Exploring Gender and Learning |
DisCussion
Rotations
One the first observation of the kindergarten class the four stations were: Art, Playtime, iPad, and Work with Teacher while on the second day the art station had been replaced with a math station. Each rotation session lasted around 15-20 minutes.
For the art station children were asked to use watercolours and create paintings. In this group, it was noticed that girls took their time choosing colours and creating the painting while boys tended to pick one colour and paint quickly. After finishing one painting they would consider their work finished and usually walked around to other parts in the classroom to interact with peers in the playtime group or the iPad group. The iPad station was very popular for the boys on both days. The iPad station allowed the students to use iPads for their learning by having the kids play educational games such as games for spelling and basic mathematics. Boys tended to choose more active games that required attention to multiple aspects while girls chose games that required simple actions such as pressing a button. When choosing characters or settings for the games, girls tended to choose more 'girly' things. Although boys were more interested in the iPad station, all students generally showed interest in playing with the iPads. The playtime station allowed children to take some time off to do anything they preferred. Girls mostly played 'house' while boys spent time building different things. A girl was playing with cars and making a city and when asked whether she liked cars she said she 'doesn't like cars.' In the group working with the teacher, students were given the task of writing. Girls were mostly quietly doing the assigned task while some boys kept getting distracted, resulting in the teacher having to spend more time focusing on the boys. When one of the boys had trouble gripping the pencil correctly the teacher provided him with a grip to place on his pencil to help him write.
According to Piaget's stages of development, children in kindergarten are at the pre-operational stage where they demonstrate egocentric behaviour and have active imaginations. Egocentric behaviour was observed as children talked loudly to answer questions and started and ended conversations on their own terms. Classroom activities pushed the children to use their imaginations through activities like painting, writing and playtime where many kids were able to use their creativity to do anything they wanted. Through the observations, application of Vygotsky's ZPD and scaffolding were observed. Vygotsky placed emphasis on the influence of culture and assistance on learning and the classroom setting incorporated that very well. The diverse stations allowed children to explore different activities and their ZPD through a variety of methods such as technology, writing, speaking etc. Since boys are known to prefer more active things, having the iPad and the playtime stations helped get the boys focused in class. The activities were a mix to satisfy the individual learning needs of the students. There were also two teachers present in the room so children were given sufficient adult assistance as well. Scaffolding was seen as the assistant teacher went around the room to help students with their painting and when she led the math group. The teacher also helped students learn techniques like writing and holding pencils properly by providing them with grips to put on their pencils to make holding them easier. The writing task involved creativity so children were not tirelessly writing about something that they were uninterested in, they had a chance to be creative while developing their writing skills. The iPads demonstrate how culture plays a significant role in learning. The international school that the students attended as well as in society today, technology is very important and iPads, laptops and such instruments are being incorporated into everyday lives. Many children are exposed to them at home where they play games on them, but in the class setting, the iPads have been integrated to help the children learn. The children were playing spelling and math games which helped them reach their ZPD in a different method and the iPad games acted as the 'more knowledgeable other' for scaffolding and the children's learning as they pointed out the mistakes the children made and prompted them children to try again. The integration of iPads in class also showed the children that they can be used for other things than just entertainment. The educational benefits were presented to the children so that when they go home, they can utilise their gadgets in a more efficient way.
Gender schemas were also apparent in the classroom. Children were very specific about the colours they wanted when choosing pens or when choosing colours to paint with, also when they were choosing characters and locations for games on the iPads. Applying Kohlberg's three stages, children in kindergarten are at stage 2 and have realised gender is a fixed trait. The children were aware of gender schemas and did not hesitate in pointing out inconsistencies. When asked for favourite colours most girls replied with 'pink' while one said 'teal' and most boys said 'blue', 'black' or 'red'. Many children were quick to point out that 'blue is a boy colour' when told that one of the girl researchers' favourite colour was blue. The bags that the students had also reflected gender schemas as many girls owned bags related to princesses or characters such as Dora while boys had superheroes or cars on their bags. One of the girls' was playing alone with cars and making a city but when asked if she liked playing with cars, she said she doesn't like cars. There were other girls in a group near her playing with dolls and making a dollhouse but they left her alone to play with the cars.
