Blog # 1
After reading the article, "The Habit of Kidwatching" by Timothy O'Keefe, I am reminded of the important role of "intentional" kidwatching. I am also reminded of the value of simple observational data and what a critical role that plays in planning instruction that is truely individualized to meet the need of each child in my classroom. I think we would all agree that we "watch" our students all day long. When we "watch" them, is the primary function to assess attention to task, completion of work, application of classroom rules, safety, social skills, behaviors of character? My response to that is "yes" to all. As teachers, we are extremely busy all day long and I think we would all agree that we feel "on the go" constantly. There is no time to just "sit and watch"! We must be busy doing something - because there is so much to do! My teaching assistants and I always say "when we walk in the door - we hit the ground running" - and we "run" all day until our children have been safely transported to their dismissal locations.
The reading of this article has reminded me of the important role "intentional kid-watching" has in my instructional planning of all academic and functional areas. It has reminded me of the wealth of information a teacher can collect by just watching her students engage with their learning environment throughout the day. I need to "assess" their behavior as it relates to reading, writing, math, problem solving, social skills and functional skills. I am committed now to watching my students with purpose - use what I see to support what I know about each of my students needs.
Watch reading: How do they interact with the book? How do they hold their book? Can they move from left to right? Are they utilizing picture cues? Are they using pre-reading skills independently? What is their stamina? Is their reading stamina increasing? Do they enjoy one book for a good while or do they skim through many different books? Can they identify known sight words in the text? Are they making connections with the text? Are they tracking with their finger? Are they just playing with the book?
Watch them write: How are they holding their pencil? Left hand or right hand? Can they "set-up" their pencil and paper for writing? Can they create a picture to hold their thinking? Does their picture and their attempt at writing connect? Are they fearful? of what part? Can they apply basic conventions of writing? Can they utilize their print rich environment to help them write? How do they respond to the writing prompt? What is their confidence level?
Wath math: Do they understand that numbers have a purpose in our daily lives? Can they make math relevant to themselves? Are they using numbers and counting in various environments throughout the day? What strategies are they using? Do they have one to one correspondence? Will they go in search of materials/manipulatives independently?
This was my response to "The Habit of Kidwatching"
ReplyDeleteMichelle, your intentional kidwatching and collection of data will prove to be invaluable to you. I appreciate that you see the value not only in collecting the data, but also using it to assess the skills that the students have already acquired so you know what your next teaching moves will be. I want to hear more about what you have learned about all your students in the coming months as you continue your kidwatching!
ReplyDeleteMichelle,I loved reading your take aways from the kidwatching article. You provided very thoughtful, intentional ways that you will kidwatch while your students read, write, and solve problems. My favorite quote you wrote was, "I am committed now to watching my students with purpose - use what I see to support what I know about each of my students needs." Yes! That is what kidwatching is all about - taking what we observe and using it to guide our instruction and support of each one of our students. Sincerely, Dawn
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