On Friday morning at the playground, I saw a group of boys playing with a ‘truck’. When I moved nearer to take a closer look, I noticed that they were using different tools such as the hammer, screw driver, measuring tape and pliers to work on it. Being curious, I sat down at a corner to watch and observe what they were doing. Soon, I realised that they were playing the role of auto mechanics, trying to fix and repair the truck. One boy laid down on the floor and tried to look underneath the truck. Another was applying the screw driver to the wheel. They were busily working on their respective tasks.
I asked them an open-ended question “I wonder what you boys are doing?”. One of them replied “Emily, we repair the truck”. Another quickly joined in and said “It is not working”. “Oh, I see. So, how do you fix it?” I asked. The boys started to demonstrate to me what they were doing. One boy showed me how he hit a spot at the back of the truck with his hammer, simulating panel beating. Another tried to look underneath the truck, checking for the problem. As they worked, they talked to each other. Child D even took the role of the leader (boss) and gave instructions to the rest. They even had a trial run. Child D shook his head to convey to the rest that the repair job was not okay and they all went back to bang on the truck again. They worked together on the truck for a considerable period of time.
From this incident, it is obvious that these boys have witnessed vehicle repair scenarios. They might have gone to a repair workshop with daddy or mummy to get their cars fixed. They could have learned about the work of a mechanic from the television, internet or from magazines or from a family member who is a mechanic. Their actions and role playing are indications that they do have ideas about car mechanics.
Our aspiration as educators is to support children to develop a sense of themselves as “competent and confident learners” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.9). It is clear that children’s interest and curiosity in a subject can motivate them to explore and develop fine motor skills. In working together, they learn to communicate and connect with their peers, and they develop social skills. They learn to relate to each other and they also learn to connect what they do with the world and events around them (Catron, 2003; Bruce, 2005; Gonzalez-Mena, 2008; Ministry of Education, 1996).
As an educator, I am empowering the children’s development by providing them with opportunities to further enhance their interest in vehicles and motor parts. In response to their keen interest, I would like to consider the possibility of allowing them to view the various parts of a car by opening up the bonnet. And in doing so, I would stress the safety precautions that they need to observe, for example, to make sure that the bonnet is securely supported so that it does not slam down. To further extend this experience, I intend to invite a mechanic from within the community to come and speak with the children regarding the basic parts of a car - such as the engine, radiator, battery, etc and their respective functions.
Through all these, the children will step by step build up a body of knowledge of the world around them. They would also be more aware about problem solving, asking relevant questions and acting out roles which they encounter in their everyday lives. These children are exploring and finding out about their environment, people, places, things and events that have significance in their lives (Allen, 2002).
Reference List
Allen, P. (2002). Science and Technology in the early childhood setting. Christchurch, New Zealand: User Friendly Resources.
Bruce, T. (2005). Early childhood education. (3rd ed.). London, United Kingdom: Hodder Arnold.
Catron, C. E., & Allen, J. (2003). Early childhood curriculum: A creative play model. (3rd ed.). New Jersey, United States of America: Merrill Prentice Hall.
Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2008). Foundations of early childhood education: Teaching children in a diverse society. (4th ed.). Boston, United States of America: McGraw Hill.
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.
Ki ora Emily
ReplyDeleteThis was really interesting and I agree with you that you are going to extended their learning through showing them various parts of the car. You said you will ensure safety at the same time. It would be good if their will be another tecaher supportting you when you open the bonnet to show it to the children. The other teacher would be a help cosidering childrens safety while you are talking to the children.We teachers should always be able to and available to facilate childrens leraning which will help children to develop as confident and competent learners.