# data[].attributes.body
BUILDING KNOWLEDGE WITH PEERS

# data[].attributes.body
Where can I take this from here? It's evident in this documentation that given the right provocation and guidance, students can thrive in collaborative experiences to enhance their learning of the world. This activity was fairly basic, but still nudged the children towards thinking about the combination of 'how' and 'why' as opposed to just one or the other. From here I could lead onto more complex topics like environmental sustainability - more specifically recycling - for example. Do you do it at home? Why/Why not? Share your experiences with peers, then brainstorm how we can do a better job of making our world a better place.. How deep can these discussions get? Might some of the children's responses surprise or excite us if we consciously tap into the pedagogy of listening? If we as educators practice what we preach, and encourage listening amongst children and adults alike, the possibilities for meaningful, rich discourse and understanding increase tenfold..

Successful building of children's knowledge in group experiences requires the following understandings and expectations from childhood educators:
- 'support sustained shared thinking' (VEYLF 2016, p. 11)
- 'listen to, hear and take into account the views and feelings of each child' (VEYLF 2016, p. 11).
- 'recognise and deepen their understandings about other people and how values and beliefs influence their own world view' (VEYLF 2016, p. 11).
- 'engage in sustained shared conversations with children to explore equity and diversity, to promote each child’s sense of identity' (VEYLF 2016, p. 12).
- 'maximise opportunities for all children to do well and learn from others, including opportunities to experience diversity and difference in ways that nurture positive attitudes, and care and respect for others' (VEYLF 2016, p. 12).
- use intentional teaching strategies that are always purposeful and may be pre-planned or spontaneous, to support achievement of well considered and identified goals' (VEYLF 2016, p. 15).

# data[].attributes.body
'Children feel safe and secure and experience close attachment and kinship with those close to them' (VEYLF 2016, p. 18) - the children who felt most comfortable and happy with their group members were the ones who were most engaged with the activity.

'As children learn and develop, they build further on their abilities to cooperate and work collaboratively, demonstrate initiative by asking questions and attempting new challenges' (VEYLF 2016, p. 18) - the children displayed their ability to work as a team in their groups, and weren't afraid to ask questions about why they were performing the task and how they can make their designs better.

'Contributing in social settings strengthens children’s sense of identity, wellbeing and belonging' (VEYLF 2016, p. 19) - some students were shy and reserved at the beginning of the experience, but given the opportunity and encouragement by educators and peers, they ended the activity confident and high spirited with their contribution.

'Young children begin to develop explanations for observed phenomena' (VEYLF 2016, p. 21) - most of the children were able to recall images and memories of machines, vehicles and tools and explain their purpose, which then allowed them to integrate them into their own designs.

'Children benefit from many opportunities to generate and discuss ideas, make plans, exercise skills, brainstorm solutions to problems, reflect and give reasons for their choices' (VEYLF 2016, p. 21) - this sums up everything the children did in this experience. As a group they brainstormed ideas, generated discussion, planned how they would design their machine, wrote what it could do, how, and why.

# data[].attributes.body
What did I hear?

- Students sharing ideas and information with peers to achieve their goal.

- Doubt in the minds of some students unsure of aspects of the task.

- Educators guiding students in the search for meaning.

- Students listening and respecting the thoughts and opinions of others.

- The silence of a group disengaged from the activity.

# data[].attributes.body
By the end of the experience, most of the groups had completed their designs and answered the questions asked of them. I was surprised at how well the students worked as a team. Many of them listened to and respected each others opinions and came up with solutions of their own to both simple problems such as taking turns adding sections of the design, to more complex ones like managing functionality complications such as how their bulldozer would push large loads in a straight line. They achieved their goals via perpetual communication, role play, and collaboration with other groups. I am a believer in experiences promoting free-flowing, expressive thought to construct meaningful ideas such as this one, and this documentation helps show how effective it can be.

# data[].attributes.body
Seeing the teacher use the students prior learning as a tool to blow wind in their sails was an amazing lesson for me. Often educators (myself included) resort to warnings and threats of punishment to get children back on track in class, but this practice can also have an adverse affect and result in them losing motivation completely. This is a string I'll be adding to my bow for future learning experiences.

# data[].attributes.body
The group rushed to the scales they'd used in the maths activity and started weighing the toys one by one. After they had obtained their answer they carried their momentum onto the further design of their machine and would ultimately complete the task.

# data[].attributes.body
There was one group who'd begun designing a truck but became disinterested or were at a loss for ideas, so they began playing with toys at the back of the room. The teacher noticed this and attempted to redirect them back to the task at hand by asking 'loaded' questions linking in to a maths experience they'd taken part in earlier in the day (the class was learning how to estimate and weigh objects). The teacher asked them for the maximum capacity of their truck in grams, then tasked them with finding out how many of the toys they were playing with could be loaded on.

# data[].attributes.body
Before the class begins, the teacher informs me of what we'll be doing, and I acknowledge that this will be a prime opportunity to study how children co-construct ideas and work together to achieve set goals.

The activity starts with the class teacher re-introducing the students with Dash (who they'd first played with and examined the week prior) and explains to them the task at hand, before asking the group questions such as "If my machine's purpose is to push large rocks, how should I design the front?". I quickly realised the importance of small lead-up activities that build gradual knowledge before taking on more advanced experiences such as this one. There is no doubt that the visual stimulus and recent experience with the machine filled the children with confidence, and it was exciting to hear their ideas about what and how they might design their own.

The students were split into groups of three and spread out across the room to being brainstorming. As I listened in to each group, the common theme was sharing things they'd seen or heard about in their past - from fire trucks with giant ladders in a book they'd just read, to bulldozers with big, wide blades that their father operates. I wondered how they would share the responsibility of combining all these ideas into one machine. Positive relationships I'd built earlier in the week with the children helped me enter into each groups creative process where I was able to hear their ideas and offer guidance when requested.

# data[].attributes.body
This is Dash. Dash is a toy robot which acted as the provocation for this learning experience. It is capable of many different functions, from performing musical acts, to being the household pet. But it's Dash's ability to push, pull and carry objects that was the focal point of this activity.

# data[].attributes.body
My name is Jonathan Gill and I am an early childhood/primary education student at Victoria University. This documentation took place over five days from October 8-12 at Stevensville Primary School in St Albans, which is situated on land traditionally owned by the Kurung-Jang-Balluk and Marin-Balluk clans of the Wurundjeri people.

Stevensville Primary is located along the ever busy Kings Road. The first thing you notice upon entering the school grounds are the towering gum and peppercorn trees. There's a rich Australian scent in the air, and if you close your eyes or gaze off into the distance towards the rear of the school boundaries you might easily forget you're not in a quaint and quiet country town if it weren't for the roar of engines consistently zooming by behind you.

The subjects in this documentation are a group of 21 children between 6-8 years of age in a combined grade 1 and 2 class. The children were tasked with designing on paper, a vehicle/robot with functions that served a purpose benefiting the community. The purpose of this documentation panel is to observe and understand how children share thoughts and ideas with peers to advance their intellectual development, as well as discover how as en educator, I can help further this learning process.

# data[].attributes.headline
How do children in school share ideas and experiences to build knowledge?

# data[].attributes.subject
How do children in school share ideas and experiences to build knowledge?