Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Kidwatching

Kidwatching is an eye opening experience that anyone who wants to be a teacher must to. Kidwatching is learning about children by watching how they learn. Adults, especially teachers and parents, can learn so much from their children every day by simply observing them and looking to see the ways in which they teach themselves things. Because children are so new to the world, they have not yet learned the ways in which we adults have grown to do things. Everything becomes a way of simply going through the motions, and learning becomes one of these things as well. Children learn by exploring and discovering new things in all the ways that they can come up with in their imaginations. They are able to experience something new and teach themselves a new skill just by thinking about new ways to look at it.
By watching children learn and asking them to explain their thought processes, adults are able to see things from new perspectives and are also able to understand their children better. If we know more about how they think and process things, then the better we are at helping them to understand the world around them.

5 comments:

  1. Teachers need to observe children in their class and figure out how each individual child learns. Kidwatching is an important job of teachers. Teachers can learn about students through observing their work as well.

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  2. I think kid-watching carefully is an important point for teachers, parents, and children. If teachers and parents do not pay attention to children, they will never know what their child is thinking and what they are learning. Asking questions and interacting with children will come from watching their children anytime.

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  3. Your post reminds me of how funny an early childhood classroom setting: children observing and taking in data from the teachers, and teachers observing and recording data from the students. We are personable and connected beings! Teachers should always be watching and observing children. This is a great way to collect anecdotal evidences about their development, in action. This assessment can be so much more effective than a test or quick assessment.

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  4. I agree that kidwatching is so important, and we should realize that we are doing it constantly when we are with children. We are always observing their actions, and in order to make this as meaningful as possible, we should be conscious of our observations. With practice, we will be able to see so much in terms of development by watching children for just a few minutes.

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  5. This is so important to remember. No matter how many books you read or how many classes you sit in, the best way to learn about children is simply to observe them! Each child in your classroom has their own unique set of strengths and challenges, as well as ways of learning and making meaning. Kidwatching is a big part of a good teacher's role, because it helps them to understand and reach all children in their classroom.

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