What is Sit and Watch?

I have been asked by parents if I could explain a little about what Sit and Watch is and how it works in our classroom.  First off I want to begin by saying that Sit and Watch is NOT time out.  They are not removed from the room nor are they put in a chair in the corner or even away from the other children.  When a child is making the choice not to comply with a direction, (i.e. come to the circle, sit properly at circle, do a given task etc.) the first thing we do is heavily praise those who are complying.  i.e. "I like how George is sitting criss-cross at the carpet." or "I like how Mary is using quiet feet in the hallway."  This is called labeled praise.  We are letting all the children know what is appropriate or what is the correct way of doing something by labeling what others are doing correctly.  Typically this will lead to compliance.  Once that child is doing what they are supposed to be doing, we praise them!  "Thank you for coming back to circle time."  or " Thank you for sitting quietly with your hands in your lap."  If they still do not follow directions, we attach their name to the request.  i.e. "Henry, please sit criss-cross on the carpet."  or "Nicole, you need to come join us at the circle."  If they still do not follow the direction, they are placed in a chair near the group.  "Nicole, you were told to come to the circle.  You made the choice to keep playing.  You need to sit in sit and watch and watch what your friends are doing."  They sit for about 30 - 60 seconds.  They are then invited to join the group again.  If they have missed an important skill during the time that they were not following directions, that task or skill will be made up during play time.  This is the "discipline" portion of something called TCIT (Teach-Child Interaction).  I have gone through training and get coded and coached several times a year in applying TCIT in my classroom.  All paras and MRC members are also trained in TCIT.  Kids thrive on praise and positive interactions!  If you have any questions regarding TCIT or Sit and Watch, please don't hesitate to contact me!

Also, something to watch for, we are going to be having a training available to parents!  You can learn the techniques that we use in the classroom and apply them at home!  Further details are coming!!