Videative Demonstration
Problem Solving: Getting out of a Loop
Children use glue to stick things together. Children can count on glue for this purpose. But sometimes they do not want glue to stick, such as when they have finished gluing and want to get the glue off their fingers. Now the constant stickiness becomes a problem to solve.
Watch how Paul, a patient four year old, methodically uses his
right hand to pick at a spot of glue on his left hand. You guessed
it, he gets the glue off his left hand but now it is stuck to his
right! He does this again in reverse. Paul is not solving his problem;
he simply exchanges one problem for another. He is in a loop. Lets
watch (
click
here).
In order to change his strategy Paul will have to figure out that he is in this loop of swapping problems instead of solving problems. He needs to back away and think about the relations or “structure” of the effects: glue on that hand is no better than glue on this hand. We call this process of figuring out the structure “schematization.”
Once he figures out the structure of these effects, he understands
he is getting nowhere. So he invents new strategies that use surfaces
other than his hand: the back of the chair, and then his mouth.
Yuck, the glue tastes bad so he bends over and spits it out. Lets
watch. ( click
here).
Getting Out of a Loop can be purchased and downloaded immediately for $6 by clicking here.
Implications for Teachers
We see that Paul was able to sense the structure of the effects, the loop of not getting anywhere. Even so, a teacher sitting nearby could help Paul think about this structure at a higher level of consciousness. She might decide simply to put this structure into her own words. “I noticed when you took the glue off your right hand it got stuck on your left hand.” This comment is not a question; it is just a declarative description. Thanks to the teacher, Paul now has some words to help him remember the structure of this ordinary but profound little moment. If the teacher knows that Paul is more verbal, she might ask Paul what was going on. He might say, "Aww, the glue really was sticky!" The teacher might add, "So sticky that it would stick to the hand you were using to take it off." The teacher's comment was probably implied in what Paul said, so the teacher was just bringing this structure to the fore. This form of expanding an implied meaning is part of the co-construction of knowledge between teacher and child.
Questions,
Comments, or Suggestions? |
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