118 Science and Math in Early Education-Provocation Analysis Assignment

This week we are looking at tools for effectively presenting scientific/mathematical experiences to young children, both indoors and out. We will be looking at Provocations/Invitations/Proposals as strategies for material choices, and then we are looking more deeply at how the role of the teacher, using this strategies is critically important to their success.

PLEASE: check the PDF files to answer all the questions.

Section One: Teacher Michelles Praying Mantis exploration… (found in NatureNotes file)

1- Notice the phrase open outdoor classroom at the top of this page. Lets define this as the CONTEXT in which the experience occurs. Think about why this would matter to the overall learning experience. Put this in your own words related to Diane Kashins Provocation resource.

https://tecribresearch.wordpress.com/2019/09/28/a-provoking-post-on-provocations/

2- Notice that this information is not the first experience this group of children had with Teacher Michelle….it is the follow up experience on a different day. How is this related to TIME in effective provocations/the time to absorb ideas?

3-In light of the Questioning Resources in your Module, what role has Michelle taken in this experience? How have her questions impacted the exploration by the children of this provocation/invitation/proposal? What type of questions was she using? Were they effective in moving the experience forward with the children?

4- Why did Michelle choose to put the words hatch and delicate in BOLD print? What are your thoughts about this? What might she be trying to emphasize?

5- Did Michelle model Teacher as Researcher as described in the Fairy Dust Resource/Start-up Guide in your Module? Was she learning alongside them and letting their interests drive the experience forward? Explain.

6-Would you classify this as a PROVOCATION? INVITATION? PROPOSAL? She has titled it a provocation…would you agree? Explain.

Section Two: In the Bringing The Outside In text, take a look at Part Three/ Thinking section of the text…make sure you have read the thinking Intro piece about teacher role.

1- What does the quote by Jean Piaget in this section of the book mean to you, in your own words, about the importance of learning alongside children, not teaching them from their own ADULT agendas?

Now move to 070 Alphabet Rock Game in this section of the book…we are going to use this as our example.

2.    Explain how this could potentially be used by a teacher for his/her own agenda….for example: to teach the children letter recognition…what would a traditional teacher do with these materials?

3-Now, rethink how a teacher could approach this provocation from a teacher as researcher and co-learner with children…what would that interaction look like? How would it be different than teaching the alphabet with these rocks? Be specific in your distinction between the two different teacher approaches to these materials.

4-In the Malaguzzi/Image of the Child resource in your Module, he refers to the adults image of the child and how that moves adults to behave in specific ways when working with children. What kind of Image of the child must the adult shift to in order to become a researcher and co-learner?

5-Explain why the learning that occurs when adults allow the learner to take control of what they want to learn results in more effective, long-term learning and not memorization.