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Learning dispositions.
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I ended with dispositions in my previous post; this post and the subsequent one will continue on that. Dispositions are how a person responds to situations, whether positively or negatively. Knowledge and skills are important, but dispositions determine whether they will be used. I have kids in my class who may have knowledge, but they lack confidence. They learn it because they have to, not because they want to. There are desirable and non-desirable dispositions; MOE has the
PRAISE, obviously desirable dispositions.
Perseverance,
Reflectiveness,
Appreciation,
Inventiveness,
Sense of Wonder and Curiosity, and
Engagement.
There are a further 5 dispositions that align with PRAISE, developed by Stone MacDonald and her colleagues.
Curious,
Perseverant,
Flexible,
Reflective, and
Collaborative. These dispositions have to be taught in integration. If we teach them in isolation, whether consciously or subconsciously, we risk undermining what was already taught. That is a reason for integration. If we isolate English and Math, the other concept suddenly seems less valuable because the focus right now is not on it.
STEM is about
Science,
Technology,
Engineering, and
Math. All 4 can be integrated, not in isolation. Like us during COVID-19. I digress.
Dispositions should also be role-modelled by teachers, as activities might not evoke the same disposition in every child. Some children will be less persevering than others.
I shall talk about
Curiosity, the first disposition.
Curiosity is really about filling the gaps in knowledge. It has two contrasting features: a concern for orderliness and an openness to novel stimuli.
Piaget’s adaptation (assimilation + accommodation) fits in here when a child discovers that a schema, or concept, does not fit well into his prior knowledge. Assimilation happens when the child changes that information, and accommodation is when the child changes what he already knows. Highly curious people have high levels of both orderliness and openness.
Curiosity is the main driving force behind why children are always touching or looking around, trying to understand the world around them. As adults or educators, we should not stifle their learning, but encourage them to do so within clearly defined boundaries. No touching of the cooking pot. We can develop curiosity by using questions to extend their thinking, beyond what is the current concepts. The key is not to share the answer, but to encourage children to think and have collaborative thinking with each other.
I found a journal article about
curiosity in young children.
Curiosity is developed naturally, but also through social interactions (Engel, 2011). The author noted an incident of how a teacher was too stifled about the lesson, so she ignored the curiosity of a group of children. They were going out of her plans and were discovering new concepts. Instead of cultivating or extending their learning, she stopped them and ended the lesson.
It has happened to me during science experiments. My objectives were not met, but thanks to a child’s observation, I could carry on the learning, which, though the experiment was a “failure”, the learning did not stop. It was a hot day to use ice, so the ice melted. A child commented about condensation. I went on with it, got the class to observe their containers for condensation, and later on, I talked briefly about the water cycle. Honestly, it did not feel good for my ego. I want my lessons to go well, not perfectly. It shows my planning and administration. But, during these times, we have to think about the children first.
Interestingly, for toddlers, they must have a secure figure in their lives before they are willing to explore. Ainsworth did an experiment called the Strange Situation. You can look it up yourself. It talks about how the toddler was able to explore the toys when her mother was present, but showed complete disdain when the mother left. Even in the presence of an adult, who was a stranger, the toddler had only her mother on her mind. Hence, attachment is a key factor in how a child develops curiosity.
There are reasons why educators fail to inculcate
curiosity. One reason could be the standards. In Singapore, teachers are expected to teach children reading and writing skills. We would be more than willing to allow children to have fun with manipulatives, but when the time constraint and the pressures of children not meeting developmental needs start to kick in, often these “time-wasting” activities take less priority. However, I do believe there needs to be a balance.
A child-directed curriculum does not mean the teacher does not have any plans or allows the children to derail the lesson in any direction they like. Part of DAP is to have a balance between child-directed and teacher-directed. The educator needs to have a clear view of milestones, based on observations of children.
Next, I will move on to
Persistence. While
curiosity is about getting to know something new and hoping to strike a balance with prior knowledge, persistence is about being able to stay engaged with the task. Self-regulation plays a part here in ensuring the child can stay focused on something. I have children in my class who are learning that. During quiet time, some are unable to close their eyes and keep still. It is also about not giving up.
Persistence benefits children in their success in the future. Infants are capable of showing persistence; they tend to do repeated actions with a toy. One way to develop
persistent thinking in infants or toddlers is to guide them to think about their thinking, and that can be achieved by narrating their actions.
Persistence is just trying to solve the problem of constantly thinking of solutions.
By articulating what children are doing, we are breaking down the big tasks into bite-sized pieces, so children are more capable of solving them. I scaffold children by using feeding-back, to narrate what they are doing. Cognitive structuring plays a part here, where the steps they take are articulated for them to understand. Sometimes children do things without realising.
There are many resources available online that talk about
persistence as a positive disposition. Students who have persistence can handle uncertainty and handle it with systematic solutions; it is a positive mindset, and it is crucial in the 21st century (NSW Government, 2019). It is not a negative disposition, that is, stubbornness. It is the ability to keep trying, but doing so with a positive mindset.
Finally, I shall answer these questions with regard to the first 2 dispositions,
Curiosity and
Persistence.
What role does each disposition play in children’s construction of knowledge?
Curiosity: Making sense of the world, teachers have to teach not stifle
Persistence: Keep trying the same method, and also thinking of new ways.
What are the behavioural indicators for each of these dispositions …
for young children?
Curiosity: Aware of changes, observant
Persistence: Never give up from failure, willing to try again and again
for yourself as a beginning teacher?
Curiosity: Always wanting to learn, fill in the gaps of prior with new knowledge
Persistence: Keep trying, don’t give up
How can each of these dispositions be cultivated and nurtured/strengthened?
Curiosity: Encouragement, giving space, unrushed
Persistence: Breaking down tasks by scaffolding
References
Chen, D. (2020). ECE102 Children as thinkers and meaning makers (study guide). Singapore: Singapore University of Social Sciences.
Engel, S. (2011). Children's Need to Know: Curiosity in Schools. Harvard Educational Review, 625-645,784.
NSW Government. (2019, December 6). Learning Dispositions. Retrieved from NSW Government:
https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/school-learning-environments-and-change/future-focused-learning-and-teaching/learning-dispositions
Stone-MacDonald, A., Wendell, K., Douglass, A., & Love, M. L. (2015). Engaging Young Engineers- Teaching Problem-Solving Skills Through STEM. Baltimore, Maryland: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
