Observation: Why and How to observe?
Observation….. we all talk about it, we all know that it is important, we all do it! However, it is also one of the first things to go when we feel the pinch. I am definitely guilty of this one!
So why do we need to observe?
Observation is part of the BIG 3: The Child, The Environment and Observation.
The Child
The child is a complete package. He comes with all the building blocks for learning and is guided by universally recognised human tendencies (I will link a blog post about human tendencies here). In short, human tendencies are inner drives all humans share such as the drive to communicate and explore.
The Environment
The environment is yet another triad: the physical space, the materials and the teacher/guide.
The physical environment includes everything from the how the space is organised, furniture, lighting, decor, mood and flow.
The materials are a category on their own because they have a very specific purpose and they require careful thought and care.
Both, the physical environment and the materials are static in nature whereas the guide is dynamic. The teacher acts on the environment for two reasons: reactive or proactive action.
The reactive action is a direct response to the needs of the child and their development stage. It is intended to encourage and extend behaviour.
The proactive action is intended to elicit action from the child. This kind of action is intended to change or trigger a desired behaviour from the child.
The role of the guide or teacher (I use these terms interchangeably) is to act as a bridge between the child and the universe. The child does not know what he does not know. He needs a guide to connect him, through the materials, to the cosmic curriculum.
Observation
Observation is the cog that make the Montessori world go round. It is that important!
The guide observes, then acts on the environment in order to respond to the needs of the child. The child interacts with the environment guided by his/her internal tendencies in a perpetual effort to self-construct
Observation in Practice
Now that we have established the importance of observation, let’s look at how we put it into practice.
Firstly, we need to make sure we schedule observation into our daily routines just like we do lessons and meetings.
Most teachers have a special notebook and chair specifically for this task. It indicates to community that you are at work and should not be interrupted.
Next, we need to establish an area for observation. I am guided by hunches or questions I jot down throughout the day. I phrase these hunches and questions as generally and neutrally as I can.
Here is an example of how I organise my hunches and questions?
First, I note, not what I think, but what I see and try not to make judgement straight away. You will notice that in the case of Jake, I am questioning my assumption about his tiredness. He could be tired but his tiredness can be a symptom of something else - sickness, disruption to his routine or anxiety. My task is to find out.
I highlight his name to signal to myself that I need to observe Jake today.
In the second example, notice that I highlighted 4 items. This indicates to me that I have four possible areas to observe in order to determine the cause of perceived unrest.
Social dynamic between the girls - perhaps deciding on a project; determine who is involved directly and indirectly
‘Congregating’ may signal social unrest, arguing, disagreements.
The round table’s placement in the room could be the trigger
‘Talking over each other’ signals to me that I may need to give grace and courtesy lessons
The last example is an indication to gather evidence that Alicia is ready for the next lesson - is she demonstrating mastery. This evidence is very important as it is used in assessment and reporting. Eg. Alicia is able to recall the 2 and 3 times tables which she can use to solve multi-step multiplication problems.
What happens if I have no questions or hunches?
This can turn into a minefield. I remember many times when I sat down with my notebook and my attention shifted around the room not knowing exactly what to focus on. I had to develop a system to help me get the most out of my observations.
To begin with, I organise observations into 5 categories:
zone
This category focuses on the physical space, its organisation and flow. Here are some typical foci:
How students walk into the classroom from the hallway?
What is the most/least popular table/seating area?
What are the most/least prefered seating option (table, floor, cushion)?
material
This category includes the material and curriculum areas. Here are some example questions:
Art area: how often, how many, how long, any barriers (set up, clean up)
history shelf: most/least popular; who uses it most/least
golden beads: who?; for what purpose?; for how long?
time
This category can be defined as time blocks and time bound routines such as morning drop off, lunch transition, end of day, circle time, language specialist. Some example topics are:
How long does transition to lunch take? What works? What hinders? Who is the first/last student/s? Are there any arising patterns?
How long is needed for end of day jobs? What are prefered/ disliked jobs? What works well? What hinders?
individuals
This category covers everyone who has a permanent and regular presence in the room. It includes all students as well as adults such as assistants, specialist teachers, support workers. parent helpers. I have included adults because their presence can influence the community in many ways. Also, as the lead guide, we are responsible for all aspects of classroom life. We may use our findings to give feedback to our assistants or make changes to routines. Here are some key questions:
Assistant interactions: How often? With whom? For how long? stationary or moving? How loud/soft? What gestures/expression?
Jake: demeanor? concentration level? work - how long? what? what areas? prefered/disliked work? individual/pair/group work? What tendencies is he showing? best/worst time of day for concentration?
human tendencies - guiding drives that motivate all humans (communication, exploration, etc.)
I do not observe specifically under this category. Tendencies drive human behaviour and motivation so they will have an influence over all other areas. For example, the need for communication will affect how a space is used. Children tend to congregate in specific spaces which is why we want to set up different types of work spaces to encourage both social interaction and individual, quiet work.
Paper of Digital?
This is entirely up to you! I prefer paper for many reasons. I can discreetly tuck myself in a corner with a small notebook and be as unobtrusive as I can. When it comes to locating notes, I can simply flip through my book to the section and date I need. If I am using a binder, I can even move pages around and organise them. But this is just me, I am a bit old school.
Lastly, I would like to share the template I use to record my notes. It includes:
Date
Observer - it could be the guide as well as the assistant or perhaps a co-teacher.
Time - I prefer to record the duration of observation as well as the time of day since both can reveal patterns
Observation focus - this is where I record my question, hunch or area of observation such as zone, tendencies.
Notes section - here is where I write down what I see in front of me in a detailed, objective and neutral manner. This is your evidence that informs your actions.
Conclusion and action section - this is a reflective section usually filled in after the actual observation and once I have a more complete overall picture of the situation and context. Here is where I might conclude that a child is tired (I now have evidence). In this section I will outline actions that I will take such as move a table, introduce a material or activity, follow up with conference.
Reflection sections - this sections is evaluative in nature. I use it to record action I have taken, any observed changes, an recap of a conference or phone call.
I hope you found this useful. Happy observing!!!
