I watched the
children make play-dough the other day and while I was watching, it occurred to
me that technology was being used. This
realisation occurred because we had just read Smorti’s article in class the
previous Friday. Smorti’s (1999, p.5)
definition that “technology is about helping people and solving problems”
resonated with me because until now I had associated the term “technology” with
electronic equipment. According to Smorti’s
(1999) definition the children, by using bowls, spoons and measuring cups to
make play-dough, were using technology.
Smorti (1999) also says that the use of technology can have a creative
and purposeful intent which is aimed at meeting people’s needs through
producing products or ideas. Until that
moment I had not thought that the use of a bowl and spoons could be classified
as “technology”.
I was
fascinated watching the children make play-dough as these children were aged
from two to three and a half. Their
understanding of how to use spoons to mix the dough was more sophisticated than
I would have thought. They knew they had
to use the spoon to mix the ingredients together, with some of the older
children assisting the newer children.
When it was time to add colour a group discussion occurred about what
colour to use and how much should be put into the mixture. A couple of strands from Te Whāriki ran
through this learning experience; most of the children were able to maintain
their concentration and involvement as well as developing logical, linguistic
and social skills (Ministry of Education, 1996).
The
children’s learning involved science and maths concepts, as well as how
utensils are used to transform ingredients into a product,. The children were developing their maths
skills when talking about the quantities required for each ingredient as well
as when they were counting the number of turns they each had with the spoon
when mixing the play-dough (Ministry of Education, 1996). While I was watching them I noticed a number
of the older toddlers had obviously made play dough before as their experience
came through when assisting the others and during the discussions about
quantities. They knew how much of each
ingredient to place in the bowl, with one of them saying to another child “no
that’s too much, put it back”. Communication and information gathering skills
were being developed during this experience as more experienced children passed
their knowledge onto the younger children (Ministry of Education, 1996).
As the
children involved are thirty to forty eight months old, their technological
capability at this age is more focused on experiential learning as well as learning
how different materials react when combined such as making play-dough and
adding colour to it (Fleer & Jane, 2011).
Making play-dough is also a useful way of getting children involved in creating
a product with natural or practical resources.
The children are able to address their own needs by realising an
opportunity to make play-dough (Ministry of Education, 2007).
Science and
technology often have a symbiotic relationship.
This relationship enables children to appreciate that there are reasons
for making sure that whatever product they make works as intended (Fleer &
Jane, 2011). Testing their product, in this case play-dough
helps children develop their technological abilities through the use of
language as they make suggestions as to how to improve the quality of the
play-dough (Fleer & Jane, 2011; Ministry of Education, 1996).
Fleer, M. & Jane, B. (2011). Design
and technology for children (3rd ed.). Frenchs Forest, Australia:
Pearson Australia.
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā
mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood
curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand:
Learning Media.
Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand Curriculum. Wellington,
New Zealand: Learning Media.
Smorti, S.
(1999). Technology in early childhood. Early
Education, 1, (5-10).
Hi Catherine,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post, especially the parts from which it is visible that it was the children being in charge of the playdough making. It is great to see that during this experience the children were able to develop their leadership skills and share their understanding with their less knowledgeable peers. I believe this to be a perfect example of tuakana/teina relationships amongst the children (Clark & Grey, 2010). Some of your children have obviously developed practices and skills that are based on their frequent use of the tools and materials for playdough making. The abilities to follow the process and participate will allow them to succeed in other areas of their learning (Ministry of Education, 2007).
You said that you were fascinated by the skills the young children were showing during their work. From my own experience with even younger toddlers I know that if they are given the opportunity and trusted with resources and materials, they can achieve great things. Children gain confidence from finding solutions to problems and we as their teachers must support them at all times (Ministry of Education, 1996).
References:
Clark, B., & Grey, A. (Eds.). (2010). Āta kitea te pea - Scanning the horizon: Perspectives on early childhood education. North Shore, New Zealand: Pearson.
I also have had the opportunity to make play dough with children and have found it is always fun. Until reading your blog, I had never considered making play dough a technological experience. I have only every looked at it from the mathematical skills the children would be learning. Playing with play dough allows children to express their creativity in a way that brings feelings; imagination and a sense of skill to the new object that is being produced (Somerset, 2007). Also when children get to experience real ingredients e.g. flour, salt, cooking oil, cream of tartar and food colouring they are making a connection between home and the adult world (Ministry of Education. 1996).
