Reflection One: 12/08/13

Reflection One: The Carpentry Table

 

Two 2 year old boys side by side at the carpentry table were working together. One boy was using the vice and saw, and the other was hammering in a nail. They were having a discussion with one another about how busy they were, and how to go about their mahi. “We really busy aye L”, “Yeah, you hammering and I got the saw” “We builders aye C”, “Yup!” “L, you got to hold the saw like this, watch out for the stuff in your eyes”. “What stuff?” “The stuff that comes off the saw, when you put it through the wood”. The boys were focused on their task they had set themselves, and were fully immersed in their role playing, and had dressed in their workers gear.

 

With the world becoming more and more digital, it is easy to forget about the tried and tested technology that we take for granted but couldn’t live without. Smorti (1999) discuss how technology has changed the world we live in, and how we need to expand our understanding and awareness of this technology. The hammer and saw is technology that is used in everyday life, for example the houses we live in and furniture we use everyday would not be here if it wasn’t for the hammer and saw.

When the children are role playing and learning how to use the hammer and saw they are using technology that makes our lives easier and more comfortable. The exploration strand within Te Whāriki he whāriki mātauranga mō ngā Mokopuna o Aotearoa express within the belonging strand of the curriculum that children will develop an awareness of the connections they experience within and outside of the centre (Ministry of Education, 1996). With role playing in everyday situations they have witnessed in the world outside the centre, they are experiencing and making sense of what could potentially be a career, or practicing with tools and technology they will most likely use in the future. In using this technology they are also developing valuable life skills, in working together, relating to experiences in the world outside of the centre, building relationships, turn- taking, and helping one another. The exploration strand within Te Whāriki express how children take responsibility for their own learning, and the boys set their own tasks and expectations of themselves with using the tools (Ministry of Education, 1996). This follows the tuakana/ teina principle of children taking responsibility for their own learning from each other and passing on their own knowledge to their peers. Māori believe through tuakana/ teina and ako, a child will develop strong connections and strengthen the notion of whanaungatanga, relationships (Whaiti, McCarthy & Durie, 1997).

On reflection of this interaction I have come to the realisation that technology is all around us, and new learning is not only for digital technology. In observing the children it made me realise that as well as technology helping to make life easier, it is the learning children develop from technology. Smorti (1999) explain technology with the definition ‘technology is about helping people and solving problems’ (p. 5). The children worked together and helped each other to make the tools work better. With how digital the world is becoming, low level technology such as the hammer and saw is just as important in children’s learning as digital technology.

References:

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

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

Whaiti, T. P., McCarthy, M. & Durie, A. (1997). Mai I rangiatea Maori wellbeing and development. Auckland, New Zealand: Auckland University Press with Bridget Williams Books.