For the art station children were asked to use watercolours and create paintings. In this group, it was noticed that girls took their time choosing colours and creating the painting while boys tended to pick one colour and paint quickly. After finishing one painting they would consider their work finished and usually walked around to other parts in the classroom to interact with peers in the playtime group or the iPad group. The iPad station was very popular for the boys on both days. The iPad station allowed the students to use iPads for their learning by having the kids play educational games such as games for spelling and basic mathematics. Boys tended to choose more active games that required attention to multiple aspects while girls chose games that required simple actions such as pressing a button. When choosing characters or settings for the games, girls tended to choose more 'girly' things. Although boys were more interested in the iPad station, all students generally showed interest in playing with the iPads. The playtime station allowed children to take some time off to do anything they preferred. Girls mostly played 'house' while boys spent time building different things. A girl was playing with cars and making a city and when asked whether she liked cars she said she 'doesn't like cars.' In the group working with the teacher, students were given the task of writing. Girls were mostly quietly doing the assigned task while some boys kept getting distracted, resulting in the teacher having to spend more time focusing on the boys. When one of the boys had trouble gripping the pencil correctly the teacher provided him with a grip to place on his pencil to help him write.
According to Piaget's stages of development, children in kindergarten are at the pre-operational stage where they demonstrate egocentric behaviour and have active imaginations. Egocentric behaviour was observed as children talked loudly to answer questions and started and ended conversations on their own terms. Classroom activities pushed the children to use their imaginations through activities like painting, writing and playtime where many kids were able to use their creativity to do anything they wanted. Through the observations, application of Vygotsky's ZPD and scaffolding were observed. Vygotsky placed emphasis on the influence of culture and assistance on learning and the classroom setting incorporated that very well. The diverse stations allowed children to explore different activities and their ZPD through a variety of methods such as technology, writing, speaking etc. Since boys are known to prefer more active things, having the iPad and the playtime stations helped get the boys focused in class. The activities were a mix to satisfy the individual learning needs of the students. There were also two teachers present in the room so children were given sufficient adult assistance as well. Scaffolding was seen as the assistant teacher went around the room to help students with their painting and when she led the math group. The teacher also helped students learn techniques like writing and holding pencils properly by providing them with grips to put on their pencils to make holding them easier. The writing task involved creativity so children were not tirelessly writing about something that they were uninterested in, they had a chance to be creative while developing their writing skills. The iPads demonstrate how culture plays a significant role in learning. The international school that the students attended as well as in society today, technology is very important and iPads, laptops and such instruments are being incorporated into everyday lives. Many children are exposed to them at home where they play games on them, but in the class setting, the iPads have been integrated to help the children learn. The children were playing spelling and math games which helped them reach their ZPD in a different method and the iPad games acted as the 'more knowledgeable other' for scaffolding and the children's learning as they pointed out the mistakes the children made and prompted them children to try again. The integration of iPads in class also showed the children that they can be used for other things than just entertainment. The educational benefits were presented to the children so that when they go home, they can utilise their gadgets in a more efficient way.
Gender schemas were also apparent in the classroom. Children were very specific about the colours they wanted when choosing pens or when choosing colours to paint with, also when they were choosing characters and locations for games on the iPads. Applying Kohlberg's three stages, children in kindergarten are at stage 2 and have realised gender is a fixed trait. The children were aware of gender schemas and did not hesitate in pointing out inconsistencies. When asked for favourite colours most girls replied with 'pink' while one said 'teal' and most boys said 'blue', 'black' or 'red'. Many children were quick to point out that 'blue is a boy colour' when told that one of the girl researchers' favourite colour was blue. The bags that the students had also reflected gender schemas as many girls owned bags related to princesses or characters such as Dora while boys had superheroes or cars on their bags. One of the girls' was playing alone with cars and making a city but when asked if she liked playing with cars, she said she doesn't like cars. There were other girls in a group near her playing with dolls and making a dollhouse but they left her alone to play with the cars.
