Let's Make a Map Article (2016)
"The maps children make can offer insights into how they develop their spatial reasoning, depicting how they think about their position in space and how they perceive everything around them to be connected. Children make errors not because they need more practice drawing maps but because they are mentally reconstructing the space around them in two dimensions. Their mental representations of their surroundings are still developing, so at this age they often make maps that differ from reality. Yet each time children make a map, either on paper (2D or 3D) or mentally, they reexamine their surroundings and may fix errors that they made on their previous representation of their world."
Reflections:
We started by making our maps of the lower floor. It was interesting to see how our thinking about making the map changed as soon as the instruction was narrowed to, 'Make a map for a new family with a preschool aged child coming to visit the school.' Both groups started immediately with the front door to the school and reception area, then added the rooms down the hallway to the accounting office at the end.
We noticed how with more time details emerged, but given the time constraints the maps were limited to outlining the rooms and naming them. PreK students would have had a very different approach, probably starting from the classroom and incorporating lots of details immediately that convey their experiences in those places (eg. favorite thing(s) on the playground), special place in the classroom.
How we think about and react to 'errors.'
'Errors' young children make whether in learning about spatial relationships or in other areas are an important part of the learning process. How we react to guide learning and 'correct' errors in best practice should support the students to re-examine their thinking, re-test their theories, and reconstruct their understandings. This requires time for reflection. Time to repeat the same activity, or similar ones, comparing different experiences and outcomes. Giving them the answer to copy, "we could tell Michael the error he made and show him how to draw his map correctly," does not challenge them to think or construct meaning. When teachers notice an 'error' one of the first reactions should be 'I wonder why,' asking the student to explain their thinking, and working from there through inquiry. Learning is about the journey and understanding the different possible destinations (as they relate to different stages of children development).
The future of map making
Map making can be incorporated into
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ReplyDeleteWe had the opportunity to inquire about maps this year due to a student- initiated activity. Two students wanted to draw a map to plan their escape from school (yes, no kidding) and so it began. I showed them maps on youtube and we investigated how to make them look old and worn. We found a great song book in the library that to this day is our favorite song "Port Side Pirates. I found it difficult to explain map drawing to them since it is a birds-eye view that is very difficulty for them to grasp. I feel I probably could have gone deeper into this inquiry but I did not due to the difficulty they encountered. I also did not have maps myself in the classroom and had a difficult time rounding some up. After a week, the idea died down and we moved on.
ReplyDeleteIn Pk3, we have not done map-making until now. I have not read the article.
ReplyDeleteI think that making a map with the PK3 students would be a very valuable activity. Before stating the actual activity, I would brainstorm with the children when and why we need maps sometimes. When have the children seen a map? Who has used a map and when in their environment? We could wonder together which components a map has by looking at different maps in the classroom or in the school. We could talk about what we could make a map of. After deciding on this, (let's say the classroom), we would walk around in the classroom and mention all the furniture or objects we see. We then would decide which materials are necessary for making a map. The map could either be drawn on a white piece of paper, or the objects on the map could be first drawn and then cut out and glued on the paper/map. At this age, I think I would start the children off by drawing the door and the windows on the map. This might give them a better idea of size and location. I would then give them the materials and let them start putting their thoughts on paper. I would observe them and be of assistance if necessary.
I am interested to read the article now. What interests me the most, is to find out if I teacher-guided them too much and how much independent exploration is suggested in the article.
I have not done a map with my class. I think a good way to start would be by asking the children, what is a map and what we use it for. We could look at pictures and samples of different maps, how they are made, etc.
ReplyDeleteSome children in the class are really interested in pirates, so we could maybe have a treasure hunt around the classroom using a map with pictures or drawings of the different centers. Then, we could extend this activity by having the children draw their own maps of the classroom and sharing them with their friends.