Timothy O’Keefe
‘s article The Habit of Kidwatching discusses directly observing kids. It allows teachers to evaluate the learning
process. What are students paying attention to in class? What are their levels
of participation? What are students
zoning out about during their work? Kidwatching is a way to get answers on
students learning and processing at any level. It offers the opportunity for teachers to
better understand attitudes and behaviors in their students.
The article gives suggestions on Coaching. Taking notes and then chatting with the
students shows them your interest in them and gives you a better understanding of
them as readers. You learn their strengths and weaknesses, but more importantly
you spend quality one on one time with them, which speaks volumes to your
students about your commitment to them
and growing great readers.
Lori, it is true that our interest in our students speaks volumes. I saw this myself last year when I started dedicating 30 minutes each day to independent reading with conferencing. I will be interested to see what you discover about your students as you begin your Kidwatching.
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