Guest Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 morning all i am hoping you can clarify something for me. if, for example i am watching children playing with the train track and i say how many people are on you rtrain? how many would there be if one got of etc... wuld i be able to use their responses as evidence towards the profile or would this not count because i have intitiated it with my questions?
Guest Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 morning alli am hoping you can clarify something for me. if, for example i am watching children playing with the train track and i say how many people are on you rtrain? how many would there be if one got of etc... wuld i be able to use their responses as evidence towards the profile or would this not count because i have intitiated it with my questions? Hi, I don`t see why you can`t use the responses especially if they are in conversation format, since this will give you a clear idea of their number solving and calculating understanding and allow you to plan for that next step. Although you are directing with the questions , you may be also adding to thier play, since the next time the child plays with the train track, they may incorporate these questions into play of their own accord. (recall skills). Hope this helps Kyra
Guest Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 I think you would be able to ask as long as it didn't interefere with the play...... If it suddenly becomes a fact finding mission for you maybe they wouldn't want to play then? Just my own personal thought!!!!
Guest Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 I think it depends on how you do this. If you come along and are playing alongside them for a while and they involve you in their play, you comment on how many people seem to be on the train and they respond with their thoughts then I think that is fine for evidence. If you then think aloud I wonder how many there would be if one got off or one more got on and they respond again I think that would be OK. However if you just go up to them and start asking questions then I really think that is interupting and will sometimes wrong foot children as they may not have even been thinking about how many! Just my own thoughts!
Guest Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 I agree with you Scarlettangel I see what I can get away with in that sort of scenario...the second it becomes 'testing' I would back off, but when you engage in play and can scaffold learning you are helping to move children from one stage to another, or assessing their stage of development or introducing vocabulary etc, I think when the children initiate the learning it works so much better and you can sit back and evidence their ability and plan for future development.
Guest Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 I agree, I find its different courses for different horse with some children! Sometimes its best to step into role - as a child! "I'm going to put 3 passengers on my train'', then get it wrong so they correct you - more fun for adult too! It's also about lots of short and sharp interjections - not flogging it on and on - children are sooo adept at sussing us out and will abandon the activity asap! Jenni.
Cait Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 Absolutely - nothing worse than a well meaning adult interrupting to say - oh what colour is that? I think if it's just done as you are playing with them in a kind of 'I'm going to see if I can get 2 more men in here, then there'll be 4 men going to the zoo, nope, there's only room for one more, so I can't have 4, is that enough do you think? how many have I got? how many have you got? can you get 4 in your carriage?' kind of way, it's more play-based than direct questioning
Guest Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 Your so right Cait I worked with someone who constantly jumped (not literally) on children and fired questions at every opportunity...so that she could fill in her records!! Most of the children used to just look at her bemused I'm sure they were thinking she was nuts - actually she was a bit, left us to work elsehwere now..probably doing the same thing wherever she is but like someone else has said children quickly learn that when something is expected of them they can decide whether to co-operate or not, clever little monkeys aren't they.
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