Have you ever wondered exactly what is going through a child's head
when he/she is asked to complete a problem? Better yet, have you
ever wondered what is going through a child's head when he/she is given
no instructions to a problem, just materials? How does a child conduct
an investigation and draw conclusions from his/her experiences? This
lesson is a way for adults to understand how children process discovery,
and it is a lesson for upper elementary and middle school children to actually
process their discoveries.
Materials:
10 "C" batteries
10 flashlight light bulbs
20 coated wires (20 cm)
10 bags of assorted small objects
(nails, screws, plastic buttons, twist ties, about 5 conductors, and
5 nonconductors)
Objectives:
To give participants a personal experience with the Discovery Process
children go through.
Procedure:
Intro: "Have you ever wondered exactly how a child reaches the conclusions
he/she reaches when working on an assigned problem? This is an opportunity
for you to become the child for a few minutes and actually discover how
he/she goes through a process to reach those conclusions."
This is not an activity to be done with preschoolers, and lower elementary grades. However, those children discover in much the same way. This lesson is designed to show you, as adults, how children process discovery.
Next: Break up participants into small groups, preferably with people they don't know. Each group is given a bag of materials, and they are asked to begin investigating how the different objects interact with each other. Each group is encouraged to walk around the room and observe and share ideas of what is going on in other groups. It is important that the instructor provides NO instruction here. This is an activity modeling open inquiry.
Then: The adults will be given about 5 minutes for this activity. However, children will need longer because they need to move at their own pace.
Next: Ask the groups to go back to their original seats and begin to discuss with everyone what they discovered about their materials. Some groups will have figured out how to make a simple circuit, where others will be frustrated and confused. They can try different spots on the battery where the wire does allow electricity to flow through, and each group will be worked with until their bulb has lit.
Finally: After discussion, share with the participants that they have just completed an activity that puts them in the role of a child engaged in Discovery Learning. Discuss any questions they may have.
