LEEF What Children Think

LEEF What Children Think

Evening training event

Mon 23rd February 2015

Funny things that children say about animals and plants: how might we help them?

by Alona Sheridan

Context

Some LEEF supporters cannot attend daytime training.

LEEF evening get-togethers have previously been social or book events.

This was the first evening training for LEEF which tool place at the straw bale classroom at Hackney City Farm, east London.

Summary

Our topic was about children’s thinking about plants and animals and how we, as educators, can enable children to correct some of their misconceptions. The session was led by Dr Melissa Glackin, lecturer in science education at Kings College London. Melissa’s particular focus in science education includes teacher in-service training and PGCE secondary outdoor learning.

Melissa encouraged us to recall and share children’s ideas about animals and plants. We should ask ourselves how children arrive at these ideas and how to support them to correct their misconceptions. Some misconceptions we shared included:
• Potatoes grow on trees (Potatoes are round and look like other things that grow on trees)
• Is that a real cow? It seems very big. (A child who had only ever previously seen cows in fields from the passenger seat of a car driving past fields)
• Worms are snakes
When children express these beliefs we should listen, elicit what they know by asking them to explain their thinking, encourage discussion and then help towards reconstructing their thinking. Their ideas come from their experiences and observations, their interpretation of their world. To change their views they need help towards greater understanding. Give them time to reflect on their thinking and any new understanding.

Activities can help to elicit their ideas and enable us adapt our teaching to encourage scientific explanations. Children working in groups can use a number of strategies such as mind maps for their ideas; each person in the group using a different colour pen. Children to draw their ideas, sort cards or role play with puppets. Such activities help to elicit their ideas and perceptions
We then tried out a mind-mapping activity in groups to answer ‘How do trees grow bigger?’

Melissa suggested that we should not be afraid to challenge thinking. When a child says that water helps trees get bigger or sunlight helps, we should ask ‘How does it help?’

During the break, as is customary at LEEF events, everyone brought snacks to share, and had time for networking and sharing ideas on possible future training sessions. One future training idea, suggested by two participants who have only ever met at LEEF events, is to develop activities on using keys to identify invertebrates and how to involve children in producing their own identification keys.