Tutoring Interactions between Young Children: How Symmetry can Modify                 Asymmetrical Interactions

The constructivist and interactionist approach to cognitive development emphasises the importance of the active participation of children in social interactions and their contribution to knowledge acquisition. Peer tutoring is one way of making such a contribution. During the preschool period, children develop specific skills that allow them to assist and guide less competent peers through the learning process. This study was aimed at gaining insight into the potentials of tutoring in young children, and at demonstrating the role of the symmetrical relationship which prevails in peer interaction in expert-novice problem-solving activity. An adult trained 24 boys and girls for a building task. The young “experts” were then observed with 48 same- and different-age novices of the same sex. The results showed that already at this young age, the experts and novices exhibited asymmetric interactions fulfilling the essential functions of tutoring. The tutors geared their actions to the task demands but were not yet sensitive to the novice’s needs. Qualitative analysis of interactive episodes indicate that the symmetrical nature of the two partners’ skills and statuses brought the tutoring closer to several forms of co-operation or to specific parallel work: While guiding the partner, the expert child shared the problem-solving activity with the novice, consolidating his/her own know-how at the same time. The shift—under some circumstances—from asymmetrical interactions to symmetrical co-elaboration suggests a new conception of sociocognitive functioning in the construction of knowledge.

Download Full-text

Human Systems Integration (HSI) in Navy Ship Manpower Reduction

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/154193129604001905 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 40 (19) ◽

pp. 977-981 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

J. Robert Bost ◽

Thomas B. Malone ◽

Clifford C. Baker ◽

Charles D. Williams

Keyword(s):

Problem Solving ◽

Task Demands ◽

Reduction Techniques ◽

Front End ◽

Human Systems Integration ◽

Design Requirements ◽

Workload Reduction ◽

Specific Operator

The HSI approach to ship and ship system design for manning reduction is based on the standard human factors front-end analysis to identify functions and requirements, allocate functions to determine the role of the human vs. automation, identify approaches to reduce workload, and conduct task network workload simulation to establish the effectiveness of selected workload reduction techniques. The classes of workload reduction are focused on design requirements associated with automation of functions, consolidation of functions, simplification of function performance, and elimination of functions. Function Automation addresses the automation of functions previously performed manually and the determination of the roles of the human in automated or semi-automated functions. Function Consolidation requires a reassignment of functions among available operators to more evenly redistribute required workload. Function simplification requires that, for high driver functions and tasks assigned to a specific operator or maintainer, the demands that these functions and tasks make must be reduced to the greatest extent possible. Function/task demands include physical, cognitive, and perceptual-motor demands. Function Elimination involves removing a function from the ship through tele-operations or tele-maintenance with shoreside equipment tech-reps or maintenance experts, and reliance on collaboration tools to support dispersed team problem solving, or elimination of a function altogether.

Download Full-text

Learning and teaching through talk: music composing in the classroom with children aged six to seven years

British Journal of Music Education ◽

10.1017/s0265051710000240 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 27 (3) ◽

pp. 289-304 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Angela E. Major ◽

Michelle Cottle

Keyword(s):

Problem Solving ◽

Young Children ◽

Empirical Study ◽

Learning Process ◽

Higher Order ◽

Teacher Questioning ◽

Learning And Teaching ◽

Discourse Skills ◽

Children’S Thinking

We know that pupil talk is an integral part of the learning process. Previous research has not viewed affective engagement in a music composing task as a vehicle for developing higher order discourse skills. The aim of this study is to evaluate the significance of teacher questioning in encouraging quality dialogue with children during music composing. This paper reports on an empirical study investigating dialogue with young children during an imaginative music composing task. Pairs of children aged 6 and 7 years were audio recorded as they talked to each other and the researcher about the task. The dialogues between the researcher and the pupils highlight the importance of teacher questioning in encouraging young children to engage in evaluative talk and problem solving, through discussion and musical experimentation. Significantly, the findings suggest that young children are able to reflect on the learning process through meta-cognitive thinking. The findings highlight the significance of the role of the teacher in scaffolding and encouraging children's thinking and learning through dialogue, and the importance of talk and evaluation as a part of reflective music composing activities.

