Magnusson M., Pramling N. Sign Making, Coordination of Perspectives, and Conceptual Development
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Magnusson M., Pramling N. Sign making, coordination of perspectives, and conceptual development. Preschool Education Today. 2018. Issue 12, Vol. 2(84). pp. 6–18 (in Russian)
This work is licensed under a Сreative Commons Atribiution - NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Abstract
In this empirical study we analyse how children (aged four- to six-years-old) through communicative engagement with their teachers around their own drawings are supported in developing representational insight, that is, going from indicative sign-making to symbolic understanding. Theoretically, the analysis is informed by a sociocultural perspective, particularly Vygotsky’s work on concept development. The empirical data consist of approximately five hours of video observations of teacher–child communication in preschool. The activities analysed were designed by the teachers according to two different principles for facilitating discernment of the conventional meaning of symbols: contrast and induction. While one design is seen to be more powerful than the other in supporting children’s symbolic development, these patterns are, in the study and in everyday early childhood practice, intertwined with other communicative features such as establishing intersubjectivity. The implications for research and educational practice are discussed.
References
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2. Bjorklund, C., and N. Pramling. 2014. “Pattern Discernment and Pseudo-Conceptual Development in Early Childhood Education.” International Journal of Early Years Education 22 (1): 89–104.
3. Coates, E., and A. Coates. 2006. “Young Children Talking and Drawing.” International Journal of Early Years Education 14 (3): 221–41.
4. Cohrssen, C., A. Church, and C. Tayler. 2014. “Purposeful Pauses: Teacher Talk During Early Childhood Mathematics Activities.” International Journal of Early Years Education 22 (2): 169–83.
5. DeLoache, J. S. 1991. “Symbolic Functioning in Very Young Children: Understanding of Pictures and Models.” Child Development 62 (4): 736–52.
6. DeLoache, J. S. 2004. “Becoming Symbol-Minded.” Trends in Cognitive Sciences 8 (2): 66–70.
7. DeLoache, J. S., D. H. Uttal, and S. L. Pierroutsako. 1998. “The Development of Early Symbolisation: Educational Implications.” Learning and Instruction 8 (4): 325–39.
8. Dewey, J. 2008. “Logic: The Theory of Inquiry.” In The Collected Works of John Dewey: The Later Works, 1925–1953, Volume 12: 1938, edited by J.A. Boydston, 1–793. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press. (Original work published 1938).
9. Dockrell, J. E., and E. Teubal. 2007. “Distinguishing Numeracy From Literacy: Evidence From Children’s Early Notations.” In Notational Knowledge: Developmental and Historical Perspectives, edited by E. Teubal, J. Dockrell, and L. Tolchinsky, 113–34. Rotterdam, the Netherlands: Sense.
10. Gjems, L. 2010. “Teacher Talking to Young Children: Invitations to Negotiate Meaning in Everyday Conversations.” European Early Childhood Education Research Journal 18 (2): 139–148.
11. Gustavsson, L., and N. Pramling. 2014. “The Educational Nature of Different Ways Teachers Communicate with Children About Natural Phenomena.” International Journal of Early Years Education 22 (1): 59–72.
12. Langer, S. K. 1957. Philosophy in A new key: A Study in the Symbolism of Reason, Rite, and art. 3rd ed. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
13. Luria, A. R. 1976. Cognitive Development: Its Cultural and Social Foundations (M. Lopez-Morillas & L. Solotaroff, Trans.). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
14. Magnusson, M., and N. Pramling. 2011. “Signs of Knowledge: The Appropriation of A Symbolic Skill in A Five-Year-old.” European Early Childhood Education Research Journal 19 (3): 357–372.
15. Marton, F., and A. B. M. Tsui, eds. 2004. Classroom Discourse and the Space of Learning. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
16. Mercer, N. 1995. The Guided Construction of Knowledge: Talk Amongst Teachers and Learners. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.
17. Olson, D. R. 1994. The World on Paper: The Conceptual and Cognitive Implications of Writing and Reading. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
18. Pramling, N. 2006. Minding Metaphors: Using Figurative Language in Learning to Represent (Gцteborg Studies in Educational Sciences, 238). Gothenburg, Sweden: Acta Universitatis Gothoburgensis.
19. Reddy, M. J. 1993. “The Conduit Metaphor: A Case of Frame Conflict in our Language About Language.” In Metaphor and Thought, edited by A. Ortony, 2nd ed., 164–201. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
20. Rommetveit, R. 1974. On Message Structure: A Framework for the Study of Language and Communication. London: Wiley.
21. Siraj-Blatchford, I., and L. Manni. 2008. “‘Would you Like to Tidy up now?’ An Analysis of Adult Questioning in the English Foundation Stage.” Early Years 28 (1): 5–22.
22. Stevenson, H. W., and J. W. Stiegler. 1992. The Learning gap: Why our Schools are Failing and What we can Learn From Japanese and Chinese Education. New York, NY: Summit.
23. Tolchinsky, L. 2007. “The Multiple Functions of External Representations: Introduction.” In Notational Knowledge: Developmental and Historical Perspectives, edited by E. Teubal, J. Dockrell, and L. Tolchinsky, 1–10. Rotterdam, the Netherlands: Sense.
24. Troseth, G. L., M. E. B. Pickard, and J. S. DeLoache. 2007. “Young Children’s use of Scale Models: Testing an Alternative to Representational Insight.” Developmental Science 10 (6): 763–9.
25. Vygotsky, L. S. 1987. The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky, Volume 1: Problems of general psychology, including the volume Thinking and Speech (R. W. Rieber & A. S. Carton, Eds., N. Minick, Trans.). New York, NY: Plenum.
26. Vygotsky, L. S. 1997. The Collected Works of L. S. Vygotsky, Volume 4: The History of the Development of Higher Mental Functions (M. J. Hall, Trans., R. W. Rieber, Ed.). New York, NY: Plenum Press.
27. Vygotsky, L. S. 1998. The Collected Works of L. S. Vygotsky, Volume 5: Child Psychology (R. W. Rieber, Ed.; M. J. Hall, Trans.). New York, NY: Plenum.
28. Wallerstedt, C. 2014. “Experiencing and Creating Contrasts in Music.” International Journal for Lesson and Learning Studies 3 (1): 46–65.
29. Waters, J., and A. Bateman. 2013. “Revealing the Interactional Features of Learning and Teaching Moments in Outdoor Activity.” European Early Childhood Education Research Journal. doi:10.1080/1350293X.2013.798099.
30. Wertsch, J. V. 1998. Mind as Action. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
31. Wertsch, J. V. 2007. “Mediation.” In The Cambridge Companion to Vygotsky, edited by H. Daniels, M. Cole, and J. V. Wertsch, 178–192. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.