In my Kindergarten classroom I am able to implement kidwatching
into my curriculum. It is what pushes it forward and helps drive instruction. I
am able to plan lessons, create rubrics, make assessments, etc. based on these
kidwatching notes that I have created on each student.
I enjoyed the part of this article where O’Keefe was able to
give me some “coaching” tips. I am looking forward to trying some of the
techniques that he mentioned. One specific thing that I am already doing with
my students during independent reading time is allowing them to use echo
microphones to read. I purchased these at the dollar store about 3 years ago
and they have proved to be worth the investment. The children can read into the
microphone and it echoes back to them what they just said, therefore they are
able to create expression and often times self-correct their words.
This article took me back to college, as well! I distinctly remember my advising teacher walking around in a white coat, carrying a clipboard and taking notes on each student. He wore the white coat as a signal to the students to keep working as usual, but not to interrupt his kidwatching. The students knew if they had a question about what they were doing, they had to rely on one another. He made notes on not only their reading habits, but also how they got along with each other, and how they solved problems. It was amazing how much information we learned about each student and how we could use that to plan our next lessons. I can tell you are using your kidwatching, as well to make decisions about your instruction!
ReplyDeleteHi Jayna,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the time you took to review your kidwatching study from your college days and to take away your previous experience as well as O'Keefe's coaching tips from August's article and invest into kidwatching as a strategy for your current kindergarten students. I love that you use your notes from kidwatching to guide your plans and your conversations and conferences with your students. I also like how you are using echo microphones to help your students listen to themselves read. Sincerely, Dawn Mitchell