Download Full-text

The Role of Visual Representations in Advanced Mathematical Problem Solving: An Examination of Expert-Novice Similarities and Differences

Mathematical Thinking and Learning ◽

10.1207/s15327833mtl0604_1 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

pp. 353-387 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

Despina A. Stylianou ◽

Edward A. Silver

Keyword(s):

Problem Solving ◽

Mathematical Problem ◽

Visual Representations ◽

Mathematical Problem Solving ◽

Similarities And Differences ◽

Expert Novice

Download Full-text

A New Look at an Old Assumption: The Role of the Horizontal Number Sentence in Problem Solving by Young Children

School Science and Mathematics ◽

10.1111/j.1949-8594.1980.tb09713.x ◽

1980 ◽

Vol 80 (6) ◽

pp. 493-501

Author(s):

Tommie A. West

Keyword(s):

Problem Solving ◽

Young Children ◽

New Look

Download Full-text

Strangers in Digiland

Acta Universitatis Sapientiae Communicatio ◽

10.1515/auscom-2017-0006 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 109-115

Author(s):

Rozália Klára Bakó ◽

Gyöngyvér Erika Tőkés

Keyword(s):

Young Children ◽

Learning Curve ◽

Digital Literacy ◽

Digital Competence ◽

Research Project ◽

Steep Learning Curve ◽

Ways Of Coping ◽

The Everyday ◽

Insight Into

AbstractWith the growing importance of digital practices in young children’s everyday routines, parents and educators often face frustration and confusion. They find it difficult to guide children when it comes to playing and learning online. This research note proposes an insight into parents’ and educators’ concerns related to children’s and their own digital literacy, based on two exploratory qualitative inquiries carried out from March 2015 to August 2017 among 30 children aged 4 to 8 from Romania, their parents and educators. The research projectDigital and Multimodal Practices of Young Children from Romania(2015–2016) and its continuationThe Role of Digital Competence in the Everyday Lives of Children Aged 4–8(2017–2018, ongoing) are part of a broader effort within the Europe-wide COST network IS1410 –The Digital and Multimodal Practices of Young Children(2014–2018). Parents and educators are disconnected from young children’s universe, our research has found. The factors enabling adults’ access to “Digiland” and ways of coping with the steep learning curve of digital literacy are explored through parents’ and teachers’ narratives, guided observation of children’s digital practices, and expert testimonies.

Download Full-text

Embodied Argumentation in Young Children in Kindergarten

Education Sciences ◽

10.3390/educsci11090514 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 514

Author(s):

Josephine Convertini ◽

Francesco Arcidiacono

Keyword(s):

Problem Solving ◽

Young Children ◽

Kindergarten Children ◽

Recycled Materials ◽

Surrounding World ◽

Multimodal Representations ◽

Physical Objects ◽

Argumentative Structure

In kindergarten, children are usually engaged with both verbal activities and non-verbal activities, often requiring the manipulation of physical objects. During technical tasks (e.g., problem solving), children can use argumentation as one of the languages of science that mediates how they interact with the surrounding world. In this paper, we focused on technical tasks in kindergarten in order to understand to what extent activities requiring the manipulation of physical objects also leave space for argumentation. The study involved 25 children engaged in three problem-solving activities requiring the manipulation of Lego® and some recycled materials. To analyze the non-verbal (embodied) side of the argumentative activities, we firstly identified the argumentative structure of each exchange involving the participants. Then, we focused on segments of “incomplete” argumentative dialogues (i.e., presenting only some elements typical of children’s argumentation) by appealing to multimodal representations (speech, gestures, and physical objects). The findings of the study showed that even apparently incomplete exchanges can have an argumentative function generated by non-verbal elements of the interactions. Investigating the role of embodied argumentation during technical tasks in kindergarten can allow teachers to recognize and further develop children’s argumentative resources.

Download Full-text