LET'S CHILD THINK!

This week we started to lesson with discussing NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) and its function about early childhood education. I have heard this organization before and I have gained benefit when preparing my homework from this organization site. Then we talked about what we expect from child during science learning. Those are;

• Raise questions


• Explore materials/ objects


• Make careful observations


• Describing, comparing, sorting and classifying


• Use variety tools to extend observation


• Engage investigations


• Record observations


• Work collaboratively (communication)

Then we discussed the questioning types of divergent and convergent. It is sure that both two types are important for extracting children's thoughts and opinions. However, I think that divergent questioning is more effective one. In my opinion, if you give correct answers to the child directly without evolution possibility, children cannot improve thinking, reasoning and cause effect abilities. On the other hand, if we provide learning with divergent questions , we enhance to children make decisions, express ideas and discussing the different points of view. For this reason, divergent questioning, is more effective method for both children and teachers. While talking about questioning types, I also learned their sub terms. Divergent questioning is related with;

• instigating discovery
• eliciting predictions
• probing for understanding
• serving as a catalyst
• encouraging creative thinking
• reflecting on feelings

whereas convergent questioning is about

• direction attention
• recalling the temporal order
• recalling prior conditions

This week's laboratory session included many activities about air which were done by Rukiye and Kübra. They did lots of activities and many of them really interesting and beneficial. Especially 'parachute' activity and 'air compressing' activities took my attention. Moreover, extra activity part fulfilled with funny activities. We saw the different sound vibrations with different length of pipes and we made a 'hacıyatmaz' and discussed the its reason: center of gravity.

All activities were efficient and beneficial so I want to congratulate my friends.

This week I learned several new terms:

• divergent: going off in different directions from a center.
• convergent: tending to one point of focus
• incidental: likely to happen in connection with something else
• instigated: teşvik etmek
• probing: investigation
• eliciting: drawn out