Children’s School Classroom Observation Session

The following notes are drawn from a handout provided by Dr. Sharon Carver, director of the Carnegie Mellon University Children’s School.

Children's School Observation handout

Children’s Objectives

Consider how to go beyond momentary wonder and delight to engage children’s curiosity and creativity.

According to Erik Erikson (developmental psychologist / psychoanalyst), children’s primary objectives in childhood are:

  • AUTONOMY (toddler/preschool) I can do it MYSELF!

  • INITIATIVE (preschool/kindergarten) Let’s try …. MY idea!

  • INDUSTRY (kindergarten/elementary) Look at MY accomplishments!

Prompt Questions

Consider how your projects align with children’s objectives. At the Children’s School, observe the children’s interest, attention, and engagement with the various activities, adults, and peers they encounter.

Age Level Being Observed: 3’s 4’s K (Circle One)

  • What sparks / catches children’s interest? What did not?

  • What holds children’s attention? What did not?

  • What engages children’s curiosity and creativity?

  • Which of the children’s objectives for autonomy, initiative and industry are related to the engagement you observed?

What can you do in your project to extend the moment of delight so children can engage more fully and explore more deeply? How can you promote children’s experience of autonomy, initiative and industry?

Inquiry-Based Learning

The following notes are quoted from “Investigating Rocks and Sand”, Uchenna Ogu and Suzie Reynard Schmidt, Beyond the Journal • Young Children on the Web, March 2009.

Ways to Promote Inquiry-Based Learning in the Classroom

Ask questions that invite constructive input and validate prior knowledge. For example, instead of “Has anyone ever seen a rock before?” ask, “What do you know about rocks?”

Ask open-ended questions. For example, “Tell me about what you’re wondering?” “What do you think might happen if … ?” “What do you notice?”

Encourage children to wait a few seconds before giving an answer to allow time for thinking. Tell the children you are going to ask a question, but you would like them all to close their eyes and think about it for a few seconds before answering.

Repeat or paraphrase what the children say without praising or criticizing. This encourages children to think for themselves instead of seeking teacher vali- dation. “Joe thinks that sand comes from rocks, and Andrea says it is dirt from the ocean. What do you think? Where does sand come from?”

And from the conclusion: “Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I may remember. Involve me and I will understand.”