Reflection 3
20/08/2012
To See or Not To
See
It was a lovely day and the
children were outside engaged in different activities around the centre. I noticed a group of children gathering
around the tree stumps (we have several all in one place). There was quite in depth discussions happening
around one of the tree stumps with one particular group of four pre-schoolers.
I got myself closer and observed for a little while and I noticed that this
group was doing an observation of their own. As I got closer I noticed they
were looking at the small bugs that were crawling up and down the trunk ,
crawling in and out of the grass, but because the bugs were so small there was
a bit of pushing and shoving for space to get a look at where and what these
bugs were doing. I asked the children if
they could think of something that could help them to see the bugs some
suggested glasses, some suggested to pick them up. I asked them what they
thought about using the four magnifying glasses that we have inside. “Adults
need to know how to support and extend children’s play without interrupting or
dominating the activity and should avoid unnecessary intervention” (Ministry of
Education, 196, p.83). The children were excited about that thought and after
much discussion amongst themselves, they decided two of them would go inside
and get them and the other two would stay and look after the bugs so no one
else would get them.
The children came back with
the magnifying glasses and all four created such excitement and enthusiasm that
it caused interest from the other children, so more children came over. The first four children had their magnifying
glasses and started to look at the bugs on the tree stump, but to their
amazement they started to see a lot more than just the bugs “Children develop
abilities to question locate, and test ideas and solutions as they explore and
make sense of their world”( Ministry of Education, 1996, p.98). I had asked the
children what they can see now. Their response was, I can see its mummy and daddy,
or I can see some more bugs. C was amazed when she noticed what was happening
as she lifted up and down her magnifying glass. C started to tell her friends
of what happens when she lifts her magnifying glass up everything becomes
bigger and when she brings her magnifying glass closer to the ground things get
smaller. C was thinking about the processes that happen when she does certain
movements with the magnifying glass and sharing the process with her friends
“The act of creating an analogy activates prior knowledge, produces new
knowledge, and enhances the ability to communicate knowledge to others” May,
Hammer, & Roy (2006); Heid ( 2008) as cited in( Cowan & Cipriani 2009).
Through this type of
technological experience, I believe that children relate and comprehend
different experiences when they are real. C shared her knowledge with her other
friends and they started to do exactly the same thing. At first they were laughing about what they
could see but then as the children started to really focus on the details they
started to have their own hypothesis about what they were discovering.
Bronowski (1993; 1998) suggests that “visual intelligence is a key element in
the thought processes of the most capable and creative among us (as cited in
Cowan and Cipriani 2009).
I actually did not realise
that a magnifying glass can be seen as technology until Smorti (1999) brought
out the definition that “Technology is about helping people and solving
problems and that it is the doing that is more important rather than the
product”. I found through this course
that not only does exploration encourage the use of technology it intertwines numeracy,
literacy, art, science, and language.
Hi Isabel,
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful experience. As you know I am a strong believer the environment being the third teacher, and your reflection is a perfect example of that. I believe children develop different tactics for actively exploring and making sense of the world, they use their bodies with all their senses, they come up with different strategies using tools, materials, and gear to extend their learning and development (Ministry of Education, 1996) The magnifying glass is such a great tool for exploration. At me centre we use magnifying glass for exploring our garden, watching the plants grow, different bugs and insects, anything small really. I liked how you scaffold childrens learning, you asked them questions encouraged them to think of other ways to problem solve their issue. According to the Ministry Of Education (1996) technology helps children’s capability in solving problems contributes to self confidence and well being, it gives children a better understanding on how technology can help them and others. The magnifying glass is a perfect example of that, as it allowed children to explore the environment in a more meaningfully, excitement way possible. Exploring with magnifiers can open up a fascinating new world to children. Looking at things with a magnifier also encourages children to look at objects closely and notice the details.
Some of the questions I ask when using magnifying glass with children are:
Why do objects look different when magnified?
What can you see with the magnifying glass that you did not see before?
