STACK WITH ME.....

I have noticed that  child X (toddler) likes to stack the milo tins at the cooking area. For the last two weeks, when he arrived in the morning, he would go straight to the cooking area and started stacking. They are in different sizes and he stacked them carefully so that they wont fall down. "Look, look", he shouted as he pointed to the four or five tins he had stacked. "Wow! good stacking X. I like the way you concentrates and becareful with the tins", I praised. "Lets count how many tins you got there", I said. "One, two, three...", I counted. He tried to imitate what I said and he smiled while he hopped up and down.

Technology is an educational resources used by children for learning ( Smorti, 1999). That is what X has been using and he had fun doing it. From this activity, he had learnt mathematic concepts such as counting, reconising shapes and colors of the tins. He also learnt to make decisions, evaluate his own choice and develop ways of addressing real problems. He participated successfully individually (solitary play) at his own level of ability (Ministry of Education, 1995). X also learns to concentrate when stacking and this is an important way of learning for him. How? It will be easier for him to concentrate in his learning in the future. For example, when he writes, reads and around the teachers. Not only that but X feels that he belongs in the centre as he knows that his play is valued when I tend to praise his actions (Ministry of Education, 1996). He also had the freedom to choose his own materials. Reseach have shown that play is an essential part of young children’s lives. This symposium highlights the integral role of play in X’s mathematics learning and examines my role as a teacher in facilitating and extending this (Griffith, 1994).

In order to extend his interest in stacking, I will add more materials that can challenge his cognitive skills such small blocks. These will be harder for him to stack so its help in developing his hand and eye coodination, fine motor skills, concentrations and so on. Then I will get down on his level and count with him and talk with him about his work.

References:

Griffith, R. (1994). Mathematics and play. In J. R. Moyles (Ed.), The excellence of play (pp. 143-157).

          Buckingham: Open University Press.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki, he whaariki mātauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Smorti, S. (1999). Technology in Early Childhood.