ACTION RESEARCH: AUTUMN 2017
Researcher: Sarah Bugg: Minchinhampton
Context: Reception / Questioning (development of thinking skills)
Desired Outcomes:
Through the activity “What’s in the box?” – an activity where the children are invited to ask a series of questions to enable them to find out what is in the box – the children will develop their own questioning skills. They will understand what a question is and be able to ask a question. Some children will be able to ask a question which progresses on from a previous question.
Evaluation:
Method 1:
Evaluate whether each child in the class can ask a question at the beginning of the project using an activity called, “What’s in the box?” (Baseline) Provide the children with opportunities to experience the activity regularly once or twice a week. Evaluate which children are able to ask questions at the end of the action research using the activity, “What’s in the box?”
Method 2:
Provide the children with opportunities to explore different objects and explore their properties. Evaluate the language they acquire to enrich their questioning skills.
Results:
During the first session of “What’s in the box?” 2 children out of a class of 23 children asked a question. During the final session 20 out of 22 children asked a question. One child was absent.
During the final session half the questions (14 out of 28) were questions built on a previous question and 4 children asked a question another child had already asked.
The questions in the final session demonstrated a greater understanding of the properties of objects.
Conclusion:
1. With opportunities and practise the children who couldn’t ask a question at the beginning developed the ability to ask simple questions.
2. During the sessions the children have begun to think independently and ask questions to gain information – evaluating what they knew and what they wanted to know next.
3. Enriching the children’s language through exploring objects had an impact on the quality of the children’s questions.