Reflection 3: An hourglass

When I was in the preschooler’s room, I noticed that 2 boys aged 3 and 4 brought hourglasses and shapes to the table and were looking at them. The hourglasses looked beautiful as there were all different colours, shapes, and materials inside the hourglasses. I came to the boys and asked them, pointing to one of the hourglasses, if they know what it was and what it was for. The 3 year old boy said it was an object and the 4 year old boy said that it was a timer. I think both of the boys’ views were quite right. I asked them how many minutes to go until all the sand goes to the bottom when you turn it over. They did not know about that so we decided to measure the time with a wall clock. We did this experiment with the smallest one. We looked at the second hand in the clock on the wall, and turned the hourglass over. The boys were so excited to see how long it went. We counted together following the second hand in the clock. We discovered it was a just minute to go.        

I was wondering when actually a human being invented an hourglass. I went to Google it. I found out that it is unclear but it already existed in 14^th century because I found a depiction of one. Measuring times are essential for our everyday lives. An hourglass is a measuring tool. A sand glass can be used as a kitchen egg timer. It helps us to measure an accurate time for cooking an egg or whatever, otherwise we might miss it and it can be overcooked. Technology is about “helping people and solving problems” (Smorti, 1999, p.5). An hourglass is thus technology.

Another example of this is a way of turn taking for young children. In my teaching practicum last year, a teacher encouraged the children to use a sand timer for turn taking when they were using an iPad. It is because the teacher had just bought the iPad for children for their learning so the children were extremely excited to play with it and conflict occurred all the time. The behaviour of the children had become much better since using a sand glass.

Links with essential skills for contribution in Te Whāriki states that “growing experience in solving problems together develops children’s understanding of how technologies can help them and others” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.96). In this experience some of the children actually became keen on looking at the dropping sand. They also learned a mathematical concept from the sand timer. It is linked to the outcome for communication which is “children develop experience with some of the technology and resources for mathematics, reading, and writing” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.78). 

In the modern world, we now have a stopwatch or a digital egg timer to measure time. They are quite useful; however, I strongly recommend using an hourglass for young children to develop their mathematical skill and problem solving skill. Children can easily recognise the time concept by seeing dropping materials. Nowadays we use hourglasses as ornaments because they are beautiful. Therefore I believe that it can foster children's sense of aesthetics as well.
    

Reference list 

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki matauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media

Limited.

Smorti, S. (1999). Technology in early childhood. Early Education, 1, 5-10.

Reflection 2: An Electric Piano

Our centre has an electric piano. When I saw it for the first time, I was not sure if 3 or 4 years old children were able to use it because it is quite complicated to use.

One day when I arrived at the centre, I noticed that three children aged 3 were sitting at the electric piano and were touching the keyboard together. Tunes were coming out of the piano, and the three children were pretending to be playing the piano with the melodies. They were making rhythm with their bodies. I came to the children and started to hum along to the tunes.

The electric piano has a lot of buttons and knobs. I had no experience with an electric piano. I can not play any musical instruments anyway. I asked the children how they make tunes on the piano and what else they can do on it. One of the children showed me the switch button where they turn the piano on and off, the knob for volume, and the buttons which have numbers on them for making tunes. Their knowledge about the electric piano was just very basic; however, they were exploring it themselves. They were full of imagination when they were using the piano.

I suggested to them to try other buttons which they had not pressed yet, and see if something new happens. By trying other buttons, the children had found out that they can make sounds not only from piano but other different kinds of musical instruments such as a trumpet, a tambourine, a drum, a flute, and a guitar. They also had found out the piano can make a melody of their favourite song called ‘Twinkle twinkle little star’. They made that song again and again with joy.   

Through this activity, I recognised that children will learn a sense of music even though they can not play the piano with tunes yet because the piano helps people in making tunes and children listen and learn with it. Technology is “a creative and purposeful activity aimed at meeting needs and opportunities through the development of products, systems or environments” (Smorti, 1999, p.5). The electric piano is thus technology. Children also will be able to recognise and learn each musical instrument and different kinds of rhythms by pressing a button. Te Whāriki states that children develop “familiarity with the properties and character of the materials and technology used in the creative and expressive arts” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.80). Music is art. Children will be able to express their feelings and emotions in art by using that technology, which means that children will be able to communicate in this technology with others.

It is good to see that the teachers always turn the piano's switch on so that the children can play it whenever they want. I felf that adults need to know how to operate the electric piano so that the technology is more valuable for children's learning; however, another day some 4 year old girls taught me how to use it more confidently. I was surprised how knowledgeable of this technology 4 year olds are. Children are "competent users of technology, active agents in their own learning and very aware of the world beyond their family" (Arthur, & Beecher, & Death, & Dockett, & Farmer, 2007, p.13). With 3 year old children, adults and children can actually investigate each button and knob when they work on the piano together. 4 year old children can teach 3 year old children how to use it too. The children will develop knowledge of technology with the piano and they will confidently know how to study by themselves on it.

Reference list 

Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2007). Programming & Planning in early childhood settings. Victoria Australia, Australia: Cengage Learning Australia Pty Limited.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki matauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media Limited.

Smorti, S. (1999). Technology in early childhood. Early Education, 1, 5-10.