How to facilitate complex thinking in preschoolers?

While I am on my December school-break, I helped my aunt to look after my cousins as they attend a Christmas practice in their school. I was sitting on the bench and overheard a group of parents chatting about their toddlers and preschoolers. They were boasting how  "advance" their children were and how the school offers a progressive curriculum for toddlers. “At 27 months he knows all the letter sound.  The teacher used Play and Technology approach to teach him.”, one parent exclaimed. I was amazed and wondered about the school.  I decided to visit the school and see what it has to offer pretending to be a potential client.  I found out that they are using different audio-visual activities to teach letters and phonics to children. They also give rewards to children at the end of the day and homework every Friday.  To make it more detailed, let's say that they will teach ABC. They will use audio for the child to listen,  followed by flashcard to teach exactly the same from what they heard. Then, they will use worksheet to test if the child got the idea, if not they will repeat the audio and visual method. After that, they will use the iPad and engage the child in a game, but still the same concept/words and pictures. If the child is able to retell, then they will give the reward for the day. On a Friday, they will give exactly the same worksheet they use the whole week.

The school is using repetition technique for these toddlers which is a very good way to grasp the concept. It helps to stimulate synapses in the brain. However, I felt deeply sorry for these little fellows. They were not given a chance  to explore, to wonder, to touch or feel, to investigate, to inquire, to move, to see variations, and to innovate as they learn letters and sounds. Based on the Article 13.1 of the  United  Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), “The child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in form of art, or through any other media of the child’s choice.”.  These children have a short attention span and sensory learners. They should be engaged in sensorial play and socialization to gain an understanding of the concept around them. This also against the theoretical standpoint of some educational philosopher like John Dewey, which states that “The purpose of education should not revolve around the acquisition of pre-determined set of skills, but rather the realization of one’s full potential and the ability to use those skills for greater good.”, And,  according to the Bloom’s taxonomy, “ Skills in the cognitive domain revolves around knowledge, comprehension, and critical thinking on particular topic. Traditional education tends to emphasize the skills in this domain, particularly the lower-order objectives. [1]

Using of worksheets, flashcards and iPads may also cause myopia to young children. In China, 90% of children and young adults by 2013 have myopia due to excessive exposure to mobile devices[2].

Though it may seem good to see a toddler naming letters, through flash cards and technological devices, I do not believe that this learning will retain, once he stop schooling for some time.  As I become an educator, I believe that in order to promote retention of learning, we should provide them with a meaningful and enjoyable learning experience. When we were young, we remember most those experiences that made us feel extremely happy, sad, or challenged. I believe that the more children enjoy the experience, the more learning took place, and this learning will retain until they got older.  Early years’ educators should emphasize teaching  “How to think” rather than transmitting facts through memorization and repetition. Bruner once said “Learning should be spurred by interest in the material rather than tests or punishment, we learn best when we find the knowledge we’re obtaining appealing.”.[3]

By nature, people are curious about  the things they don’t know or don’t experience. I believe that through this curiosity,  children may want to discover more. Giving them a solution/ answer right away is a temporary solution. But, by helping  children to unpack every detail of a concept, they will become investigators and inquirers of their own learning. The more hurdles/mistakes they encounter during the process, the more meaningful the learning could be. Once the children found out the answer to their investigation, they will feel proud and consider it as one of their achievements.

Although complex as it may seem, I find it fulfilling facilitating children using an eclectic approach which facilitates complex thinking in preschoolers.

How to facilitate complex thinking in preschoolers?

There is no single template or approach in teaching preschoolers on how to think. Hence, there are different forms of  thinking associated with classroom learning which are interrelated.

Complex thinking may begin with the desire to discover. Curiosity motivates children to explore or to ask questions to adults for guidance. Meaningful questions are made because of curiosity about real world experiences (e.g. A child was prohibited by his parents to play in the rain because he might get sick. And so he asked “Why rain makes people sick, it’s just water?”)

