Children's early languages -& mathematics development with the picture as a starting point

The theme group's thought is to develop our work with children's early language development. We experience that children today needs an early contact with IT in good pedagogically ways. Our thought is that we will use the picture as starting point and that the children will be operators. We will link mathematics to our work. According to several later research reports, Swedish children's basic skills' is not equally as good as children in other countries in Europe. This would we like to change. A strong basis to the theme is, Lpfö98 (Primary schools education plan).

We primarily will work with our theme against children in the ages 4-5 years. Our intention is that the children will take their own pictures, write short stories and add sounds and effects. There are big conditions for cooperation child/child, child/adult in communicative shapes.

Exchange with the college is a condition and exchange with more preschools that work in similar ways is desirable.

Project period

February 2008 - June 2009. Thirteen personnel participate.

Objectives

• To give children good language - and mathematic skills with the aid of new technology and the mediums.
• In the long run document more digitally to show the parents.
• That all personnel will get far education in picture handling and Tragetons work methods.
• Study-days with a focus on mathematics and IT.
• Private studies - among other thing through PIM.
• Targeted courses from AV-media. (Photo Story and Photo Filter)
• Guidance of the municipality's IT consultants.

Results

We have accompanied some part of the way. All personnel have got education and guidance in using of camera and IT.

More or less all children have in some ways participated with camera in the hand, also the younger.

The childrens have

• Searched numbers, figures and symbols in our near environment, as photographs'.
• Photographed through a pocket lens, loaded in the pictures and wrote texts.
• Photographed their houses and done a big map with all houses placed after distances to the preschool. They have also placed in pictures on important buildings in the near environment.
• Done a fictitious travel to India. Through an exhibition of own pictures drawings and materials and knowledge retrieved from the net, has the children created one photostory about the travel.
• Together read the books about ”Grandmother and Mollan” of Lena Andersson. In those books, there are lots of mathematics and patterns. The result of this became a photo exhibition of patterns that the children photographed and one histogram over what their grandmother has in her bags.
• All children in the “Yellow dept” have done own fairytales in Photostory, 2 or several together, after own ability and imagination. Some children in the other departments have also typed fairytales.
• Looked on streaming film about animal/birds in the winter, and their tracks.
• Searched tracks and photographed them. Placed respective tracks beside each animal.
• Photographed a small habitat in nature where we will follow the variations during the spring.

We hope that we can inspire students and the education of teachers, through our work. You can do a lot together with small children!

Contact

Lena Sandberg
lena.sandberg@skola.emmaboda.se