Timothy O'Keefe hit the nail on the head when he said, "What can a B+ or an S in reading really tell us about how much a child reads?" That sentence really hit home with me. As an early childhood teacher, I struggle with giving young kids a numerical grade. But even giving students an S or N, there is much more I need to do then just assign a letter. What are my kids actually doing to earn that numerical grade or letter? That is where kidwatching comes into play. O'Keefe explains how crucial kidwatching is in driving instruction- which should be based on the individual needs of students. He also states throughout the article how keeping records should not be one size fits all but should be tailored to what each teacher needs each year.
I felt a sense of relief after reading this article. I have changed my record keeping a lot throughout the years. I thought that I wasn't doing it the "right" way. But O'Keefe says that it is ok to change how you kidwatch. He stated that it is important not to reinvent the wheel and gave resources to help in record keeping. I also realized that the years that I kidwatched every day with every kid, I knew my students so much more- academically, socially and emotionally.
I love the fact that your record keeping has changed throughout the years, Leslie. I think too many times we as teachers continue to do things a certain way because that's how we always have done them. Being reflective and adjusting our practices through the years is what helps us meet the needs of our ever-changing students. I bet you can remember every kid you taught during those "kid-watching every day" years! This made me think of O'Keefe's advice to write something, even just one sentence, every day about every child. What a wealth of knowledge a teacher would have in those one sentence per day notes at the end of the year!
ReplyDeleteJust finished my post and we both agreed (I already knew that) about grades for our first graders. If we could really focus on kid watching without the grading factor always hanging over us....I think we would know our students so much better. The pressure of the grades for teachers, parents, and students seems to get in the way of what we really want to accomplish. Why can't our kidwatching notes be our evals???
ReplyDeleteI have always struggled with the meaning behind grades in elementary school and the picture they paint (or do not paint) as far as what a student truly understands. A picture of a student's learning and growth is so much more than a letter or number grade on a report card or paper. The grade of a B for one child can mean something completely different for the next. But with "kid-watching" notes to support it, that B can take on a whole lot more meaning.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree! It is terribly difficult to grade these young children. I also think they, and their parents seem to only see the grade instead of the process, and that is such a sad place to be. It almost seems to have the opposite effect of stifling learning! I love hearing a veteran teacher like you, Leslie, say you are always changing how you do things - I know from watching you it is with a constant emphasis on teaching to best fit the needs of your particular students. So glad I can learn from you and our team!
ReplyDeleteHi Leslie,
ReplyDeleteI, too appreciated O'Keefe's point that it is not only okay that we change the way we kidwatch over time, but that it can actually be effective. Over the years I have reflected and revised my kidwatching and conferencing practices to adjust to different groups of students and to continue to adapt to current researched based suggestions and strategies. I am a firm believer that "when you know better, you do better." I appreciate you always growing and learning along with me. Sincerely, Dawn Mitchell