Session Information
27 SES 08B, Instructional Approaches/ Classroom Environments
Paper Session
Time:
2008-09-12
08:30-10:00
Room:
B3 332
Chair:
Kirsti Klette
Contribution
ABSTRACT
"Role Reversal" Approach in Teaching Early Childhood Basic Concepts of Kinaesthetic Intelligence
This study explored the effect and significance of the "Role Reversal" approach-"RRA" in developing in-service teacher and student-teacher movement education. The research focused on examining the influence of using RRA while developing KI - kinaesthetic intelligence in the teaching process of BCC- basic cognitive concepts to early childhood children. The "RRA" has been used in teaching foreign languages and in therapy. It is used as an approach to enhancing abilities and helps bridge gaps to new learning. In this research the "RRA" was used as an approach to teaching 16 BCC, 4 concepts from each movement component. These concepts are essential in different disciplines, such as: Math, Language, and Science.
In my research I tested two main research questions and three sub questions. The following are the research questions:
1.What are the effects of the "Role Reversal" approach on teaching basic concepts to early childhood pupils in developing Kinaesthetic Intelligence- ME?
a. What are the effects of "Role Reversal" approach to teaching basic concepts to early childhood pupils aged 5-7 in developing Kinaesthetic Intelligence - ME?
b. Do pre-school children and school children differ regarding
conceptualisation, before and after the use of RRA?
c. Does acquiring BCC by pupils while using RRA depend on the student's level of teaching?
2.How does "Role Reversal" approach facilitate:
a.The development of student teachers' Kinaesthetic Intelligence in teaching early childhood basic cognitive concepts?
b.The relationship between early childhood in-service teachers and student teacher and between student teachers and their students in the process of developing Kinaesthetic Intelligence in teaching early childhood basic concepts?
The study is a quasi experimental study as it used no control group. The research focused on a group of children 5-7 years old in one school, 112 children all together, eight student-teachers, (who specialize in movement and music), eight in-service teachers and a pedagogical instructor.
In order to explore the effect and significance of the "RRA" I used quantitative and qualitative tools. A concepts questionnaire was developed in order to measure the pre and post effect of the approach on the children, and to find whether there is any different effect between pre-school and school children. Another analysis was done to explore if the approach has an effect on the student abilities in the process of teaching BCC. An observation paper was designed in order to document the teaching process and the use of the approach in teaching.
The research showed a significant improvement in learning basic concepts in all age groups. The RRA while developing KI advances pre-school children to a higher developmental stage. The approach enhances understanding and abstraction of the concepts regardless of the student-teachers’ teaching ability. Difficulties were identified in understanding the concepts of "weight" and "speed" before using the approach, and a great improvement was recorded after using it. These findings point to the significance of learning and teaching concepts by using the RRA while developing KI. The findings also suggest indicators for successful implementation of RRA between students' teachers and in service teachers and between student's teachers and their pupils. Unsuccessful implementation contains inappropriate strategies for knowledge creation and mutual nurturing training experience. Successful implementation includes uses of "Role Reversal" in the training teaching experience providing space and examination or space in training.
The contribution to knowledge made by this research is evidence that RRA while developing KI advanced early childhood children in learning basic concepts regardless of the teacher's teaching abilities. The approach accelerates the learning and learning atmosphere and empowers in service teacher and student teacher.
Method
The research paradigm is a quantitative quasi-experimental study. In this research I am testing the effect of using RR on teaching BCC of KI.
Basically, the design is a pre-post test one, using statistical t-test for dependent samples (before and after) for each of the concepts including all their components.
In addition, other analyses were conducted which helped the understanding of the educational process of teaching the concepts. More specifically, those analyses comprised of:
1.Analyses of differences between the abilities of pre-school children and those of school children. This analysis was conducted by means of a t-test for independent samples (between groups) testing the children's levels before teaching and after it and the differences, namely, the improvements, between before and after.
2.Correlation analysis – Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated to find possible correlations between the students' initial level and the pupils' abilities. This analysis also included before and after and the differences.
3.An analysis to asses the differences between the students' levels and the pupils' abilities. One-way ANOVA was followed by a Scheffe test.
In addition, I used qualitative research methods, including interviews, diaries, text and observations, as an inductive study. The qualitative methods helped to define and measure the variables "successful-unsuccessful" implementation of "Role Reversal", and also enhanced the validity of the data and therefore the validity of my hypothesis testing.
Expected Outcomes
A: RRA effects on improving KI concepts
B: RRA effect on the teacher's role
•A:
•Constructing new teaching approach which influence several educational domains
•The use of RRA in KI advances cognitive abilities in early childhood
•RRA is used as a mediator in conceptualizing basic movement concepts and advances children's abstraction ability in early childhood.
•RRA accelerate cognitive development more in preschool ages- bridge the sensory domain and its translation to an abstract verbal domain and assist in accelerating cognitive development
•Careful selection of movement components assisted in successful conceptualization
B:
•RRA motivates and advances conceptualization abilities
•Learning in a peer group makes all participants equal partners in teaching- encouraging and evoking motivation for learning.
•Adopting the RRA by children makes the learning better-they understand each other, improve learner's attention level
•Improve student's teachers teaching skills
•The RRA improves early childhood conceptualizing regardless the teacher abilities
•Acquiring these basic tools and methods advance the pupils: Diagnostic skills, new questioning techniques, challenging trough stimulation
•Coaching models- and effecting other surrounding circles
References
21.Walter, O (2007) ‘Role Reversal Approach in Teaching Early Childhood Basic Concepts of Kinaesthetic Intelligence’. PhD thesis. Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge & Chelmsford
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