| How might we observe children’s thinking processes at work? |
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The Russian psychologist Vygotsky believed that play offers children the background material on which their thinking processes can develop and operate. He suggested that during play, children become conscious of what they are doing and why they are doing it. They also learn to plan and develop abstract thought  .
‘In play a child always behaves beyond his average age, above his daily behaviour; in play it is as if he is a head taller than himself. As in the focus of a magnifying glass, play contains all developmental tendencies in a condensed form and is itself a major source of development.’ (Vygotsky, 1978)
Evidence and reflection
You might like to leave a video running for a short while to film a group of children in your class as they are playing. A day or two later you could watch the video with the children and ask them to explain what they were doing and why they were doing it. You could note down the things they say and consider what they reveal about their thinking. Moving forward You might like to think about some experience which you could offer to the children which might further develop their thinking, for example by introducing a dramatic new role play experience such as a burglary in the home corner. You could try it, record the children’s actions and reflect on their responses. Find out more  Vygotsky, L.S. (1978) Mind in Society, The Development of Higher Psychological Processes Massachusetts/London: Harvard University Press
A summary of Vygotsky’s work is available on the GTC’s Research of the Month website at: http://www.gtce.org.uk/research/romtopics/rom_teachingandlearning/vygotsky1/ |
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