Father’s day, gingerbread man and technology

(01/09/2011) Today we have had a lot of discussions between the children and teachers of what should we do for Father’s Day. I wrote down all the answers which were gathered from the children and teachers. The answers included making cards, drawing and painting pictures, taking photos, and making biscuits. As we all agreed that every father is the most important person in our lives, we decided to give a big surprise to our dads. We would like to make Father’s Day cards today, bake gingerbread man tomorrow and use both of them to celebrate this important day. As shopping is one of my favourite activities, I took the task to buy the ingredients.

(02/09) This morning, I prepared the ingredients and displayed them on the low table. In order to invite all the children to work together, we put two tables together. The children immediately gathered together through observing, smelling and touching the materials to study and sense the ingredients after the hygiene process. After investigating of “what does this look like”, we took turns to use the measurement cups to measure the ingredients and put them into a big bowl. The children were also encouraged to take turns stirring the ingredients, making the shapes and adding the chocolate buttons on. We sent the beautiful gingerbread men to the kitchen to bake after we finished the making process. Most importantly, during the whole activity, some children shared their own cooking and baking experiences with us.     

Cooking and baking activities are popular in our room. In the play dough corner, family area and the sandpit, children always engage in these kinds of play. In the cooking and baking activities, children make their own decisions on what they would like to make? And how they would like to make it? During the making process, children actively explore different kinds of materials, tools, methods to solve their own problems and make sense of the physical and material world (Ministry of Education, 1996). Mawson (2006) emphasised that exploration is an important part of learning technology.

In today’s real baking activities, the children developed their working theories to use equipment and materials in an appropriate way in making gingerbread men. Fleer and Jane (2011) stated that the process of baking helps to develop children’s technological skills as they are confidently experiencing the process of choosing tools and equipment, measuring and mixing ingredients and presenting the products that they make. Furthermore, in the activity, I noticed children encountered two stages in the development of technological capability which were identified by Ian Napper (1991, cited in Mawson, 2002). These two stages are the exploratory stage and the problem solving stage.  

The chances to explore material, tools, equipment and fixing methods in order to help them to develop their abilities to solve problems are important elements in the technological experience of young children (Mawson, 2002). Smorti (1999) stated that process cooking provides relevant technological learning opportunities within an early childhood service to meet children’s learning needs. Process cooking is not only a creative process, but also a purposeful activity – to produce food. During the cooking process, children are encouraged to use their prior knowledge to solve problems, at the same time, they also grow in other areas of knowledge and skills, such as science, mathematics, literacy, language, physical, social and emotional skills (Smorti, 1999).

Process cooking is one of the hands-on, natural, and meaningful activities which can be use to develop technological knowledge and capability of the children (Mawson, 2002). As ECE teachers, that is our responsibility to actively create a rich learning environment and opportunity that allows children to explore further problem-solving skills.  In this activity, the children understand how many ingredients we have prepared; and how to use water to mix all the ingredients together. Most importantly, as the gingerbread men were made for the children to celebrate Father’s Day, this activity creates a connection between the children’s families and the centre.  

Fleer and Jane (2011) states that creative thinking and critical thinking are part of problem-solving and are fostered by providing children with experiences of looking at a problem from different perspectives. In this activity, the children were working together observing, questioning, discussing, investigating, listening and reasoning to foster and develop a positive learning environment to encourage collaborative learning. The children scaffold and facilitated each other to think, discuss, and reflect by asking relevant questions, investigating their ideas and challenging their thinking. I implemented the following steps in encouraging the problem-solving skills and developing children’s technological learning dispositions in the activity: understanding and identifying the problem, working together and planning to solve the problem, carrying out the plan, and reviewing and reflecting the solution to the next step of investigation (Ministry of Education, 1996).

This activity made me understand that children’s development of technological knowledge and capability happens in a supportive and positive context I am a part of and co-constructing technological, science and mathematics learning with the children in our daily routines.      

References:

Fleer, M., & Jane, B. (2011). Design and technology for children (3^rd ed.). Frenchs Forest NSW: Pearson.

Mawson, B. (2002). Developing technology in early childhood settings. Early Education, 29(Winter). p 11-16.

Mawson, B. (2006, December, 7-8). Capable and competent: Young children, Values and technology education. Paper presented at the 4^th Biennial International Conference On Technology Education Research, Surers Paradise, Queensland.

Ministry oāriki, he whaariki mātaurauge mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

f Education, (1996).Te Wh

Smorti, S. (1999). Technology in early childhood. Early Education, 19, 5-9.