Anna Johnson Blog Post 1- The Habit of Kidwatching

Kidwatching is the ongoing, uninterrupted, systematic look at how children learn. It is taking what we as teachers know about our students and turning that into instructional practices. Kidwatching gives students a voice and allows us to get to know each child in as many different contexts as possible. As a special education teacher I use a lot of record keeping on my students that I use in their IEP’s and to guide my instruction specific to each child’s individual needs. Kidwatching sounds like a realistic way to use record keeping without having files and files on each student. I am always looking for an ongoing way to look at my students, learn about their specific needs, and turn that into instructional practices for them. My students are very complex and unique, Kidwatching would give me a way to know each child in many different ways.

Coaching is the most important teaching and evaluation tool used in Kidwatching.  You try to record as many miscues and self-corrections as possible. After the notes, you talk casually with the student about the reading. This can give you a better insight of the student and their understanding of the reading. With my younger students or lower readers I could give more specific advice when needed and I would be able for them to tell me verbally how much they retained from their reading. So if you are thinking about record keeping, Timothy O’Keefe gives the advice to write something, even a single sentence, everyday about your child. Our comments as teachers are so much more valid than letter grades and scores. Sitting with a child listening and watching them may be the best thing we can do to get to know our students better as readers.