he makes the statement, “It requires
commitment, risk taking, and valuing the good in each child.” We must be committed to doing what’s right for
our students!
Allison, I love how you pointed out the fact that we shouldn’t focus on the number of times that we write down information for each student but we should actually be utilizing the information found. I also agree that we as educators must be committed to our students. I love your idea on creating a binder with a page for each student. I think I am going to have to steal this idea from you. I feel like the more organized the system is the more effective it will be for my students and me. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of getting a binder and keeping your records together for observing. I think this will truly help us all to know our students better as readers.
ReplyDeleteAllison - did you know that Kidwatching can also be used in your SLO? You have probably seen how the R2S Foundations course, SLO, & Kidwatching are all tied together. Your Kidwatching data will probably lead to some trends which will determine your teaching strategies. Way to go!
ReplyDeleteDiscovery is so important. Kidwatching helps up to better understand our students. Having the binder to organize ourselves and to keep up with all students..great idea!
ReplyDelete