See It, Try It

11/26/2008

Simplify, slow down, be kind. And don’t forget to have art in your life – music, paintings, theater, dance and sunsets…
Eric Carle

In her Exchange article "Seeing Children" (which can be viewed in its entirety for free on the Exchange website) Deb Curtis told this story...

"A few years ago when I was teaching preschool I discovered that I could learn to see the children’s perspectives in very powerful ways if I observed them closely and then tried out what they were doing. I had been frustrated with a group of boys who had taken to zooming the small cars off of block ramps that they built. They would fling the cars across the tilted ramps, watching them fly through the air, hitting the ceiling, the windows, and sometimes people. I spent a lot of time trying to stop their behavior, but to no avail.

"After the boys left one day, my co-teacher and I decided to try out the cars and ramps ourselves. Much to our surprise we had a blast! We experienced the excitement and challenge as we built the ramps and zoomed the cars. With this new perspective, we approached the children’s work in a very different way. We offered the boys challenges to build their ramps more carefully and control the speed more accurately. They took up our suggestions and the activity became a focused, complex learning experience for all. Since then, trying out what they are doing has become a regular practice for me to see children more clearly."

Exchange Resources on Observing Children

Exchange has over 85, sixteen-page Beginnings Workshop curriculum units written by the leading experts in our field. Two units addressing "Observation" are:

Observing Children ($7.00) with these articles...

Observation - The Primary Tool in Assessment by Kay Stritzel Rencken
To See Each Child with Wisdom, Humor, and Heart by Sally Cartwright
You've Got the Records — Now What Do You Do with Them? by Nancy Balaban
Observations Are Essential in Supporting Children's Play by Gretchen Reynolds

Observation and Assessment ($7.00) with these articles...

No Ordinary Moments: Using Observations With Toddlers by Deb Curtis
Learning to See . . . Seeing to Learn by Diane C. MacLean
Observation — The Path to Documentation by Beth MacDonald
Growing a Culture of Inquiry: Observation as Professional Development by Ann Pelo

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For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.