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简介
在描述环境的时候，“我们必须学会用孩子的眼睛去看待”(福 施特雷梅尔&山,2002年,pg 48)，我觉得适当的发挥想象力，从孩子的角度来看环境的外观和感觉等物理特性。
我的一群朋友都围坐在一个神秘的空间对象，背后是一个巨大的白床单挂在天花板上，我觉得我必须要小心翼翼的走进，坐下来，我的老师也小心翼翼地递给我一瓶半透明的回收瓶，里面充满了彩色的水。我谨慎的双手握着它，我感受得到他的沉重，我把它放在我的眼前，我的世界充斥着黄色，像太阳一般。老师告诉我，这就是空间对象，实际上这是一个投影仪,人们在作重要工作时都要用到的机器。同时我也感到很荣幸能够访问它，我们轮流用瓶子吧投影仪的表面点燃，保证每个人都有瓶子，彩色的水瓶子通过投影仪发出耀眼的光彩。在大白布后面我看到有一个巨大的锯齿状的圈子里面充满了色彩。如果我移动了瓶子，那么百步上的彩色也随着瓶子而移动，就像一个精彩绝伦的魔术一般.
Look and feel from childs perspective
Introduction
“We must learn to see with children's eyes” (Fu, Stremmel & Hill, 2002, pg 48) In describing the environment, I feel it appropriate to imagine how the physical features of the play context might look and feel from a child's perspective:
A small group of my friends are seated around a mysterious looking space object. Behind them is a huge white sheet hung from the ceiling. I feel I must be careful as I move closer and sit down. My teacher delicately hands me a recycled translucent bottle filled with coloured water; I grip it conscientiously with two hands. It feels heavy. If I hold it up to my eyes everything looks yellow like the sun. The space object, I am told, is actually an overhead projector, a real machine used by adults for important work. I feel honoured to have access to it. We take turns to place our bottles on the lighted surface of the projector; there are enough bottles for everyone to have a turn. The coloured water in the bottles glows as the light shines through them. On the big white sheet behind me I see gigantic jagged circles filled with colour. If I move the bottles around, I can make the colours on the sheet move too. Just like magic.
Not surprisingly, from a child's perspective the play context becomes animated, in other words, as Cadwell (2003) suggests it feels “electric and alive” (pg. 118).
I believe that the play context would suit both an older toddler and children of preschool age. If we hold an image of children as capable and competent, a two-year old is not too young to be included. The materials provided would hold a younger child's attention and be compatible to their developmental interests. Toddlers are able to classify simple objects and discover the nature of cause and effect (Wardle, 2003) and when engaged they are able to demonstrate intense concentration and purpose. An old-style projector positioned correctly and safely can also be used by a young child independently. I feel that a preschooler would be stimulated for a period of time; however, to satisfy their innate curiosity and rising ability to make comparisons, predictions and conclusions, the child may need more agency in the experience and to have access to a broader range of materials. Improvements to the play context for a preschooler (3-5 yrs) will be discussed in detail later on.
Analyse the context/play materials
Curtis and Carter (2008) claim that an adult's image of children can either amplify or reduce their experiences and abilities. By selecting materials using an enhanced view of children (Curtis and Carter, 2008) one must look at children as capable rather than incapable. This image of children rejects the view that childhood is less important or subordinate to adulthood (Matthews, 1994). In the play context the children have access to a ‘real' adult projector and it is at their level, allowing for independent exploration (Arthur, Beecher, Dockett, Farm & Death, 1996). It is believed that children acquire whatever the adults believe they are capable of (Curtis and Carter, 2008) and having access to this high quality material says to the child that they are capable, responsible and respectful (Curtis and Carter, 2003; Crowther, 2008). The child feels that they are being taken seriously and they are being provided with the best materials possible, not the child-like version that has a narrow focus on health and safety and whose quality tends to be low because of this. The provision of such materials sees children as human beings capable of real world experiences. The projector acts as the centrepiece of the context, positioned to engage a small group of children around it. The environment in essence is conducive to relationships, communicating to the child that they have the potential, curiosity and interest in engaging in social interaction and negotiation (Fu et al., 2002). By providing materials that can be used collaboratively amongst children, communicates an enhanced view of children as co-operative co-constructors of knowledge, as opposed to the reduced view of children as ‘ego-centric', a view inherent in Piagetian theory. The adult in the environment acts as a parallel player to engage the children. She makes the child feel significant; that what they are doing is meaningful to someone besides themselves (Wardle, 2003). In the context the open-ended materials are presented in unusual and complex ways to highlight the interplay of colour and light. This suggests to children that they are ‘flexible thinkers' (Wardle, 2003, pg. 270) who can appreciate and have the ability to understand things that we as adults find interesting, engaging and beautiful. The play context and materials provided communicate an enhanced view of children, catering to their rights as human beings and providing them with confidence and independence.
