General Info
The occasion for this educational practice was the reading a myth of Aesop, the Fox and the grapes. After the elaboration of the myth was completed, the students expressed the need to help the fox to reach the grapes. Regardless of the moral lesson of the story students ask themselves: “ Is there any way to help our new friend?". They decide to build a ladder to help the fox.
That first question of a real situation mobilized students to collaborate and through an interdisciplinary approach they managed to build a simple construction, a ladder for the fox to reach the grapes. Through various activities students had gained important knowledge about measurements used in small, simple structures. They also had the opportunity to develop important life skills known as 21st century’s skills. And most of all they got familiar with the problem-solving procedure in a STEAM approach.
As an extension of the program students with the help of their teacher make a relevant simple learning scenario in Scratch jr application and presented it. In many stages of the project each group of students presented to their classmates their progress so as to have the opportunity for feedback/evaluation. At the end of the project all the participants filled in a self - evaluation about the whole experience of the educational practice.
Audience and Educational Framework
Educational Details
The educational practice took place in the school year 2020-2021. After the reading of the Aesop’s myth, “The fox and the grapes”, students decide that they want to find a way to help the fox to grab the grapes. After the initial discussion about the better way to solve that real-life problem for them, they vote either to use a rope or a ladder. They all decide for the ladder. But how can we build a ladder?
After the definition of the problem students using their previous knowledge try to make a ladder with several ways. In Kindergarten’s curriculum students are encouraged to use all their senses to understand the world they live in and to come up with various solutions for a problem. They usually choose many ways to visualize their ideas and express themselves creatively. They had the opportunity to use play-dough to make a model of a ladder and also draw ladders.
Then students separated in small groups and tried to build ladders with everyday materials which they have in their classroom (blocks, Lego, construction tools toys). Each group collected the materials they needed to make the constructions.
After these initial efforts students are gathered as a team. With helpful questions from the teacher they discussed about the results of their constructions (e.g. “Is the ladder big/small enough?” “Are the stairs at the right distance from each other?” “Are the stairs more/less than needed?”).
In the next step children looked for information in books and on the internet on how a ladder should be. They observed real ladders of different shapes and sizes. They wrote their results of their observations. All together came up with conclusions about how they will make a model of a ladder with the appropriate size and shape and with the suitable amount of stairs. They needed to use conventional and non conventional measurements in order to decide the appropriate distance between the stairs.
According to the new knowledge each student has gained, he/she made a ladder with pipe cleaners. Each of them chose a way to measure the distance between the stairs. In the end of the educational practice all of the team members cooperate to make one final model of a ladder to send it to the fox.
As an extension of the practice students managed to make a Scratch jr project with the effort of the fox to take the grapes using a ladder. They were separated into three groups each one of which had different responsibilities. The first one drew the figures that needed, the second one engaged to coding and the third one decided about the scenes of the scenario. With teacher’s guidance, students start discussing their possible options and were able to make the final decisions for the Scratch jr scenario.
Students present their project to other schools and to their parents from a distance learning platform because of the protocols for the COVID – 19 pandemic.
In the kindergarten curriculum teachers organize and implement the daily program in interdisciplinary ways in order to involve young students in real – life situations that are meaningful to them. We strongly believe that this educational practice is designed in a way that corresponds to this aim.
During other lessons through the school year students are familiar with working in small groups, basic shapes, using conventional and non conventional measurements, using everyday tools (pencils, brushes eth.) and using some technological tools as such the computer.
The main aims of our educational practice were for the students to:
- Understand the need for using maths in everyday life situations. To make measurements and calculations.
- Understand that the scientific method of thinking can help them to look for and suggest solutions to real-life problems.
- Understand the strong connection between different school subjects.
- Learn how to make coding games using Scratch jr app.
Furthermore through this educational practice were enhanced among the students the following skills, defined as 21st century skills:
- Collaboration: students work together to accomplish a task.
- Communication skills: attentive listeners, ability to discuss, carefully listen to their peers, express their opinion in an appropriate way, to disagree, to use arguments.
- Creativity: innate creativity by designing, constructing, drawing, coding.
- Critical thinking: think of solutions and make suggestions.
- Social skills: develop a positive attitude towards problems.
- Initiative: Having self confidence to deal with real-life problems and come up with solutions.
Through that educational practice students were able to: create designs of constructions (ladder); create a coding game; get familiar with self – evaluation assignments; present their work process.
ScratchJr application.
Implementation
(where and how the practice was implemented)
Through the inquiry-based learning applied in the educational practice, students were engaged in the scientific method of thinking in order to improve their skills of problem solving.
Children are encouraged to ask questions such as "What would happen if …". They make predictions, test their models of constructions and finally write and present their outcomes.
The teacher’s role was supportive in all stages of the project. She helped students to identify the initial ‘problem’ and provided students with appropriate resources and materials needed. She was observing the process and supporting every child who asked for help.
During that practice the students were given certain assessments, some of which were included in the educational materials. In kindergarten observation is the most suitable way of evaluate the understanding, the participation and the progress of the students and also knowing their feelings and their thoughts. Everyday discussion and self – evaluation methods were mostly the methods we used. We also use some on paper worksheets.
Educational material/resources (file/URL) accompanying the practice
Greek
| Attachment | Size |
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| εξερευνητές - ΣΚΑΛΑ.pdf | 360.98 KB |
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| 20201009_123707 2-COLLAGE.jpg | 690.84 KB |
Greek
| Attachment | Size |
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| ερωτηματολόγιο αυτο-αξιολόγησης μαθητών.pdf | 383.86 KB |
Greek
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| Screenshot 2021-02-28 08.17.36 2.png | 809.7 KB |
