I
was having a conversation with a young girl not long after she arrived at the
centre with the topic of cars coming up, not quite sure how. Anyway, as the conversation continued she
mentioned how she would like to make a car so I suggested that we go over to the
carpentry table.
Once there, we had a
discussion about what materials she needed to make the car. From my perspective I was struggling to see
how this child could produce a car as we only had small blocks of wood, long
nails and milk bottle tops. However, she
proved me wrong which is easy as I am no great shakes at the carpentry
table. One of the things I learnt
watching was that girls are just as capable and competent in using the
carpentry table as boys (Ministry of Education, 1996). T.A.’s confidence at the carpentry table came
through as she experimented with materials, using her problem-solving skills to
work out how to make the wheels while displayed good hand-eye co-ordination when
hitting the nails (Ministry of Education, 1996; Ministry of Education, n.d., para.
2).
I am spending more time at
the carpentry table as my observations have shown me that a lot of learning can
happen in this area. The carpentry table
is under-utilised in my centre and I have now made it a goal of mine to improve
my practice around this area. At the carpentry table I can scaffold children’s
problem solving skills by making suggestions when required as well as giving
assistance with holding nails and showing them how to use tools properly
(Ministry of Education, n.d., para. 6). Carpentry,
as a learning experience, enables children to develop control over their bodies
as well as their manipulative skills (Ministry of Education, 1996).
By using large nails
T.A. was developing her understanding of mathematical and scientific skills because
she found if she kept banging the nail into the piece of wood it came through
the other side which wasn’t what she wanted. T.A. learnt having the right
length materials for the job is a good idea, however, sometimes if the length
is not correct adapting your design still achieves a result. The mathematical and scientific skills that
were being developed were T.A.’s understanding of length and size are as well
as learning about balance and force (Ministry of Education, n.d., para. 2).
Using the hammer to bang nails into pieces of wood develops children’s
understanding of force. The harder you
hit the more force is used therefore it becomes easier to bang the nail into
pieces of wood. The skills that T.A. was
using also helped her to understand the physical properties of the materials as
well as understanding how and why materials work they the way they do (Ministry
of Education, 2007).
Once the bottle tops were
nailed to the wood, T.A. looked puzzled as the “car” was not able to stand
properly. I suggested to her that we
bend the nails downwards a bit, extend the bottle tops to the end of the nails
and see what happens. Once T.A.
completed the task the “car” was then capable of standing up albeit a little
wobbly. The look of satisfaction on her
face was wonderful rushing off to paint it so it would be dry before Mum came
to pick her up.
When Mum came to pick her up
T.A. was so excited showing off her new car to Mum and her sisters. While we were talking, Mum said T.A. liked
using tools at home always wanting to fix things up around the home. I then said “that explains why she is good
with the hammer as she only missed a couple of times when hitting the
nails”. Making this car with T.A. is a
good example of the connections that can be made between home and the centre
through children’s learning experiences (Ministry of Education, 1996).
Reference
Ministry
of Education, (n.d.). Welcome to Early
Childhood education ECE lead. Retrieved from http://www.lead.ece.govt.nz/ServiceTypes/Playgroups/PlayIdeas/ConstructivePlay/Carpentry.aspx
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:
for English-medium teaching and learning in years 1-13. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.
Catherine,
ReplyDeleteI was happy to read about your carpentry table experience. I love carpentry and would engage in it with children as often as possible. Unfortunately, at my centre we are not allowed a carpentry area as our neighbours complained about the noise. My centre is in a residential area and ‘hammer banging’ was deemed to be too disturbing. I wish they knew how much children learn during these activities. You have showed that it is not only children who learn. It was wonderful that you acknowledged that the little girl actually had more experience than you and she was the teacher in this case. AKO is an important Māori concept and you have exhibited that you are able and willing to learn as well as teach (Clark & Grey, 2010).
Maybe next time you could offer this girl (and some other children) pictures and designs of different cars to build. The next step could be for the children to draw their own designs and make plans from which to build their vehicles at the carpentry table. This practice would support the children’s exploration of “how things move and can be moved” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 91) and also their ability to use tools and resources to create tangible results (Ministry of Education, 2007).
Clark, B., & Grey, A. (Eds.). (2010). Āta kitea te pea - Scanning the horizon: Perspectives on early childhood education. North Shore, New Zealand: Pearson.