Matthews (1994) has claimed that Children are often more creative, more inquisitive and more imaginative than adults. Therefore it is responsibility of adults to be' inventors' and provide high quality experiences for children, ones that sustain their attention and engage their ‘lively minds' (Curtis and Carter, 2008, pg. 56). It is an adult's duty to ‘Invent new possibilities for familiar materials', effectively to become inventive with open-ended materials. In the play context the adult has taken a collection of water bottles (ordinary, every-day materials) and transformed them to stimulate a child's senses. A water bottle is a translucent material, it is hollow, malleable, safe to use, cheap, recyclable and easy to acquire. Water is one of nature's most valuable and open-ended materials. Adding water to the bottles stimulates observations and discussions about volume, dimension and spatial awareness. Adding food dye to the water, placing the water bottles on top of a projector and hanging a sheet from the ceiling, stimulates endless possibilities and discoveries about light, colour, shadow, translucency, shape and the relationships between them. The adult is modelling and creating possibilities for innate objects like water bottles stimulating the child's creative mind. The teacher's invention enhances the ordinary object (water bottle), highlighting its potential for deeper meaning, joy and complexity (Curtis and Carter, 2008). Flexible thinking is subconsciously encouraged by the teacher, and children who value conserving, preserving and recycling are nurtured (Curtis and Carter, 2003).
The last principle to be discussed is how the play context draws on the aesthetic qualities of materials and ‘enhances children's instinctive inclination to notice aesthetic elements' (Curtis and Carter, 2008, pg 60). The context communicates that the creator had an enhanced view of everyday materials, as she opened up our eyes to their aesthetic potential. How can a water bottle excite and soothe the sense? When combined with coloured water, a therapeutic element (Crowther, 2008), a simple over head projector and a sheet, the ordinary becomes extraordinary. The interplay of light and colour has the potential to create feelings of wonder, curiosity and awe. Children's emotions that are often denied and diminished are stimulated in this context. Inviting children to notice aesthetic details and concepts beyond the ordinary sensory investigation, the children come to see the connection between the solid objects (the water bottles) on the overhead projector and the gigantic colour filled circles on the sheet. They begin to notice patterns, textures, forms, lines, shapes, shadows and colours. A child may notice how the light magically glows through the bottles and how light effects colour. The children are able to arrange the coloured bottles according to their own aesthetic preference, instilling in them a sense of independence. The aesthetic elements of the space such as light, colour can define the play context, and can invite children to be careful and respectful within it.
Health and Safety
There are various health and safety issues that can be identified in the play context. For the most part they are conditions or behaviours that can easily be prevented or managed. Firstly, the behaviours in the environment that could lead to risk or injury are the interpersonal conflicts between children. There are a sufficient amount of water bottles provided but a range of materials offered would also help prevent conflicts from occurring. Younger children may put the bottles in their mouth. The spread of illness, infection and disease can be eliminated by cleaning and disinfecting the bottles after use. Cleaning the projector is necessary between uses also, as over time it may come to harbour bacteria. Because the water bottles are filled with water and an electrical appliance is being used in the context this presents a serious risk of electrocution, if the water comes into contact with the appliance. This can be prevented by adequate supervision by the adult and carefully sealing the lids of the water bottles with duct tape. If the over head projector does not have a stable base or if it is not placed on a flat safe surface it could be tipped over or fall and injure someone. If the power cable is within reach of children it could be either tripped over or pulled. If the over head projector is used incorrectly, if the bulb over heats, if the projector is not unplugged when cleaning or if the sheet hung from the ceiling is not fire proofed, electrocution or burns to the skin could be other potential risks. These hazards can mostly be prevented. A teacher can help children modify their behaviours to protect themselves by providing feedback, modelling and role playing (Robertson, 2007). The over head projectors instruction manual can be studied for proper care and maintenance; power cables can be hidden or be placed out of the way of children and fireproofing the material can be performed before use. Recognizing where the true risks lie is important in preventing life-changing class 1 injuries but allowing children to be children is also important as Robertson (2007) says, “we cannot prevent all bumps, bruises, minor cuts, and scratches. They are part of the experience of childhood” (pg. 199).#p#分页标题#e#
Improvements
One problem inherent in the play context is that the materials provided may be limiting for preschool children. The materials are already made and mixed (the bottles with coloured water) rather than allowing the children to combine and transform them (Curtis and Carter, 2003). Improvements can be made to the play context by providing a range of bottles of various shapes and sizes, prisms, holograms and jars to encourage problem solving and promote diversity of use (Crowther, 2008). These materials can be transformed by being placed on top of one another and invite children to notice commonalities and differences in the different shapes and forms. Children could also be offered a variety of translucent and opaque materials instead of a collection of different bottles, giving the children more choice and independence in their learning (Wardle, 2003). Such materials could include plastic shapes, glass gems, beads, Christmas baubles, frosted wine glasses, metal washers, discs, coins and strainers. Comparisons in outline, shape, size, colour and texture can be made, each material offering a new perspective. These materials would presented in small baskets according to their different characteristics helping children focus on what is available to them (Curtis and Carter, 2003) and letting them practice classification and curatorial skills (Roberts, 2008). A writing table adjacent to the experience would serve as an invitation for children to represent what they see. A way for children to record their observations and express their emotions. Drawing invites new questions and encourages closer observation (Roberts, 2008). I think it would be more beneficial for preschool children if the adult was not a parallel player but a facilitator in the children's learning. If she were to stand aside and listen to the children's observations and give the children encouragement when appropriate. This allows the children to make accidental discoveries and take chances. The new play context would increase the child's observational skills, give them the freedom to choose, experiment, set their own goals and work at their own pace. An environment conducive to the image of children as a researchers, co-constructors and protagonists in their learning.
Another idea suggested by Curtis and Carter (2003) would be to have clear transparencies and coloured white board texters for children to draw their own representations to project.
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