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy observing children in the centre when the help and support each other. To me they are tuakana-teina moments where valuable learning is negotiated (Clark & Grey, 2010).
I don’t know if you have heard of a book called Clay-dough Play-dough. It is published by Ashton Scholastic. Clay –dough is similar to play-dough as it is also made of flour, salt and water, but it can be air dried or oven dried and then painted and glazed. Children also enjoy the fact that they get to keep their creations.
References:
Chernoff, G. (1974). Clay-dough play-dough. Auckland, New Zealand: Ashton Scholastic Pty Limited
Clark, B., & Grey, A. (Eds.). (2010). Perspectives on early childhood education: Ᾱta kite ate pae-scanning the horizon. Rosedale, Auckland, New Zealand: Pearson.
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.
Somerset, G. (2007). Work and play in the early years. Auckland, New Zealand: New Zealand Playcentre Publications.
I was definitely in the same thinking boat as you, Catherine. It goes to show that we continuously learn something new. I remember from my Certificate in Early childhood class, where one of my fellow students prompted “what has Maths got to do with early childhood education?” to our lecturer. The lecturer prompted her with, “how and why do the children learn about colours, shapes, distance, movement, climbing, running, walking, taking turns, sharing, measuring, and numbers in your centre?” Understandably, all these terminologies have links with essential learning areas that play a significant part in children’s exploration and making sense of their world (Ministry of Education, 1996). I can definitely slip ‘technology’ in there, too.
ReplyDeleteI like making play dough with the children (at one of my previous teaching practices), so much, that one day I asked if I could join them while they made a new batch. I asked them if they could show me how to make it. Accepted by the five of children and after many disagreements we each finally had positions in the kitchen. ‘L’ became “Yes, chef” (like Chef Ramsey). He voiced instructions with confidence. He then placed us in pairs to mould and make bread buns and rolls to bake in the oven – I had to make my 6 bread rolls again because they were all different sizes, and he moulded one as a sample for me to follow. After a hard day’s work with the “Yes, chef”, he awarded us with stickers and a break for lunch. My partner and I were late with our rolls, so we were given brooms and cloths to clean up the kitchen. This activity was documented by means of a camera by ‘M’ whom later, showcased it with one of the teachers to the children and staff.
As with your observation, the technology of play dough became a valuable tool of forming social groups play at housekeeping, preparing, weighing and measuring; identifying with adults’ work; dramatizing of preparation of food and cooking (Smorti, 1999; Somerset, 2000). Ministry of Education (1996) supports that “children use a variety of technologies for different purposes as they explore their world” (p. 98). Within the movement and play of the children, I believe that ‘technology’ holds purpose in their learning and teaching development, because every corner edges a starting point and it is up to you to choose the direction (Smorti, 1999).
Hi Catherine, thank you for this informative blog on making play dough through technological lens. Until reading this blog, I have never reflected making play dough can be a technological experience. I have always viewed children making play dough as mathematical, science and social leaning but obviously there is more to it. Play dough is an open-ended resource which allows children always children make things and express themselves creatively, with a sensory experience which children always have fun playing with (Somerset, 2007). You have justified that use of bowl and a spoons could be classified as technology as suggested by Smorti (1999). This experience of making play dough has surely allowed children to make strong home connection with the familiarity of the basic materials used such as spoon, bowl, flour, salt, cooking oil (Ministry of Education, 1996). This experience also enables children to understand and develop the physical properties of the materials (Ministry of Education, 2007).
ReplyDeleteCatherine,
ReplyDeleteWhen I read the title to your blog I really thought that you had made a mistake, but I read the rest with great interest and I realised that you were correct in terming this activity ‘technology’. I see now that the objects used to make the play dough all helped to transform the ingredients from one thing into another, as Smorti said, ‘technology is a creative, purposeful activity aimed at meeting peoples needs’ (Smorti, 1999). Once the play dough is ready to use the children can manipulate it into other shapes and creations, based on reality or imagination. Play dough invites children to shape, knead or mould it, usually in small groups, and so this can become a social activity (Somerset, 2007). Making play dough with the children helps them to make links between their home and centre experiences (Ministry of Education, 1996).
Do you have clay at your centre? If you do perhaps you can work with the children about the different feel, and modelling abilities of these.