Quiet Observation Time at Wonder Studio:
Quiet Observation Week
Dear Wonder-ers,
One of my lifelong studies is the art of Listening.
Wonder Studio’s curriculum is based on the pedagogy of the Preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy. At the heart of this philosophy is Listening.
“The teacher (adult) must not merely think about children as strong and competent but must act in such a way as to persuade children that they deeply share this image.”
Listening means being fully attentive to the children and, at the same time, taking responsibility for recording and documenting what is observed and then using it as a basis for decision making.
“Listening means seeking to follow and enter into the active learning taking place.”
In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, my favorite Habit (no. 5) is
Seek First to Understand then to be Understood.
Stephen Covey says,
“Listen with eyes and with heart, Focus on receiving the deep communication of another human soul. Build emotional bank accounts with the ones you love and care about.”
I think the practice of Silence is one that takes A LOT of practice.
I realize that was such a huge benefit of going away to Silent Meditation Retreat. I was with a large group of people who were with me in silence.
I wanted to talk and connect and distract myself with story telling, gossip, etc… But, we had all taken the Vow of Silence for the length of the retreat.
After a few days, I noticed how much was being communicated without words or conversation. I noticed my observation skills were heightened. And, hardest of all, I could hear how distracted I was a lot of the time, listening to my thoughts and unaware of the present moment.
For many years at Wonder Studio, we have implemented a Quiet Observation week. During Covid and even after, we took a break.
But, my teachers and I are hoping you can see some benefits of trying this practice this week at Wonder Studio. We will guide you!
Here’s the main points:
Come in with your little ones as you always do...greet me, greet each other, catch up with one another for about the first 5-10 minutes of class as we wait for everyone to arrive.
Your teacher will announce or indicate in some way that we are going to do our 20 minute observation time.
Please be as quiet as possible.
Sit down in a chair or as low as possible.
Of course, please respond to your child, I would never suggest you ignore your child in anyway!! But, if possible, try to not initiate interactions with the children.
**DO intervene if your child needs help in the way of pottying, hitting, biting, carrying worms into the play dough, etc..**
The purpose of this observation time is to give you a focused opportunity to see what your child (and the other children) are experiencing, what are they curious about? What are they interested in, what might they need that would enhance their learning?
And the purpose for the children is to have less distractions from adult conversations, to see that we are focusing on them, and that what they are doing is important to us.
Parents with nannies or grandmas...please share this email or information with those folks so they understand what is happening.
If you have any feedback or ideas immediately on this topic, PLEASE email or call me!!
I hope you will enjoy this quiet time as much as I do... ;)
Parent Testimonials from Quiet Observation Times
Parent Testimonial 1
Dear Shannon,
I love this idea! It is part of regular Montessori practice to observe the classroom daily. It takes so much discipline because of the temptation to be intervene. As Montessorians, we try never to intervene unless absolutely necessary. But I find this so much harder as a parent. I am so excited about what my child is doing that I involve myself unnecessarily.
Parent Testimonial 2
I can't wait to try this! Thank you as always for your inspired guidance!
Parent Testimonial 3
I really really appreciate this. I feel a pressure to be social with other mom's (which I enjoy) and a pull between that and enjoying the time with Violet. I love just getting to watch what's going on in their little heads. Observation time was something I tried to do daily in montessori classroom and I often learned so much that I missed about the students during more interactive classroom time.
Parent Testimonial 4
I could not agree more! Great idea!
Parent Testimonial 5
I always say I don t like play dates because I can't focus on my kids needs and be really with them and in the same time I can finish an adult conversation so at the end it s not a good situation;-)
I prefer being there for my kids and the others and then have an adult time with friends later to talk quietly;-)
So , you have all my support !
Parent Testimonial 6
I really liked when we had the 20 minutes of quiet observation time. It gave me a sort of zen-like meditation experience. (Clearly, I don't have enough quiet time in my life!!) And it was really fascinating to see what your kids do when you're not talking. Also, It's really tempting to talk to the other parents and too easy to ignore our kids. Also I sometimes feel like I'm being rude if I'm NOT talking to the other moms, and the observation time gave me the "excuse" not to engage the other moms. Does that make sense? My vote would be to incorporate the quiet observation time into the regular routine. Just my opinion!