Interview
After the observations, the teacher was interviewed as well. She was asked the following questions:
The teacher's replies helped understand some of the observations made in the classroom. The teacher stated that gender differences in learning were not noticeable in the classroom in terms of having children reach their ZPD, but she noted that each child is an individual and has unique needs regardless of gender. When talking about the stations, the teacher revealed that everyday the students follow a schedule where they participate in different activities, so the researchers only observed only one of the many activities in the classroom. She said the stations are set up to provide a variety of ways for the children to learn and the length of time the kids stay at each stations depends on the activities. Most station rotations last 15-20 minutes to ensure that the children are interested and invested in the given tasks. For having children reach their ZPD, the teacher said they motivate the students to always do activities at a level a little higher from where they are at. She gave the example of reading time, where children are asked to read for a while every day. The level of books ranges from pre-school level to the level of third grade reading. The teacher said that she acknowledges the fact that some of the students are more advanced readers, so to prevent them from staying at the kindergarten level, they reach their ZPD by reading books from higher grade levels. The teacher also pointed out learning differences in gender were not taken into account when organising activities but she said that since boys are more active, some activities are added to allow them to release their energy. When answering the question about giving teacher feedback, the teacher said feedback did not differ in the way it was given to girls and boys but it is always given in a positive manner so as to not discourage the student if they did something incorrectly.
The interview with the teacher helped make connections between what was observed in the classroom and gave insight of the teacher who has known the children for a much longer time than the researchers. With the teacher's answers to the interview questions it seems as though gender roles do not greatly influence the extent of application of Vygotsky's theories on ZPD and scaffolding but it also shows that the best/ most efficient methods of having children reach their ZPD may differ between genders. This can be seen in the interest the children showed in the different activities, as boys seemed more interested in iPad games and moving around while girls were more content with drawing or writing.
- Vygotsky's theories are applied to help children reach their ZPD, demonstrated through a model with three zones: the zone of individual development, where kids work with what they are familiar with, the zone of proximal development, where kids are challenged to go beyond what they know and a third zone which challenges kids more than their learning ability and leads to frustration. Have you noticed the evidence of the ZPD model in the classroom?
- What are some methods or activities used to help the children reach their ZPD?
- During our observations, we noticed that the students are rotated around different stations. What is the purpose of the different stations?
- How do the activities at each station take learning differences in gender into account?
- Have you noticed differences in having boys reach their ZPD versus girls reaching their ZPD?
- Does teacher feedback/ motivation differ between boys and girls?
The teacher's replies helped understand some of the observations made in the classroom. The teacher stated that gender differences in learning were not noticeable in the classroom in terms of having children reach their ZPD, but she noted that each child is an individual and has unique needs regardless of gender. When talking about the stations, the teacher revealed that everyday the students follow a schedule where they participate in different activities, so the researchers only observed only one of the many activities in the classroom. She said the stations are set up to provide a variety of ways for the children to learn and the length of time the kids stay at each stations depends on the activities. Most station rotations last 15-20 minutes to ensure that the children are interested and invested in the given tasks. For having children reach their ZPD, the teacher said they motivate the students to always do activities at a level a little higher from where they are at. She gave the example of reading time, where children are asked to read for a while every day. The level of books ranges from pre-school level to the level of third grade reading. The teacher said that she acknowledges the fact that some of the students are more advanced readers, so to prevent them from staying at the kindergarten level, they reach their ZPD by reading books from higher grade levels. The teacher also pointed out learning differences in gender were not taken into account when organising activities but she said that since boys are more active, some activities are added to allow them to release their energy. When answering the question about giving teacher feedback, the teacher said feedback did not differ in the way it was given to girls and boys but it is always given in a positive manner so as to not discourage the student if they did something incorrectly.
The interview with the teacher helped make connections between what was observed in the classroom and gave insight of the teacher who has known the children for a much longer time than the researchers. With the teacher's answers to the interview questions it seems as though gender roles do not greatly influence the extent of application of Vygotsky's theories on ZPD and scaffolding but it also shows that the best/ most efficient methods of having children reach their ZPD may differ between genders. This can be seen in the interest the children showed in the different activities, as boys seemed more interested in iPad games and moving around while girls were more content with drawing or writing.