Puppets are an aspect of our history and daily lives. We see marionettes to the Muppets on videos, television and also on live performance. In their diverse structure they petition to both old and young alike, representing diverse customs and traditions and are valuable educational tools (G. Smith, 2007). Children can believe and relate to them; they can enter and explore the fascinating inventive world that puppets create. Puppetry is a common technique used by elementary school counselors and other therapists to facilitate children, and sometimes adolescents and adults, to convey their feelings, re-enact anxiety laden events, and try new behaviors (Axline.1947; Bradley & Gould, 1993; James & Myer, 1987). The first recognized use of puppets …show more content…
Puppetry has been practiced since the earliest times to animate and put across the ideas and desires of human societies. There are four chief types of puppets used around the world which are shadow puppets, rod puppets, glove or hand puppets, and marionettes (operated from above by strings or rods). There are also other exceptional types of puppet, including water puppets and jigging puppets. It was assumed that the first puppets were simple stick figures made using various materials found on the ground or other places. Over the years person started to construct their own version of puppets. The puppets shows that were portrait reflected the culture of person upbringing. Akin to fables and stories, puppet shows became known as a way to spend time in an entertaining way with friends and kinsfolk, which got handed down to many generations. In 200 BC historian found evidence that puppetry was used in Egypt; they discover string operated figure made from wood which were used for kneading dough. Wire controlled, articulated puppets made of clay and ivory have also been found in Egyptian graves. Hieroglyphs also describe "walking statues" being applied in Ancient Egyptian religious dramas. Puppetry was practiced in Ancient Greece and the oldest written records of puppetry can be found in the works of Herodotus and Xenophon, dating from the 5th century BC. Sub-Saharan …show more content…
Research published in the Journal of Child Neurology and the Pediatric Academy Societies (2002) illustrate, using sophisticated imaging technology, that the usage of puppets in play dramatically enhanced blood and oxygen levels to the brain (p.6). The use of puppets gets the mind ready for learning and is a powerful motivator in learning. Study of language and literacy development found that it was of benefit to share group reading experiences and use “Puppet plays activities in which children act out stories” using reading and writing (McGee & Richgels, 1996). Research conducted by Vida Zuljevic (2005) found that teachers reported that the use of puppets in the classroom increased student interest, motivation, and it develop student’s oral language, reading, and communication skills. For many students the group work of the puppet presentations can be less intimidating than an individual performance. One of the most effective used of puppetry in the classroom is that, it encourages the quietest of children to start talking. The power of puppetry in the classroom is that it can break down barriers and provide an effective means to initiate message. The child reliance the puppet and doesn't feel threatened by it, constituting it as a perfect neutral medium through which they can talk about sensitive topics. The child can express views, concerns and beliefs through the puppet that
Griss, Susan. Minds in Motion: A Kinesthetic Approach to Teaching Elementary Curriculum. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1998.
This skill stuck with me through my elementary, middle, and high school years as I tried out and acted in plays and musicals, which eventually lead me to becoming the president of the Drama club. The skills that I learned through theatre work helped me with working with kids to create imaginative games on the spot. It also taught me to not worry about looking silly; if you and the kids are having a good time, that’s all that matters. After creating and experience these games with the children, I realized how great of a tool it is for teaching valuable lessons; like taking turns, politeness, and self-help skills. Instead of sitting down with the kids and just talking about these concepts, we would experience them first hand my actually acting out scenes. Because of the positive outcome that I have seen by using play as a teaching tool, I am very passionate about using play in my everyday work as a speech-language pathologist to teach my clients in a fun and relaxed
The question of the extent to which children learn through technological play is disputed. Most early years specialists agree that the best educational experiences are based on play. Some of the products available for young children use the concept of interactivity to claim they can accelerate progress in learning to read, write and use numbers. The learning toys are marketed at parents who want to get children ready for school but they are often based on mundane educational tasks disguised as entertainment. The so-called interactivity may well provide some initial motivation for learning but it rarely continues beyond the first few encounters and may even get in the way of the educational potential. Exposing young children to such technology presents hindrance to not only their physical and mental development, but their emotions as well.
