Helping Children Really See Themselves

Deb Curtis, in her new book, Really Seeing Children, shares an observation that she wrote about a boy named Charlie. She explains: "As I gather detailed observations, I think about and write directly to the child I’m observing...I use a rich vocabulary and suggest what I think might be the child’s idea." She describes the value of writing observations in this way: "When I offer children descriptions of the remarkable things I see them doing and what I think they may be noticing or thinking about, they engage more deeply, repeating their actions, and adding new ideas to their work."  Here’s part of the observation:

"The table was filled with hundreds of buttons that invited children to immerse themselves in the treasure of exploration and discovery. Charlie, you immediately leaned over the tray of buttons and thoughtfully picked up and studied one button at a time. I wondered what you noticed as you carefully examined each button. You showed remarkable attention to detail as you worked, methodically sorting and classifying the buttons into piles and then creating a design with the buttons based on the attributes you noticed."

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