2.e.

The candidate for certification understands the purpose and methods of

observation
What: Lander observations, notes from classroom observations
Who: Teacher Candidate
When: 2014-2015 School Year
Significant Details: I have included these artifacts because they demonstrate
my understanding of what observation is, how to do it, and how to use it
properly.

Analysis: The goal of observation in the Montessori classroom is to simply

follow the child. It is a scientific and objective way to assess abilities,
readiness, social skills, behavior, and much more. It is, in fact, a plethora of
valuable information. This information can be used to assist the child where
deficits exist. The teachers goal is to remove herself as the center of the
environment. In the Montessori classroom, children are active in their own
learning. During the observation, the teacher needs to step back, slow
down, and quietly observe. She is looking for physical, verbal, social, and
academic cues from the children around her. Observations may be done
individually or as a group depending on the specific purpose of the
observation. Many things may be observed. Some questions that might be
answered are: 1) Does the child understand the purpose of a lesson? 2)
What stage of work is the student in on a particular lesson beginning,
practicing, or mastery? 3) How long can the child focus? 4) Is the childs
focus broken by others in the room? 5) Who works well together? 6) Is the
student avoiding certain work? 7) Has the child normalized? These and
many other questions can be answered through the tool of observation.
After the observation, the teacher can make notes and record specific
observations. Then, the data allows the teacher to take a fresh look at the
student/group and allow for necessary changes.

Planning: I would like to allow more time for observation in my classroom.

Since I teach in a public school, there are many demands on my time and
many requirements that I have to meet. These things increase my teaching
time and decrease my observation time. I hope to carve out even more time
next year for observation. I also want to take more time to conference with
students about my observations.