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The teacher cuts the
tape while Lucas tapes the two cups together with masking tape.
Making Musical Instruments Using Tape
Introduction
The children in room four have been interested in making musical instruments with objects found in the classroom. The objects that the children were using were cups and beads to make shakers. In order to make the shakers, they needed to use scotch tape to tape the two plastic cups together. The children have seen to be cognitively challenged with cutting the tape and taping the two cups together.
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The teacher cuts the
tape while Lucas tapes the two cups together with masking tape.
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D.F. is attempting to pull the tape. |
The tape is starting to get stuck together. |
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D.F. Is attempting to pull the tape out. |
The tape is all stuck together. |
 Teacher showing D.F. the direction of pulling the tape. Teacher: Here you go D.F. Then you could just pull it that way. (Showing D.F. which way to pull the tape to cut it. ) |
D.F. tries to follow how the
teacher showed it; however, but the tape gets all stuck together. He
was able to get the tape to the tape cutter, and Mariah helps him. D.F.: Can
you get this out? Mariah helps him pull the tape out.  |
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D.F.: I need more tape; I need to get it out. Since the tape is all stuck together, he realizes that he is not able to tape it onto the cup. Therefore, he tries again, trying to pull the tape out. He is pulling the tape and
trying to rip it out. A teacher realizes that he is struggling and
helps him out. Teacher: Here D.F., put it down here and it'll rip. |
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Eva:
I can't get my tape to stick on. |
Teacher: What
if I hold it. (Holding the cup for Cisco)
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Teacher analysis
The children face many
cognitive conflicts in this task since they are using a new and difficult
materials, such as using tape and taping two cups together. Many of the children
had difficulties cutting the tape since the tape, being a sticky material,
stuck together on their fingers, which challenged the children.
Lucas was able to tape the
cups together using masking tape that the teacher cut out for him. Lucas was
able to create his musical instrument by some teacher assistance, where the
teacher cut the tape out for him. Lucas was able to tape the two cups together,
using fine motor skills to carefully tape the cups.
D.F. seemed to be challenged
in the process of cutting tape. His knowledge of cutting the tape was to pull
the tape, thus, ripping parts of the tape. He realized that when he tried
to pull, the tape would get stuck together and not being able to rip it without
using the tape cutter. Mariah, realizing his struggle, assists D.F. in using
the tape cutter. He used this knowledge and tried it himself; however, the
direction of the tape that was being pulled was the opposite from the tape
cutter. He was showing difficulty and with teacher assistance, he was able
to cut the tape off from the cutter. D.F. learned that he had to pull the
tape from the tip so that the tape will not stick together and use the cutter
to cut the tape off.
Other children were showing
cognitive conflicts by not being able to tape the two cups together. Liam,
Cisco, and Eva were facing conflicts since they were challenged in holding
the two cups together with one hand and taping the cups with the other. The
cup kept on falling, thus, not being able to tape them together. The teacher
offers a suggestion of holding the cup, which seemed to work more effectively.
Using and the process of cutting the tape is cognitively challenging at a preschool level. Also taping two cups together is challenging since one would have to balance the cups together and carefully tape the circumference in order for it to stick together. With teacher or other children's assistance, the child is able to overcome their cognitive challenges.
Mami Sato
