Help Needed Please

[beth1]

Right I have to quickly sort out my research prosposal and I am having fun with it. I hope someone can help me.

 

I was going to choose reading in my old placement school with the 3-5 years old children. I have now choose this for my BA (hons) top up dissertation topic so thats next year sorted.

 

But has I now have a new job working with the 2-5 years age group and not knowing how many 2. 3. 4 years old and staff on duty per day, I feel I should do something different like replication i.e. conservation of number that would be simple for me to do.

 

Now this is where I am having fun I am not sure what other simple experiments I could do with this age group.

 

TIA

 

Beth

[HappyMaz]

I'm just thinking of the 'experiments' we did with our children for the BA, beth.

 

Three conservation - both about quantity, based on Piaget's experiments. One where you start with two pieces of playdough, roll one into a long sausage and ask the children which is bigger. Another with sweets (although I used compare bears). You have two rows of sweets with the same number, then widen the spaces between the sweets in one row, and again ask the children which row has the most sweets. The third was liquid: start with one glass filled with water, and have a differently shaped glass of exactly the same capacity. Pour the liquid from one to the other and ask which glass is the biggest.

 

There was also an experiment about children's moral development, also based on an original experiment by Piaget: a story about two chidren who broke glasses in two different circumstances, and the children need to say which child was the 'naughtiest' (can't think of the proper word to use, but you get my drift).

 

There were others, too - if you like I can dig my folder out and have a look. But this might give you something on the relevance of Piaget's theories today?

 

Maz

[Guest]

fter christmas we have reflective practive practioner and a research awareness module which involves doing a health profile within the area in which we work. so the types of subjects that we are being coached in are things such as canboys reading skills improve through superhero play?, Can parenting courses be taylored for all learning styles.

continous provision the developement of the outside classroom i know theses subjects wont actually help you but try to do something that does not require to much of your extra time. perhaps chat to your tutor she may be able to come up with afew ideas our tutor we have not had for any of our other modules but she is vdery helpful with coming up with hypothosis style quistions and helping to pull apart what you could do to achieve your out comes. amis

[beth1]

I'm just thinking of the 'experiments' we did with our children for the BA, beth.

 

Three conservation - both about quantity, based on Piaget's experiments. One where you start with two pieces of playdough, roll one into a long sausage and ask the children which is bigger. Another with sweets (although I used compare bears). You have two rows of sweets with the same number, then widen the spaces between the sweets in one row, and again ask the children which row has the most sweets. The third was liquid: start with one glass filled with water, and have a differently shaped glass of exactly the same capacity. Pour the liquid from one to the other and ask which glass is the biggest.

 

Maz

 

Thanks Maz it was the with the playdough (will have to remember to make some if there is none ) I was thinking of, as I can do it with most of the age group.

 

Camis thanks for your reply outdoor play is a no no, lots of people did this topic last year and got stuck plus there is no outdoor area at the group.

 

 

Beth

[Cait]

I can remember doing conservation of number with the bears spread out and Sally told me that the longer line of 6 bears had more than the shorter line of six - as P predicted. When I asked her how she worked it out, she said "well i know it's still 6 in that one and 6 in that one, but you asked me a silly question so i gave you a silly answer" Hmm old before her time that one!

[beth1]

I have been looking through my folder for the module and everything we have done is based around reading grrrr. How I am going to do the literature review on conservation of number apart from the little bits we have done about reasarch with children, and naturalist observations. Plus the tutor is leaving at chrismas hence the reasons why I need to get the research prosposal in soon.

 

Oh how I am going to put this proposal together in time so I can get started.

 

Beth

[HappyMaz]

I can remember doing conservation of number with the bears spread out and Sally told me that the longer line of 6 bears had more than the shorter line of six - as P predicted. When I asked her how she worked it out, she said "well i know it's still 6 in that one and 6 in that one, but you asked me a silly question so i gave you a silly answer" Hmm old before her time that one!

Cait

 

McGarrigle did some further research into just this sort of thing as a criticism of Piaget's work. He said that the questions asked of the child played a great part in the answers he got: the fact that the adult (who always knows best! ) was asking which line had the most sweets or whatever meant that one of them must be bigger. I'd be interested to do this experiment in different ways by asking different questions, and see what the results were.

 

Maz

[HappyMaz]

How I am going to do the literature review on conservation of number apart from the little bits we have done about reasarch with children, and naturalist observations.

What academic journals does your college library subscribe to? Also a google book search on 'conservation of number/quantity' etc will turn up some text books which in turn should give you some references to further reading.

 

Maz

[beth1]

What academic journals does your college library subscribe to? Also a google book search on 'conservation of number/quantity' etc will turn up some text books which in turn should give you some references to further reading.

 

Maz

 

I think we still use Athens but I haven't got it yet, never have time to visit the library but will have tommorrow.

 

Silly question can you do conservation of number/mass/volume with 3 years old or its it just 4 years old onwards? I am getting conused reading stuff!

 

Otherwise I may have to do something like the 'mountains test' with the 2 and 3 years old if we have no 4 years olds in the preschool.

 

 

Beth

[beth1]

Ok change of plan, I am going to stick to my orginal plan reading on the carpet.

 

 

Beth

[HappyMaz]

Ok change of plan, I am going to stick to my orginal plan reading on the carpet.

So what aspect of reading are you going to look at beth?

[beth1]

We went through the reading disseration topic this afternoon which helped a lot hence now staying with it.

 

I want to observe a practitioner read a story at carpet time with some children. I have yet to choose a book, suitable for the 2-4 years age range. I am looking at research on Austin, E, interpative (sp) framework within books and Baker sitting on the carpet.

 

 

Beth

[beth1]

AARRGGGHHHH now I have to write up the research proposal , find a book, write out permisson slips! Why did I start this FDey course! As you can tell I am having fun working out what a proper research prospoal looks like , not a happy bunny! I have tried to write it up this afternoon and I am struggling to understand the process as per usual.

 

Ahhh just think of next May when it will be all over and done with.

 

 

Beth

[HappyMaz]

I am looking at research on Austin, E, interpative (sp) framework within books and Baker sitting on the carpet.

Never heard of this Beth - what's it all about?

 

Maz

[Marion]

You need to think about what you want to find out from observing a practitioner reading to children as this is the method rather than research.

Like Maz I've never heard of either of the people you mention could you point me in the direction of their work?