Reflection 3
I noticed at my centre that a group of children were always making mud cakes in the sandpit. I approached them and asked them if they wanted to make a cake for afternoon tea. They were excited at this thought and followed me into the dining area. I read out the recipe to them and they were keen to get started. I reminded them that we all needed to wash and dry our hands thoroughly before handling any food as this prevented the spread of germs which made us sick. Together we went into the bathroom and I demonstrated how to wash and dry their hands properly. I felt that this was a good opportunity of developing their knowledge about how to keep themselves healthy (Ministry of Education, 1996). Once they had finished they returned to the dining area. I placed all the ingredients and utensils we needed on the table. I used picture cues with the instructions written under so that they could easily follow the steps. With a bit of support from me, they were able to follow the instructions. They were working together, helping each other figure out the next step and explaining what they were doing. They were pleased with their finished product which was a tasty chocolate cake for afternoon tea.
One of my colleagues later asked me if I knew that baking was a technological activity. I was struggling to understand how this experience which was not digital, modern or computer centric could be classified as technology but after reading Smorti’s article, my understanding changed.
“Technology is a creative and purposeful activity aimed at meeting needs and opportunities through the development of products, systems or environments. Knowledge, skills and resources are combined to find solutions” (Smorti,1999, p.6). Much to my amazement I’ve realised that the baking learning experience I provided for the children was a technological activity. It was a creative process as the cake mixture looked very different when it was first poured into the baking tin and after it came out of the oven. The activity had a purpose and that was to produce a cake for afternoon tea. Children were getting an understanding about processes by following the recipe (picture cues) and problem solving as they tried to figure out the next step. There was science involved as they saw the mixture transform from a runny mixture to a solid as the cake cooked, maths as they were measuring, literacy as they were reading the recipe and communicating with each other and problem solving as they were helping each other figure out the next step. Their physical skills were being strengthened as they held the bowl and used the spoon to mix the ingredients. The children were gaining essential practical skills as they developed their product (Ministry Of Education, 2007). They also had the opportunity to develop their social, emotional as well as their language skills as they interacted with others, took turns and spoke to each other about what they were doing. The resources I provided which were the ingredients, utensils, cooking cue cards with instructions as well as myself were sources of information.
“Technology is intervention by design: the use of practical and intellectual resources to develop products and systems that expand human possibilities by addressing needs and realizing opportunities” (Ministry of Education, 2007, p.32). The cooking experience was creative, productive and gave children the opportunity gain new skills and knowledge, to problem solve and develop a new product. It has given me a totally different view of what technology is. I’ve realised whether it’s a stone-age tool, the simple crayon or the latest high-tech digital gadget, any form of technology is a tool for living, working, teaching and learning. “As part of a world revolution in communication, technology, work and leisure children will need to develop confidence in themselves and be able to continue acquiring new knowledge and skills” (Ministry of Education as cited in Smorti, 1999, p.8) The baking experience gave children an opportunity to explore technology acquired new skills and knowledge and view themselves as competent.
References
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.
Ministry of Education. (2007).TheNew Zealand curriculum.Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media
Smorti, S. (1999) Technology in Early Childhood. Early Education, 19, 5-10.
Ka pai Ashona! I also found it difficult to understand how cooking could relate to technology. I felt that your reflection highlighted nicely how cooking is connected to technology and helped me to further understand the relevance. Your reflection was written clearly and concisely, and flowed nicely making an easy read. I like the way you considered how technological experiences, such as cooking are closely associated with science. A colleague explained to me that she saw baking/cooking as a science activity, yet I pointed out that technology highlights creative and productive aspects of solving problems (Smorti, 1999); therefore cooking/baking can be considered as technology. It was interesting how you mentioned that literacy was evident during this baking learning experience and how interlinked it is with technology, through reading instructions and language skills. This has assisted me in my teaching practice to ensure there is a recipe for the children to follow, as reflecting on my past cooking experiences I have not always had this available. I see this is essential as part of the technological process and at the same time providing an opportunity for literacy skills. Thank you Ashona, for deepening my thoughts of technology and inspiring me to constructively reflect on an activity that we often take for granted.
