Surprisingly for the first ten minutes the children did not even see the projection on the wall as they were having so much fun using the cellophane to explore colours. I think that if I had not been specifically thinking about allowing the children to discover it for themselves I could have easily found myself saying “wow, look at the wall, where is that pattern coming from?” Eventually the children spotted the projection and there were shrieks of laughter. It made me so glad that I had allowed them to notice it themselves. Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett & Farmer (2008) similarly discuss the benefits of having the view that children are competent users of technology who are active agents in their own learning (p. 13).
The exploration then soon quickly turned from being centred around the light to what shapes they could make on the walls. I was amazed at how resourceful the children were in finding things to make shapes on the wall, they knew exactly where to find the resources that they wanted around the centre. This included things such as stencils, wooden shapes and natural materials.
Another child arrived at the centre and walked over to the plug and turned it off. None of the other children saw this and were soon faced with the dilemma, why did the projector turn off? The children used their previous knowledge and communication skills and came to the conclusion that the plug had been turned off. “Why does it need to be plugged into the wall?” I asked. One child answered “to get the petrol”; they were quickly corrected by another child who said “No! The power comes through their and goes up to the power lines that the men come and fix because trees fall on them”. Through this experience children were enabled to contribute their own ideas and theories about power. This is outlined in Te Whāriki , which states children should develop growing experience in solving problems together which develops children’s understanding of how technologies can help them and other (in this case how electricity provides them with the opportunity to have this experience)” (MOE, 1996, p96). I wanted to see if this would lead onto the children discussing how the projector works but they did not. I decided to let them carry on exploring what they wanted rather than interrupting their thoughts.
This whole experience provided me with an opportunity to reflect on how important I feel it is to let children openly explore resources in their own way. I realised the importance of letting children explore using their previous knowledge to help them problem solve. I believe that it is important to provide children with the opportunities to explore technology, but to also stand back and allow them to explore it in their own way. '
This is an interesting link that provides ideas for teachers who want to explore light with their tamariki, take a look...
http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/childdev/lightsout.htm
This is an interesting link that provides ideas for teachers who want to explore light with their tamariki, take a look...
http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/childdev/lightsout.htm
References:
Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2008). Programming and planning in early childhood settings (4th ed.). Victoria, Australia: CENGAGE Learning
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa .Wellington: Learning Media.
Wow! What fantastic and rich learning experience the children had with the project! Our tamariki are really very capable and competent learners. They know how to use technology. We don’t need to “teach” them how to use the projector even they have never seen one before. From your reflection, I can see that through exploring the projector, the children improved their mathematics learning by exploring shapes. Their communication skills are enhanced through the discussion about the question “why does it need to be plugged into the wall?” They use their previous knowledge to make connections with the dilemma and scaffold each other’s learning. And therefore the problem was solved among themselves. This is a good evidence of the statement that technologies can encourage engagement, active learning, creativity, and social interaction (Naeyc, 2008). A recommendation to extend the children’s learning with this technology is each child can make a drawing on a clear plastic sheet and then they each can present their story about the drawing with the project. I think this is a good way to enhance children’s language skills, especially for those young children who are going to transition to school.
ReplyDeleteReference:
Naeyc. (2008). Meaningful technology integration in early learning environments. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200809/OnOurMinds.pdf
Emma, what a great blog. I completely agree about letting children learn for themselves. It is so easy to just tell them and get their attention about the projector. But to let them find it for themselves is the best, their reactions are so much different. This is backed up by Te Whāriki, as it states that children develop “responsibility for their own learning” (M.O.E, 1996, p 84).
ReplyDeleteI liked how they discussed between themselves about where the power has gone, it showed me that were able to have a conversation and problem solve, to be able to fix the problem together.
I wonder if you supplied other technologies along the same line as the projector. What would their reaction be? Maybe you can do this as an extension and see where their reaction takes them.
How exciting Emma to see that one of the parents support their children learning by providing the OHP Over head projector to explore. I believe the parents understands the importance of children's accessing to technology. I like the way children link the overhead projector to the power line when it turns on and off and how they developed their language skills by talking on their own with out you Emma. Placing resources where children could find them is totally supporting children's own exploration.
ReplyDeleteKapai Emma!
How lovely it is that your centre parents are able to contribute to the programme in this way. It is always great when the community can support the centre’s curriculum & learning.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that you conscious of letting the children explore this new piece of equipment freely. I have at times found myself feeling quite conflicted in these types of situations too. It can be a fine line between getting involved and taking an active role in guiding the children and when it is more beneficial to be in the background supporting the children to make their own discoveries. This is an excellent example of the natural learning which is so much more meaningful for children. This also shows your belief and trust in the children’s ability to learn exactly what they need to know at exactly the right time for them.
I’m sure the children will have a great time learning about light and technology in the centre through this and other resources. I can see the hyperlink gives some great ideas for use with children. You could also think about putting a light behind a sheet to create puppet show or a new way of children acting out a story at mat time. I have also seen the overhead projector used with preschoolers and a large piece of paper on the wall. By asking the child to stand in a position between the projector and the wall a teacher or perhaps older child can draw around the shadow outline of their head on the paper. We then cut out the outlines and mounted them onto black paper. The children had fun predicting which one belonged to which child and matching up the shapes of their silhouettes for weeks afterwards.
I really commend the honesty and the great work you are doing by reflecting in practice to enhance your teaching and learning experiences. Kia kaha.
Kia Ora Emma,
ReplyDeleteIt is good to see parents involvement and support towards children's learning by contributing a overhead projector. Great to know you allowed the children to explore and to find answers for themselves by using different materials. Maybe you can also extend the learning by comparing the old over head to the latest technology of projectors. I really liked the fact that the overhead projector has led to another learning interest which is still another link to technology. Awesome to see you as a teacher have not limited the children's learning opportunities but you have opened up children's minds to be able to understand how this technology operate. Ka pai emma.