Using manipulatives in the classroom is an amazing way for kids to not only explain, but also show their thinking and cognitive skills. Throughout my observation of this assignment there were several manipulatives used in the centers as well as lesson plans at the schools I observed at. Manipulative play is easy to set up and can happen indoors or out. The definition of a manipulative would be physical objects that are used as teaching tools to engage students in the hands-on learning. They can be used to introduce, practice, or remediate a concept. It is highly important that schools and childcare centers incorporate this type of learning into their programs. A manipulative may be as simple as grains of rice or as sophisticated as a model of our solar system or even blocks for math. Concrete models can also be very beneficial to a child’s understanding when using manipulatives, due to the fact that help with real situations they may possibly encounter. The manipulatives I saw in the classrooms would be blocks, bears, straws, a rug chart, as well as colored sticks. Majority of these items were used for either counting or sorting. According to Caston Cain, “All aspects of manipulatives practice fine motor skills from picking up pieces to stacking, snapping together and even taking
Want was different about this study is the leader allowed the children to lead themselves in the group discussions. Each child listens with respect and common courtesy. Even though there were moments of possession, whining and chaos happening the group managed to stay focused on the genres, details and predicting the outcomes of the stories they read together without stopping the entire
Piaget stated that children function in a concrete world and therefore are unable to use language in an abstract way until about eleven years old. Consequently language does not afford young children the structure for appropriate self-expression. Piaget believed that children design symbols to communicate their wishes, ideas and emotions. This system of symbols characterises symbolic play (Piaget & Inhelder,
In Cat in the Hat, the character of the fish is portrayed through the use of a puppet, however the puppeteer is visible throughout the entire play, yet this does not break the immersion of the viewers. This is due to their understanding of object permanence. According to Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, a child gains the ability to understand fully where an object is found or where it is hidden at the approximate age of eighteen months (Jean Piaget’s Object Permanence, accessed 28th October 2015). With the knowledge of what the puppet is, they are able to differentiate the puppet with the puppeteer. They can comprehend that the puppeteer is an essential part of the production, and that although he is clearly visible, the focus is on the fish’s actions, with the puppeteer not a participant in the actual story of the performance. The use of music in Cat in the Hat is another key technique, as it stimulates the sense of hearing and helps the children correspond certain volumes and tones to different moods in the performance. As the music is played in a happy style, the children can learn that whatever may be happening in the performance is a good thing and feel more comfortable in their understanding of the character’s actions. This links back to the original quote
Being surrounded always by people and tutors is a great benefit for kids, as it gives a hint and speeds up development, according to the recent researches and the theory of Vygotsky. His theory is actively applied in reciprocal teaching, which is used to improve student 's abilities to learn from text – theater performance is a great example as well. This method includes children in learning and practicing such skills as clarifying, questioning, predicting and summarizing. The role of the teaches is getting weaker and weaker through time. The other method is called scaffolding when a tutor helps to organize a question and make a system out of it, so the kid or a student can work on it easier and get a positive result. Teamwork plays a great role in the theory of Vygotsky, as it was in the pretend games as well. According to the scientist it would be more effective to have students of different abilities in one class, so the more advanced could help those who need help. During the performance rehearsals we experienced the same routine, the only difference was that we were helped by the teacher himself.
It is characterized by the use of symbols to represents objects and relationships among them (Rathus , S., & Longmuir, S., 2011 , p.125). This is the time children pretend play , Piaget (1962 [ 1946 ])wrote that pretend play usually begins in the second year , when the child begins to symbolize the objects . The quality of pretend play influences pre-schoolers’ later academic performances , their creativity, and their social skills (Russ,2006; Stagnitti et al.,2000) . Imaginery friends are an example of pretend play . As many as 65% of pre-schoolers have imaginery friends , they are most common first born and only children (Gleason et al.,2003). Children with imaginery friends are usually less aggressive , more cooperative, and show greater language development and concentration (Rathus, S., & Longmuir, S., 2011 , p.126). In conclusion, we have learned that in the preoperational stage you learn to symbolize objects and you can connect to people relationship wise. – you’re missing several theoretical concepts for this stage;
Play therapy is conducted by psychologist to retrieve a specific therapeutic purposes, while therapeutic play (implemented by an individual) utilizes normal play to guide natural coping mechanism in facing traumatic events. She describes how instructional play is utilized in helping school aged children, whose development is best filtered through fantasy or magical thinking (Ponte, et.al, 2015). Thus, Ponte aims to uncover rather the introduction of a toy (as the means of communication between the child and professional) will lessen anxiety and change visible behaviors in this
Numerous sources have concluded that it is a necessity for children to have time to play for countless reasons; this includes the development of their mind and bodies. When observing a young child at the age of 4 on November 1st, 2016 I found information that supported why play was essential to children 's development. When conducting this observation I was unable to participate in the children 's classroom activities, but only allowed to watch and listen. During this observation, we were asked to pick one student to observe for this observation. I chose a student whose name was Wyatt, he demonstrated that play is a crucial part of their learning in terms of mood and interactions.
Children tend to learn more when they know why what they are learning is important and if that material is presented in an interesting way. Take for example a preschool teacher who needs to teach her class about the different shapes. Instead of just showing her students a poster with the different shapes on it, she has her students get out of their seats and begin exploring the classroom for differently shaped objects. Once they have found some objects, have them share with the class what the object is and what shape it is. This exercise will not only help the other students learn the shape of the object, but it will also help the student who is sharing. Piaget believed that children’s cognitive growth is fostered when they are physically able to experience certain situations. By having students share with the class what shapes their objects are, they are fostering their public speaking
Teachers must pay attention to presenting to their students, is very important in their education. If the student finds it too much of challenge there will give up and if it’s too easy there will be bored. An example of teaching strategies is scaffolding strategic support that teachers provide that allows children to complete a task they could not accomplish independently (Vygotsky, 1978; Wood, Bruner, & Ross, 1976). Teacher needs to plan out a task according to the child ability to help they respond and engaged the lesson there increase their independent performance in school. It creates an understanding of English is pronouncing and how to read, both of these skills are important in life. By making these an important part of early child development it reinforces these
Play is important for a child’s well-being, but it can also be a vehicle to learn literacy skills. Very few things are learned just by watching someone else do something, which means the majority of things have to be experienced in order to grasp the concept. This is true for literacy as well. When children play they are attaching meaning with toys, the same is true when reading; meaning must be attached to the written words (Roskos, et al.
During elementary school, children are not only developing their physical bodies, but there minds as well. They a...