Take a minute…no, take five minutes, just five minutes, to observe your child or
adolescent. This needs to be while he or she is unaware or so engrossed in what they are doing that they don’t notice you are watching. Watch while your child is engaged in something (not screen related) that they like do. This can be powerful, especially if there is dialogue involved.
Note the child’s body language (if they are speaking – is it in complete sentences, are they animated, expressive, respectful with peers or siblings?) How do they sit, move, maneuver, what is their physical attitude? Are they engaged, frustrated or present or absent? Talk to them about what you saw. For instance, “I was watching you draw and you seemed really into what you were doing. Can you tell me about that?”
Maria Montessori’s early 20th-century method was based on observation of children. She was among the first to try to create an “empirical”, scientific method for education based on data. She discovered many things (i.e. children work better when they can position themselves on child-sized furniture or the floor). She also found that the concentration levels that carry us through our lives are set up in childhood and that the skills of concentration, focus, and perseverance are as important to learn as any facts or knowledge that we can teach a child.
See if your child’s school or program has opportunities for parents to observe and learn more about their daily routine. Many schools offer invitations to new parents to tour classrooms and existing parents to come and spend time in their children’s learning environments. If your child is having trouble at school, academically or socially, this can be a very enlightening process and can help you form a cohesive team with the educators who spend their day with him or her. However, as we know, the whole world is a learning center so take a
moment and observe your young learners wherever they are. You will come away “schooled.”