The learning and teaching at the carpentry table shared between you and ‘T.A’ is remarkable. This project has definitely opened windows of opportunity in using imagination alongside problem-solving; encouraging spatial and body awareness; developing fine motor skills and promoting practical and theoretic skills (Shanahan, 2005). It’s amazing what small blocks of wood, long nails and milk bottle tops brought together can become. I could almost say that the carpentry room promotes recycling and our appreciation for the environment in the most creative and thoughtful way.
ReplyDeleteReading through your blog, ‘T.A’ is learning basic mathematical and scientific concepts through measuring, estimating and classifying (Ministry of Education, 2007). Using different types of materials also stimulates the sense of touch and develops observation skills. ‘T.A’ is keeping physically and mentally active with her mind and body movements. She is also enhancing balance and general coordination along with confidence, independence and self-esteem (Ministry of Education, 1996). I can feel the sheer determination and confidence she has put into creating her car. She has performed to the best of her known abilities, practising what she does at home at her centre – and wanting to share her creation with her mum. That is a beautiful bond between child and parent. Her learning has also extended with you, too. “Te Whāriki states that in order to participate in this world, our children will the confidence to develop their own perspectives as well as the capacity to continue acquiring new knowledge and skills” in all learning areas (Smorti, 1999, p.5). And you are right, “we need to broaden our understanding of technology and continue to extend our own knowledge and skill base” (Smorti, 1999, p. 5).
I just love the way young children get these creative ideas and can make anything out of limited resources. They have the most amazing imaginations. “Constructive play involves symbolic thinking and even fantasy, as children create an image in their minds of what they are building” (Gonzalez-Mena, 2011, p. 100). I also liked the way you applied the concept of ako as the teacher (you) learnt and the learner (child) taught (Clark & Grey, 2010). Together you problem-solved and were able to make her car stand properly. I believe that through this creative technological experience the child would have learnt to trust in her own ideas (Isenberg & Jalongo, 2010).
ReplyDeleteEven though you were struggling to see how this little girl could make a car out of those few resources, it was good that you took the time to listen to what she was saying, and in so doing, you created a learning environment in which the child could feel comfortable sharing her interpretations and ideas (Beghetto, 2007).
References:
Beghetto, R. (2007). Ideational code switching: Walking the talk about supporting children’s creativity in the classroom. Roeper Review, 29(4), 265-270.
Clark, B., & Grey, A. (Eds.). (2010). Perspectives on early childhood education: Ᾱta kite ate pae-scanning the horizon. Rosedale, Auckland, New Zealand: Pearson.
Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2011). Foundations of early childhood education: Teaching children in a diverse setting. (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill
Isenberg, J.P., & Jalongo, M. R. (2010). Understanding children’s creative thought and expression. In Creative thinking and arts-based learning: Preschool through fourth grade (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall (pp. 3-30).
Carpentry table is one of favourite corner of children at my kindergarten and I have observed lots of maths, science and social learning is triggered at this corner. At carpentry table children develop theories around how things move and learn how to use tools and resources to create their art piece (Ministry of Education, 1996 & Ministry of Education, 2007). This experience of yours is a great example of AKO, you have demonstrated how teachers can teach and learn at the same time (Clark & Grey, 2010) and the child who was more competent then you at the carpentry table acted as the competent peer and scaffold your learning. Vygotsky’s theory of ZPD is applicable here (Santrock, 2009). This interest of the child and other interested children working at the carpentry table can be extended by looking for models and designs online with children. Parents input can also be asked by bringing recycled material such as bottles, wood and cardboard to the centre. Members from community can also be invited to show children how to work with tools and develop their working theories of the world around them (Ministry of Education, 1996).
ReplyDelete.
ReplyDeleteCatherine,
The confidence to choose and experiment with materials, to play around with ideas, and to explore actively with all of their senses is an expected outcome of Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 88) and I believe that this child was doing just that. Using hands on experience she felt the weight of the hammer, saw cause and effect, force and motion and she was also learning how different materials can interact. She was also using reasoning and imagination, had a definite purpose and goal in mind and she continued until she decided that it was finished (Somerset, 2007). Learning to use these types of tools both safely and with effect is one of the essential skills of the exploration strand of Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education, 1996). The using of tools helps in developing spatial awareness (Ministry of Education, 1996), and the development of manual dexterity, precision, competence, perception, reasoning and judgement, which all help to develop mathematical and cognitive skills (Somerset, 2007).
It would be interesting to know what she produced next; perhaps you could work together on some other ideas.