The Art of Awareness: How Observation Can Transform Your Teaching

by Deb Curtis, Margie Carter

Overview

The key to observing children, state authors Deb Curtis and Margie Carter in The Art of Awareness, is to know that observation is more than just a teaching technique. Observing children closely provides a new way of thinking about learning and teaching, a way of making children visible as they are, not just as we want them to be. Observant teachers will find more than techniques for watching or taking notes about children‹they will discover a different way of being with children.

Featuring nine "Observation Study Sessions," The Art of Awareness is designed to offer ideas, activities, and experiences, as opposed to just a set of checklists and facts to learn. Chapters cover observing for seven different aspects of children¹s lives as well as tips for gathering and preparing documentation.

Observation requires a commitment to systematic study and ongoing practice, write Curtis and Carter. The Art of Awareness is an inspiring and practical look at how to see the children‹and what they see‹in your care.

About The Author
Both Deb Curtis and Margie Carter travel extensively to conduct seminars on their work, and have been active in professional organizations, including CDA, NAEYC accreditation, and the Culturally Relevant Anti-Bias Leadership in Education Project. The Art of Awareness is their fifth book together. Their other books‹The Visionary Director: A Handbook for Dreaming, Organizing, and Improvising in Your Center; Training Teachers: A Harvest of Theory and Practice; Spreading the News: Sharing the Stories of Early Childhood Programs; and Reflecting Children¹s Lives: A Handbook for Planning Child-Centered Curriculum have become standard texts in the field of early childhood education.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781884834844
Publisher:	Redleaf Press
Publication date:	07/01/2002
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Deb Curtis: Deb Curtis is an experienced infant/toddler caregiver, preschool and school-age child care teacher, CDA trainer, Head Start education coordinator, college instructor, and assistant director of a child care program. Deb now works directly with children in classroom settings. She holds a master's degree in human development from Pacific Oaks College.

Margie Carter: Margie Carter is an experienced preschool, kindergarten, and primary school teacher; curriculum developer; High/Scope trainer; child care director; and college instructor. In the last decade, Margie has focused her attention on working with directors to develop strong administrative systems that support reflective teaching. Margie holds a master's degree in human development and leadership from Pacific Oaks College.

Together, Margie Carter and Deb Curtis have designed and taught college-level classes, worked side by side with classroom teachers, produced professional development videos, and coauthored seven Redleaf Press books. They cofounded Harvest Resources in 1994 as a partnership to inspire early care providers and educators to engage fully in their own learning. They are regular writers for Child Care Information Exchange and contributors to other publications. Deb and Margie travel extensively across North America, Australia, and New Zealand to teach and to consult with early childhood programs.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 A New Way of Being with Children: Overview of the Study Sessions

Chapter 2 Study Session: Learning to See

Chapter 3 Study Session: Observing for Children's Perspectives

Chapter 4 Study Session: Observing How Children Use Their Senses

Chapter 5 Study Session: Observing How Children Explore, Invent, and Construct

Chapter 6 Study Session: Observing How Children Connect with the Natural World

Chapter 7 Study Session: Observing How Children Seek Power, Drama, and Adventure

Chapter 8 Study Session: Observing Children's Eagerness Toward Representation and Literacy

Chapter 9 Study Session: Observing How Children Form Relationships and Negotiate Conflict

Chapter 10 Study Session: Observing Children with Their Families

Chapter 11 Using Your Observations

Chapter 12 Getting Organized to Make Childhood Valued

Chapter 13 Making Observations Visible

Sample Documentation Displays

Index

Editorial Reviews

Curtis and Carter are early childhood experts who have both coauthored several books in the field of early childhood education. This book, their fifth together, is designed to offer ideas, activities, experiences, and practical strategies to help teachers and readers learn to value children of their individuality. The authors point out that one reason many current observation techniques fall short is that they ensure that each child is developing based on teaching techniques already in place--rather than evolving those teaching techniques based on the development of each child. They truly believe that observation is more than just a teaching technique. Observing children provides a new way of thinking about learning and teaching, a way of making children visible just as they are, not just as teachers want them to be. The book is interspersed with photographs and observation stories, often with transcriptions of children's conversations. The text is easy to understand, and readers will find a list of resources for further study valuable. An inspiring and practical book for early childhood education; recommended for public and academic libraries.--Samuel T. Huang, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

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