ReplyDeleteWell done, Ashona! It was quite interesting to see the process in which you evolved in your perspective on the issue of technology. I totally understand why you didn’t consider cooking as a technological activity even though cooking is what you and me are doing almost every day at home. As you said, technology is not only meant to be digital such as computers, iPad, or iPod. I think technology is everywhere around us including cooking, and cooking is indeed technological activity as it has all the process of creativity, science, and problem-solving. Also, I believe cooking is closely connected to the early childhood education curriculum because it upholds the four principles of Te Whāriki which are “empowerment, holistic development, family and community, and relationships” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 30). When you provided cooking activity based on children’s play interests, you empowered the children in the course of their learning, you supported them in their learning of healthy eating and hygiene habits, and you developed responsive relationships with the children and their family. When you offered the children a meaningful learning opportunity, I believe that is how we, as teachers, should approach the issue of technological education for the young children to “make sense of experience, investigate it, care about others, relate to them, and adapt to their … environment” (Clark, 2007, p. 2).
ReplyDeleteReference
Clark, A. (2007). Changing classroom practice to include the project approach. ERCP, 8(2), 1-10.
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki, he whāriki mātauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.
Ashona, I really enjoyed reading your reflection on the cooking experience you had with the children in your centre. I never regarded cooking as technology as I always regarded it to be something digital not creative. According to Smorti (1999) "Technology is also creative and purposeful activity aimed at meeting needs and opportunities through the development of products systems and environments"(p5).It was interesting to read the children where working together, problem solving using their literature skills which is technology, while making their chocolate cake. According to MacNaughton & Williams (2009)"Problem solving is widely recognized as a cognitive skill that supports the development of learning in areas such as literacy, technology, mathematics and science" (343).We do not do a lot of cooking in our centre, but after reading your reflection I would like to introduce more activities with cooking as the children are not only learning science, working together, problem solving, been creative but they are also using technology."Children develop the ability to represent their discoveries, using creative and express media and the technology associated with them"(Ministry of Education, 1996, p.88).
ReplyDeleteThis seems like a very enjoyable, and valuable learning experience you shared with the children Ashona! I also did not see a link between cooking and technology until I read the article by Smorti. It is wonderful that you now have a stronger, extended understanding of children’s learning happening during cooking experiences, and can now also link this understanding to other areas of children’s development. I can definitely see that this experience positively fosters children’s development in technology as you put a lot of effort into planning this experience for the children, and thought about what is involved carefully. Good planning is required for effective experiences with technology (Can-Yasar, Inal, Uyanik & Kandir, 2012). You have also focused on the process of creating the food, not just the end product, which is a significant aspect of a technological experience (Smorti, 1999). I can see that by having reflected on this situation and gaining important knowledge from it, you and the children will benefit in future experiences. Ka pai Ashona.
ReplyDeleteWow what an intriguing and valuable learning experience for the children, I appreciate your experience as you could clarify some important areas of how technology supports cooking. Like you, my perspectives on technology also evolved on non-digital technological tools, from reading relevant literature and through the children’s experiences. Cooking with young children benefits children’s technological knowledge, skills and concepts of how technology products and designs are created to support, provide opportunities for problem solving and helping others (Fleer & Jane, 2011). Cooking encourages creativity, it allows children to create and make decisions on how things work. I believe teachers need to provide opportunities like your experience in cooking, because cooking with your peers can provide great satisfaction for children and develops positive self-esteem forming and creating a successful technological environment for learners. The quality outcomes of using technology results from children and teachers thinking and practices that involves the importance of critical thinking such as problem solving, collaboration and being creative (Ministry of Education, 2007). I believe from your experience it has defined the meaning of technology, technology is the use of practical and intellectual resources that meets children’s needs and realizing opportunities for discoveries and problem solving (Ministry of Education, 2007). Through this experience it enhanced children’s practical skills and cognitive skills. I believe teachers need to adapt and advance non-digital technology into the everyday lives of the children, as this is at the heart of technological practice.
ReplyDeleteReference List:
Fleer,M., &Jane,B. (2011). Design and technology for children. Frenchs Forest, Australia: Pearson Australia.
Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.