Observing with SOUL

When observing children, there are a few key ideas to keep in mind. Gwen Elliott, of Canada College’s Early Childhood Department suggests the following guidelines:

S - in SOUL is for silent. Silently observe what the child is doing:  simply look intently at what is going on.
O - observe the nuances of what’s taking pace. Really see for yourself how this child is interacting with materials, other children, teachers, the space.
U - understand what is taking place. Take the time to know what the child is doing. Give your full attention to the activities. See from the child’s point of view what is happening.
L - listen to the language and sounds the child is using. Yes, this is the music. This is also how young children communicate in words or nonsensical sounds of their joy, involvement, enthusiasm, fear and concern for you.

Put this all together and we have S.O.U.L.: silently observing, understanding and listening.

In our MWF class we are enjoy observing the children learning to play together as a large group.
They had a terrific time on an Exploration Hunt recently.  Lots of team work happened as they followed their maps and looked for the hidden treasures.  Checking and rechecking the map puzzles helped the children to find their treasures.  “Where do you think it is?” “Where is it buried?”  “How far down is the treasure?” we heard many of the children discussing.

(Posted on behalf of Teacher Lolly)

Learning about friendship

“It’s nice to be important but it’s more important to be nice.”
-- Author unknown

In our MWF class the children continue learning about how to be a friend. One boy recently said to another boy:  “If we are nice to you, you will be nice to us.“ It is very exciting to watch children grasp the meaning of friendship and kindness.

“When I was young, I admired clever people.  Now that I am old, I admire kind people.“
-- Abraham Joshua Heschel

(Posted on behalf of Teachers Lolly and Theresa)