Culture of Kid Watching

"Rather than focusing your professional development on topics, focus on observing children."  This is the advice of Margie Carter in her Exchange (July 2010) article, "Drive-through Training".  She explains....

"This involves more than observation workshops, though those can be helpful.  Create an organizational culture that asks questions about the interesting things children are doing and saying, what these might mean, what engages our minds as adults.  When you provoke curiosity, you grow reflection.  

"Teaching-focused teachers work with predetermined learning outcomes and a set of lessons aimed at addressing those.  Their teacher training often emphasizes this and typically doesn't call for closely observing children noticing their relationships and connections, listening to their questions and emerging theories, or analyzing patterns and themes in their play pursuits.

"Reflective teachers view their role and approach their work differently.  They are focused less on teaching and more on the learning process children (and themselves as teachers) are engaged in....  When teachers see themselves as stage managers rather than directors, mediators rather than regulators, they continually reflect on what they are seeing and what the children might need in the way of scaffolding to deepen learning."

Note: If you were unable to access the link to view the DVD segments in yesterday's ExchangeEveryDay, click here.

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