The Art of Awareness: How Observation Can Transform Your Teaching

by Deb Curtis, Margie Carter

Overview

With new chapters and updates from early childhood leaders Deb Curtis and Margie Carter invite early childhood educators to learn the art and skill of observation.

The art of observing children is more than merely the act of watching them—it is also using what you see and hear to craft new opportunities in your classroom. This resource provides a wealth of inspiration and practice. It will help early childhood educators learn to observe in new ways, witness children's remarkable competencies as they experience childhood, and find new joy in their work with children.

The third edition updates include

New information on schema theory including a list of the definitions of schemas

Updated stories that reflect schema explorations and focus on observing children’s ability to get along

Added information on identity development and the anti-bias goals

New chapter on observing children using their bodies

New QR codes to videos to continue learning

Updates on technology and approaches to keeping observations at the center of required assessments

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781605547312
Publisher:	Redleaf Press
Publication date:	05/24/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	131 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Margie Carter’s speaking and consulting work as a teacher educator has her traveling throughout North America and New Zealand. With social justice as a lens, she is concerned about play as an equity issue, cultural and linguistic democracy, and uplifting the leadership, respect, and compensation of a diverse body of educators. 

Deb Curtis is a passionate advocate for children and the adults who care for and educate them. She has spent over forty-five years working with children and teachers in early childhood programs throughout North American and is dedicated to learning meaningful anti-bias, anti-racist teaching practices with young children to help create a kinder, more equitable world.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Chapter 1 A New Way of Being with Children: An 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 Children’s Lively Minds 
Chapter 5 Study Session: Observing How Children Use Their Senses 
 Chapter 6 Study Session: Observing How Children Explore, Invent, and Construct 
Chapter 7 Study Session: Observing How Children Connect with the Natural World 
Chapter 8 Study Session: Observing How Children Seek Power, Drama, and Adventure 
Chapter 9 Study Session: Observing Children’s Eagerness for Drawing, Symbolic Representation, and Literacy
Chapter 10 Study Session: Observing How Children Form Relationships and Negotiate Conflict 
Chapter 11 Study Session: Observing Children with Their Families
Chapter 12 Getting Organized to Observe and Study Your Documentation 
Chapter 13 Using and Sharing Your Observations with Others 
Chapter 14 Using Observations for Planning and Assessment
References 
Additional Resources
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.

Library Journal