I accidentally jumped ahead to chapter 5 entries by posting Jamie's, when I still had one more to post for chapter 4 -- Melissa's! (Sorry, Melissa! This is what happens when I take work home, as my records get a little confusing!) This is her daughter, and when Melissa sent the photo, she wrote, "This is my beautiful daughter at 5 months old." Gotta agree -- she's beautiful! Happy reading!After reading chapter four “Making Connections,” I was amazed with all the great information! Galinsky explains how beginning in the first months of life, infants have core cognitive capacities such as number sense, object sense, and space sense – even before these concepts are introduced. She also pointed out that this helps with the beginning stages of practicing the skills of math, physics, and geometry. She explained that making connections is a fundamental part of executive functions and is related to creativity.
While reading this chapter I learned that the teacher I assist in the classroom is providing opportunities for the children to practice these skills on a daily basis. I set up a small motor maze using objects involving physical activities such as climbing, jumping, skipping, knee walking, balancing, and a scooter board. I choose 3 different activities at a time for the motor maze. Not realizing it, the child uses all of the core cognitive capacities. The child counts to 5 at each station, is able to distinguish the objects and use them appropriately, and is aware that the motor maze is set up with one thing following the next. At the very end of the motor maze, the child is to pick an object from the basket that holds our monthly vocabulary and match it with the picture. It’s wonderful that our special kids who I work with on a daily basis are making connections regardless of limited language skills.
I greatly enjoyed reading the suggestions that Galinsky offered to promote children’s ability to make connections. I admired how she suggested that making mistakes is not only okay, it is a part of learning. She pointed out that “some of the errors that children are making spring from the way we understand the world, and continue to apply to us as adults” (p. 188). As an adult who makes mistakes, I do not appreciate a finger being pointed at me, but do appreciate being spoken to and given acknowledgement for trying. We as parents, teachers, or child care providers should remember the golden rule: “Always talk to the child the way you would like to be spoken to when making a mistake” (p. 188).
Another suggestion that Galinsky proposed was to give children family work that involves counting. I use this method with my daughter at home most of the time. Not only is she practicing her numbers 1 to 5 but it buys me extra time when she is becoming impatient for dinner time. I also believe it is a great strategy for her to learn patience through counting. We count plates, utensils, napkins, and the number of times we stir the food while it is being cooked.
After presenting the suggestions to the teacher I work with, she decided to try suggestion 12 (Help children see things in different ways) and presented it to our older group of special kids who have a wider range of vocabulary. She was curious about what the children would say after asking them, “What do you see in this picture?” When shown the picture with the older woman/young woman, the children did not see either woman; instead, the children explained that they saw a sad pirate wearing a furry jacket along with a big hat and a feather on it. The second illusion that was presented was the rabbit/duck. A few children saw the rabbit and the rest of the children saw the duck. It brought up discussion between the children to help their friends see what they could not see.
This reading has given me inspiration to try out most of Galinsky's suggestions with my daughter who is turning two years old this summer. I am extremely excited to observe what she is learning on a day to day basis by using her core cognitive capacities.
It's so exciting that you are finding such meaningful activities to engage your daughter in at home; the concept of number is so abstract for children, so making it meaningful within their world is an incredibly effective and appropriate way to help them gain understanding. People often focus on helping children count without involving anything concrete. They get so impressed when, say, a 2-year-old can count to 10, but don't realize until later that the child has simply memorized the words for numbers, but may not understand the concept of number at all. Counting while doing things like setting the table is perfect: She knows how many people are going to eat, so placing a plate at each chair makes sense. She sees the purpose, and draws the connections. Good stuff!
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