Loading...
Please wait, while we are loading the content...
Similar Documents
An examination of factors that affect young children’s learning and transfer from picturebooks PATRICA A . GANEA AND CAITLIN F . CANFIELD
| Content Provider | Scilit |
|---|---|
| Copyright Year | 2015 |
| Abstract | Children are surrounded by symbols from early in life, and within a few years they must master a variety of educational symbols, including letters, numbers, mathematical symbols, maps, and in some cases musical notation and computer icons. Extensive research points to the importance of beginning to acquire this knowledge in preschool and early elementary school. For example, children who learn letters and their relations to sounds at a young age perform substantially better in later reading, not only in early elementary school but also through high school and perhaps beyond (Foulin 2005; Hulme et al. 2012; Levin et al. 2006; Stevenson and Newman 1986). Symbol-mediated experience vastly expands children's horizons by enabling them to learn from a variety of sources and, most importantly, to acquire information beyond the here and now. A common assumption among parents and educators is that symbolic artifacts can be used to maximize learning. Pictures, videos, maps, and other symbolic objects are routinely used at home and in preschools to expose young children to new information. Given the widespread practice of using symbolic artifacts to teach children new information, it is important to consider what factors may influence the processes involved in early learning of symbol-mediated information. One factor that constrains children's learning from symbolic artifacts is their understanding of the symbol-referent relation (DeLoache and Burns 1994). Symbols have a dual nature: they are both objects in and of themselves and at the same time representations of something else (DeLoache 1995, 2002). To acquire information from symbols, children first need to appreciate their representational nature, the fact that they refer to something else. For example, for children to learn and extrapolate new information from a picturebook, they first need to appreciate that information about the objects and events in the book is relevant to the real world. Similarly, to acquire information from video, children first need to understand that video images can represent real events. A good deal of developmental research has shown that understanding the nature of symbol-referent relations can be a difficult task for young children (Callaghan 2000; DeLoache 2002; Harris et al. 1997; Liben and Downs 1989; Tomaselloet al. 1999; Troseth and DeLoache 1998). For example, children around the age of 2 have difficulty using objects symbolically if those objects have other conventional uses, because it is difficult for them to represent both the object's symbolic use and its conventional use (Tomasello et al. 1999). It has also been shown that highly salient and interesting objects can be more difficult for children to understand and use as representations of something else (DeLoache 1995, 2002). The more children's attention is focused on the object itself, the less likely they are to appreciate the symbolic relation between the object and its referent. The dual representation requirements for pictures are reduced because pictures are generally less salient as objects in themselves. This should make it easier for children to use them as sources of information about the world compared to other symbolic objects (i.e. scale models) (DeLoache 2002). Nevertheless, although pictures may be less salient as objects in themselves, they have many physical characteristics (different types of images, sizes, colors, textures) that can influence the extent to which children use them symbolically. Thus, a second factor that can play a significant role in children's learning from symbols involves the physical characteristics of the symbol. Picturebooks form a unique symbolic medium, in that the things they represent can vary from real-world objects, to imaginary entities, and even to other symbols, such as letters and numbers. This added layer of representational complexity should make considerations about the characteristics of the symbolic medium even more important. For example, encouraging children to play with books that have tabs to pull out letters might not help them learn the abstract symbolic content depicted in the book, such as letters or numbers. Symbols that are too interesting in themselves as objects may not function as good teaching tools with young children. In this chapter, we present research examining young children's learning from their interactions with picturebooks. In particular, we will summarize research showing that some characteristics of picturebooks may facilitate learning better than others. We will begin with a summary of research examining children's understanding of the symbolic nature of pictures. |
| Related Links | https://api.taylorfrancis.com/content/chapters/edit/download?identifierName=doi&identifierValue=10.4324/9781315866710-10&type=chapterpdf |
| Ending Page | 64 |
| Page Count | 18 |
| Starting Page | 47 |
| DOI | 10.4324/9781315866710-10 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited |
| Publisher Date | 2015-02-20 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Book Name: Learning from Picturebooks Language Studies Symbolic Objects Learning From Symbols |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Chapter |
