Off Fishing....

With the new arrival of materials in our carpentry area, both the children and teachers have been actively exploring these items and their uses. While in the outside area I noticed two boys, D (four years old) and I (four years old) sitting together, on a slightly risen platform, each holding a measuring tape from the carpentry table. As I continued to observe both boys unravelled their tape, locked it into place, then tossed the hard end as far as they could while still holding firmly to the end of the measuring tape itself.

While repeating this action I overheard the boys comparing what fish they had caught! As I approached D confirmed my theory and exclaimed “Look Teacher, we’re fishing!”
Because the play was damaging the new equipment I pointed out to the boys that the hard rocks in the water seemed to be breaking the fishing lines they had made and asked what else they could use to fish with that would be more suitable or the job.

After a few seconds of pondering, D suggested string. I encouraged this idea and suggested we take the measuring tapes back to the carpentry table and try out D’s suggestion of string. Both boys agreed enthusiastically and ran ahead to the carpentry area. D and I got straight into designing their fishing lines, D carefully drew his out then began collecting the materials he wanted to use. 

I did not interfere with his design or physical construction but did suggest tools for certain jobs, such as the hand drill to create a hole through his wood, and put language to the specialty tools and skills he was using.

I also demonstrated the use of equipment new to D and the other children. After a long construction process D and I left the carpentry table with their custom made fishing rods and tried them out in the water trough. I could see they were both proud of their creations.

I used the teaching techniques of demonstrating to assist the children’s learning of this new (and to most, what seemed foreign) equipment. I believe this use of teaching technique was appropriate as the children involved were enthusiastic to learn the new skills (MacNaughton, Williams, 2009).

Socio-Cultural perspectives also remind us that optimal learning environments are created when links to children’s lives at home and interests are made, and valued within the centre (Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett, and Farmer, 2007). Although the children were not using any form of digital technology, which Is what up to this point, I thought of when talking about technology, they were using a large range on non-digital technology such as scissors, hammers,hand drills, clamps and string. These are all valid forms of technology as Smorti reminds us “technology is about helping people in solving problems” (1999, p. 5). This statement also supports the belief that fishing rods are a form of non-digital technology which interestingly can be found cross-culturally and throughout time.

I felt this experience provided an opportunity for the boys to design, and create their own pieces of technology which I found to be an empowering experience for all those involved. This experience also nurtured their “perception of themselves as capable of acquiring new interests and abilities” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 68). This experience challenged my understanding and categorization of non-digital technology.

Before this experience I found it hard to even name five pieces of non-digital technology, but now I can find it everywhere I look and can see the important and relevant role it plays in our everyday lives, such as the use of mirrors, toothbrushes, saddles, lawn mowers, and helmets to name a minuscule few. I wonder if I looked past these important pieces of technology that we use so regularly in our day to day lives because they have always been present in mine. I seem to have taken these for granted because I have never experienced a world without them.

From my own learning through this experience, I’m going to endeavor to introduce, use, supply, and explore pieces of non-digital technology with the children to strengthen their knowledge and understanding of these tools, how they work and what we use them for, to continue to support these links between the home and the centre. .

References

Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2007). Programming and planning in early childhood settings (4^th ed.). South Melbourne, Australia: CENGAGE Learning.

MacNaughton, G., & Williams, G. (2009). Techniques for teaching young children: Choices in theory and practice (3rd ed.). Frenchs Forrest, Australia: Pearson Prentice Hall.

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

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