In his book How We Think, John Dewey defined critical thinking as reflective thought – an active, persistent, and careful consideration of a belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds which support it and the further conclusion to which it tends. Critical thinking involves children in the learning process by allowing them to probe and question while encouraging them to process and analyze the information through reflection and evaluation. (Dewey [1910] 2008, 6)[4]

Curiosity may formulate questions

Using this curiosity and question, the educator may use, inquiry-based approach to start. Inquiry-based learning is a dynamic process. “It is an approach to learning that involves a process of exploring the natural or material world, that leads to asking questions and making discoveries in the search for new understandings.” (National Science Foundation, 2001)[5]

Sometimes, questions may come from an adult if the child is curious, but does not dare to ask or do not know how to ask but shows interest (e.g. Teacher: Why do you think your parents say that the rain can make us fall sick?, What is your idea about it?). This is when the approach may  be teacher-directed. By asking questions, the teacher may know  to what extent the child knows about a certain topic (rain and how it affects people’s health). A paradigm of constructivism, in which the teacher will seek the child’s prior knowledge and links it to new information. From there, the teacher may develop a concept web on what topics a child is interested and what concepts he needs to know; followed by a lesson planning of learning experiences.

Concept webbing

To better promote complex thinking, the educator should consider many factors as he makes his concept web and planning. First, teacher need to consider and ponder:

•  How  can I involve them in writing, reading, and counting (or other subject matter in your curriculum)? 

• How can I involve them in a cooperative investigation and individual learning experience?

• How can I let them use the 100 languages in expressing their thoughts and ideas? The hundred languages by L. Malaguzzi is actually a metaphor used to indicate the plethora of expressive means with which children represent and convey ideas and emotions as well as the multiple ways in which they comprehend the world.)[6]. 

• How can help them to use all of their senses in their investigation?

• What topics have we covered so far? 

• What are the other information we haven’t unpacked? 

• How will we move on from here?, How can I extend the learning?

• How can I scaffold the children’s knowledge about rain? Etc. 

From those questions, the teacher will search for resources (resources may be materials, place or even people).

Classroom as the third teacher

A conducive learning environment may help the teacher to teach concepts about the topic of interest. The teacher may set materials or self-help activities. In Reggio Emelia approach, they called it “classroom as the third teacher” and use provocations. Provocation intrigues children and allows them to manipulate the materials and investigate it. The teacher may use different media or different learning corners to invite children for investigation. In their Math corner, the teacher may place black cotton balls and a stencil of a cloud drawing. On one side, there is a question “How many black cotton balls you can use to fill the cloud drawing?” In the reading corner, the teacher may write topic-related words that have a letter “r” in it (e.g. evaporation, rain, water, vapor) and may ask a child to encircle all the letter “r” he can see.  Provocation may also come from the children thoughts/idea. One child said “Maybe the rain has germs which make us sick”.  Using this statement, a teacher may provide open-ended materials that they can use to investigate the rain particle. For instance, Student A, used a plastic cup, and placed a coffee filter inside while student B used an index card, punched a hole in the middle and placed a scotch tape on it. Logically, the children invented these to help them investigate. Soon, the teacher may introduce them to a microscope, wherein the children may investigate further. By introducing new material, the children may learn how to handle the material with care, name its parts and be able to know more about water and air pollution and ask further questions to their inquiry topic. Through this, critical thinking and creative thinking took place. Critical thinking  is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action (Scriven & Paul, 1992)[7] . While, creativity is the ability to make or do something new that is also useful or valued by others (Gardner, 1993)[8]. A teacher may also use different intelligences (Multiple intelligence by H. Gardner) to further enhance creative and critical thinking. She may invite a group of children to demonstrate the particles they saw in the microscope using bodies or paint their understanding of the water cycle. The teacher may also encourage children to make their own stories of rain, the water cycle or germs in the rain.

Documentation and Teacher’s reflection

Implementing complex thinking in the classroom doesn’t end by providing meaningful learning experiences alone. Teachers need to reflect and analyze; 

This is when teachers need to come up with  documentation or journal. Documentation doesn’t have to be a long narrative report, as long as you took photos and recorded children’s voices, you are able to make another concept web or make a complex planning again. And the investigation and inquiry will never stop. It may go from one topic to another.

[1] Pelo,A.(2006).Growing a culture of inquiry: Observation as professional development. Exchange, November/December 2006.

[2] berkeleywellness.com

[3] Malaguzzi, L. (1994). Your Image of the child: Where teaching begins.

[4] Dewey [1910] 2008, How we think

[5] Prayogo, E (2014) Cultivating inquiry in everyday moments

[6] http://www.reggiothessaloniki.gr/en/oi-ekato-glosses/

[7] Scriven & Paul, (1992) cited from http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/cogsys/critthnk.html

[8] Gardner (1993) , https://pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu/educational-psychology-3ed/chapter/facilitating-complex-thinking/