Playing with Knowledge...
Jean Piaget lived in Switzerland between 1896-1980. He was a biologyst, psychologyst and a genetic epistemologyst, which means that he investigated about the nature and the beginning of the knowledge. He focused especially on thought processes and defended his Constructivist Theory (in which kids achieve more knowledge through constructing instead of instructing).
While ohers asked WHAT children know or WHEN they know it, he asked HOW children arrive at that they know. In that we are going to base on activity number 6.
This activity will consist in two different exercises, both related with Piaget's theories of knowledge and cognitive development.
1. The first exercise of the activity will take place in the Gym of the school and with the entire class group. It will be divided in two more parts:
2. The second exercise will be different in organisation. Here, the teacher will divide the class in groups of two, five or eight. Then, the teacher will purpose a situation related with the concepts and practical activities they will have done before, and students will have to represent it in the way they have understood the first part. For instance, they should reproduce how to check one's blood pressure or to say which aliments we should eat and in which quantity per week.
In this second exercise, they will work in accomodation, one of the fundamental part of the cognitive development according to Piaget. They have to ensure that they have understood all the concepts and adapt them in their routine life. This way, we will care about the egocentrism of every child meanwhile they will be representing a concept or an idea ahead of their classmates. In both exercises, the concepts of interaction and cooperation are essentially important.
1. The first exercise of the activity will take place in the Gym of the school and with the entire class group. It will be divided in two more parts:
- Before all, kids will do a warm-up part, due to we have seen in the previous activities that is a necessary part before doing any kind of exercise. In that while they will be running, they will stop organising themselves according to their height, from the taller to the shorter one. Also, they can use their age as an organisation system.
- In the second part, they will use balls from many different sports: volleyball, football, basketball, handball, tennis, rugby and water polo. After an explanation in what the teacher will introduce the balls and materials of different sports - which they will have practised in other previous activities- their differences and the reason of the differences.
2. The second exercise will be different in organisation. Here, the teacher will divide the class in groups of two, five or eight. Then, the teacher will purpose a situation related with the concepts and practical activities they will have done before, and students will have to represent it in the way they have understood the first part. For instance, they should reproduce how to check one's blood pressure or to say which aliments we should eat and in which quantity per week.
In this second exercise, they will work in accomodation, one of the fundamental part of the cognitive development according to Piaget. They have to ensure that they have understood all the concepts and adapt them in their routine life. This way, we will care about the egocentrism of every child meanwhile they will be representing a concept or an idea ahead of their classmates. In both exercises, the concepts of interaction and cooperation are essentially important.
Objectives:
- To adapt their own ideas and understanding with the new information that they receive.
- To know how to work in group, developing the socialisation and the integration between classmates.
- To strengthen their idea of the things that compose the world and make them understand that there exist more points of view of that things.
- To discover that every sport has different materials in different sizes.
- To know why the material of each sport have different sizes.
- To learn how to interpret a situation with all things that they will have learned during the activities.
- To know how to work in group, developing the socialisation and the integration between classmates.
- To strengthen their idea of the things that compose the world and make them understand that there exist more points of view of that things.
- To discover that every sport has different materials in different sizes.
- To know why the material of each sport have different sizes.
- To learn how to interpret a situation with all things that they will have learned during the activities.
Materials:
The most important in these activities are the thought and the own perception of every child, and for that the material should have a minor role. We will use balls from different sports.
Methods:
Class distribution:
In the first exercise we are going to use the entire class, because they will use their own bodies and with all the class they will understand better the concept of comparison.
In the second one, we will make groups of 2, 5 or 8 (depending on the moment of the activity the teacher will specify it). It's important the socialisation and the prominence of each student, and for that, it's important the variety in the number of children and the reorganisation of them.
Time and Space:
The activity will occur in the Gym of the school, and the total length will be 2 hours and 15 minutes.
The first part of the activity, which includes the theoretical part, will last 1 hour and 30 minutes approximately.
We will dedicate 25 minutes in the second activity and finally 20 minutes in the evaluation.
In the first exercise we are going to use the entire class, because they will use their own bodies and with all the class they will understand better the concept of comparison.
In the second one, we will make groups of 2, 5 or 8 (depending on the moment of the activity the teacher will specify it). It's important the socialisation and the prominence of each student, and for that, it's important the variety in the number of children and the reorganisation of them.
Time and Space:
The activity will occur in the Gym of the school, and the total length will be 2 hours and 15 minutes.
The first part of the activity, which includes the theoretical part, will last 1 hour and 30 minutes approximately.
We will dedicate 25 minutes in the second activity and finally 20 minutes in the evaluation.
Evaluation:
During this activity, it's important that the child ensure he/she embrace all the ideas and concepts that we will have worked during all the P.E project. For this reason, the best way of evaluating each student, is to see if they can represent correctly a situation during the second exercise. The accomodation of new concepts is the most important way of improving the knowledge of the children, as Piaget said, and we have to take in consideration that.
At the same time, it is utterly important that teachers act by the right techniques (making questions and adapting their answers to the doubts of the pupils). This way, they will be able to encourage the children to progress through the stages.
At the same time, it is utterly important that teachers act by the right techniques (making questions and adapting their answers to the doubts of the pupils). This way, they will be able to encourage the children to progress through the stages.