When children face problems, they always go
ask the adults for help. Sometimes, some people will help children to solve the
problems straight away. In my opinion, children do have their ability to solve
all the problems. Teacher can guide, assist and support them in the center, but
I don’t like to ask children to follow my thinking. Experience knowledge and
problem solving is a part of learning technology. Adults’ understanding of
scientific principles supporting technology is limited our ability to scaffold
children’s learning and development in technological area (Smori, S., 1999, p.3).
Teachers
should provide opportunities for children to explore the technological
difficulties. Because children can get knowledge from the technological
experience: get some of the life technology and mathematic principles. Children
do have their ability to make their own decisions, choices and solve their own
problems (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.84).
Teachers can help children to develop the attitude that not knowing and
being uncertain, it’s a part of being a questioner. If they keep asking and
keep their curiosity, it will help them to be good learners.
Once
in my center, children were playing in the sandpit in a sunny day. It was very
hot. Some of the children asked me to bring them some water; they want to have
water play in the sandpit. I agreed, but I found the water pipe is too short to
reach the sandpit. They were sad. Actually, we got some short plastic pipelines
in the sandpit toy box. I got a good idea. I asked the children if it is
possible for us to make a long water pipe by ourselves? I asked them to find
some material and tools for me. They can choose anything that they thought
could be possible for transferring water.
Child
A brought me a span which is long but can’t contain any water; child B brought
me a basket, that is a useful tool for transferring liquid; child C rolled a
tire to me, that was confused me; finally, child D & E brought me two short
plastic pipes which I needed.
At
the beginning, some of the children were using baskets to collect water, but we
only have one tap in the garden. It couldn’t serve too many children at the
same time. I asked child D & E, why they thought the plastic pipe could
help. They said they look like the water pipes; child E said I got these pipes
in my house too. I asked another question, how could we make the plastic one to
connect with the water pipe. “Put the water in the plastic pipes! I can do
that”, E said. He put the sprinkler head (of the
water pipe) into the plastic pipe directly, and he was holding the connecting
point. I encouraged child D to turn on the water tap to see if it does work.
Everyone was carefully watching the water run through the plastic pipe into the
sandpit. It’s a really good technological exploration. 
Children developed the
ability to represent their discoveries, using creative and expressive media and
the technology associated with them (Smori, S., 1999, p.4).
Children present their self-ability in
problem solving. And children learn to
co-operate with each other in a job, which is wonderful and successful.
“Children developed the knowledge that playing with ideas and materials, with
no objective in mind, can be enjoyable, creative, and valid approach to
learning” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.84). I will continue to encourage the
children in exploring the technological experience in the early childhood
settings. For example, use a tire to make a swing or planting trees. I think
children will achieve an all-around development, and also get high-quality
education through the technological experience.
Reference:
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mo nga mokopuna o
Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning
Media.
Ministry of Education. (2007). The New
Zealand Curriculum. New Zealand: Learning
Media
Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Dockett, S., Farmer,
S., & Death, E. (2008). Programming and planning in early childhood
settings (4th ed.). South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: Cengage Learning.
Smori, S. (1999)
Technology in Early Childhood. Early
Education, 19, 5-10
It was a good lecture relevance in the first paragraph and had lot of fun and involved teamwork with your open-end questions. You are right, help and support children to solve problems by themselves can develop their self-help skills and independence. Children are curious of creature, they will participate activities or learning easily if they are curious.
ReplyDeleteIn your reflection, I learned what technology is in the science work. Technology is how to make object wonderful and successful. They solved the problems with knowledge building.
From your reflection, I could see a lot of strategies that you used for developing children’s learning in technology. For example, open-ended questions, you were really asking about how to transfer water into sandpit, which provoked children’s thinking. Children were using their theories to solve the problems, such as using basket or the plastic pipes in transferring water into sandpit. As Te Whāriki (1996) says that the more children become capable of solving practical problems, the more their self confidence and well being develops. The co-constructing took place, as you and the children were thinking of the methods to solve this problem together.
ReplyDeleteYou further developed children’s self-help skill by asking them hot to make a long water pipe on their own. There was a child who could use the plastic pipe to connect with the water pipe which shows the child’s confidence in solving the problems. Children develop working theories for making sense of social, physical and material worlds (Ministry of Education, 1996, p82).
I totally agree with you, I also think that as a teacher, we should guide and support children to use their own ways to learn and explore. We should not give them answers directly or let children to follow our thinking. As you said that children have their abilities to make their decisions, choices and solves their own problems.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, using questions is a good teaching strategy to extend children’s learning and thinking. For example, you asked children to find more materials to transfer water into sandpit, and make a long water pipe by themselves. At this time, children will show their different thinking and ideas on problem solving. In my centre, I also need to use more questions to encourage and support children’s learning and exploration. As Te Whariki says that “children learn through play by doing and asking questions” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.82).
Yes, I do agree that children are capable learners and have abilities for decision making and problem-solving. The process of using plastic pipe transfer water to sandpit is a good experience for children to use technology to solve their own problems. Good exploration! I quite like the point that children learn from experience which arose from your reflection, as I do believe that real experiences can foster authentic learning which is important to children’s learning. When children play in an authentic environment, they learn to how to deal with the people and how things work well and understand why things don’t work well. They will figure out through their practice and find right solutions to deal with the difficulties or solve the problems occurred during the process.
ReplyDeleteBased on above point of view, we as early childhood teachers should encourage child-central learning, you did use questioning to support their learning, but when you say, you found the hose is actually too short to reach the sandpit, does children also noticed that was a problem? Did children think they should find something to solve this problem? Also when two children brought plastic pipe to you, you said it was just what you need, does that make sense of child-directed learning?
Wow, you completely opened my eyes to jump out of the technological area and think about learning technology! I couldn't agree more with you on letting children solve problem on their own. It is very true that 'teachers can help children to develop the attitude that not knowing and being uncertain, it’s a part of being a questioner'. Excellent point! Tumeke!
ReplyDeleteGreat example of problem-solving with children. Nice use of the strategy of scaffolding. Just like child A bringing a span that doesn't contain any water, sometimes children do not know some things don't work for particular situations unless they try them out. When they do so, they are not only learning about using technology, but also developing their working theory about the technological tools. As early childhood teachers, we should be encouraging and stimulating these valuable experiences of children.