Do you see any details like lines, dots, shapes or textures? Did you know those details were there before?
It was an awesome way to provoke children’s sense of curiosity Isabel. We also use magnifying glasses in our centre but they are mostly limited to the science corner. I like the way you let them explore the natural world that was very relevant to inflame their curiosity. The real experiences are actually the key to stimulate thinking, reflecting and how to use material in a creative way. Ministry of Education (2007) places an emphasis on effective pedagogy to create effective learning environment to promote reflective thoughts and actions.
ReplyDeleteYour reflection has changed my view on the use of magnifying glass and I would like to promote their use similarly for real life experiences rather than limited to the science corner. I agree with you that the use of technology does not work in isolation and that it supports the other areas of learning too. As Smorti (1999) already mentions that technology is about helping people and solving problems in a creative way. Similarly Ministry of Education (1996, as cited in Smorti, 1999, p. 8) supports the view that children experience with some of the technology and resources for mathematics, reading and writing.”
Isabel,
ReplyDeleteI loved the way you gave the children “ thinking about possibilities”,(Craft & Jeffery, 2004) by making the suggestion of using the magnifying glass, this gave them ideas for extending what they could do ( Cremin, Burnard, & Craft, 2006), and how they could learn more about the insects (Smorti, 1999). This self determining aspect is encouraged in creativity; here you have skilfully used the same strategy to incorporate technology.
I also noticed how children were strengthening their relationships with their peers. Did you notice if they were valued by their peers? Bronwyn, (guest speaker, Wed class) talked about children finding something that other children can value them for, via promotion of the teacher. Did the other children who came to ask what they were doing, find it impressive? and make comments or indicate in any way that they valued this new discovery? Of the bugs, of the way to use the magnifying glass, was the initial researcher valued by his peers? ( this is the kind of thing I want to find out in my research)Has it encouraged more use of the glass outside, looking in other places to see what they can find?
This activity gave the children the opportunity to go further, ........Where will they take it?
“Thinking is about using creative, critical, and metacognitive processes to make sense of information, experiences, and ideas. These processes can be applied to purposes such as developing understanding, making decisions, shaping actions, or constructing knowledge. Intellectual curiosity is at the heart of this competency.” (Ministry of Education, 2007, p.12).
I’m curious for the next instalment.
Keep it going coach!
Craft, A., & Jeffrey, B., (2004). Creative practice and practice which fosters creativity. In L.Millar & J. Devereaux (Eds.), Supporting children’s learning in the early years (pp. 105-112). London: David Fulton.
Cremin, T. ,Burnard, P.,& Craft, A.,(2006). Pedagogy and possibility thinking in the early years. Thinking Skills and creativity. Pp 108-119 Science Direct. Doi:10.1016/j.tsc.2006.07.001
Ministry of Education, (2007). The New Zealand curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand. Learning Media Limited.
Smorti, S., (1999). Technology in early childhood. Early Education.19 (Autumn). 5-10.
Isabel I really enjoyed your reflection it made me stop and think about how we use our magnifying glasses at the centre. They are only allowed in the science area but your experience has really highlighted how it can be used outside to increase children’s learning experiences. The use of your open ended questions was great as it gave the children an opening into thinking about what was really happening and they all came up with different ideas. McNaughton & Williams (2009) discuss how using open ended questioning encourages children to imagine and create and express their beliefs, feelings and thoughts.
ReplyDeleteIt just shows you how a simple observation like this can create such wonderful learning. I was really impressed how C discovered how the magnifying glass worked through experimenting with it. The other children were really interested in what she had learnt which then developed into discussions amongst themselves where they all had their own ideas. “Children develop strategies and skills for initiating, maintaining, and enjoying a relationship with other children – including problem solving, negotiating and taking another’s point of view” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.70).
You have inspired me to take our magnifying glasses outside. We are currently focusing on gardening so I think this would be a great opportunity to explore through the garden. Maybe this could be another avenue for you to look at to extend the children’s experience with the magnifying glass. What lies under the soil?