From: Ayal Goury
Submit: Post Field Note
VisitDate: 00/00/96
Date: 23 Oct 1996
Time: 15:05:22
Remote Name: lang-lab-mac43.ucsc.edu
I'm sorry I can't remember. But 3 girls and 1 boy
The paintbrush program was very overwhelming for both me and the new student approaching it. So i narrowed the focus and attention to discovering the tools on the side of the screen. I did this the way I was learning at the same time as well. We started with the circle and saw what it did. I let the child try different configurations of the same circle. Then in different colors. Then i asked about the other circle tool. That was done and we talked about the differences such as one full in color and the other empty inside with a colored border. So i began testing the children by asking for things i.e. a blue circle with red filled in. With some kids we got to move fast enough to get to triangles as well.
I shouldn't really use the word testing because it sounds problematic. I just wanted to give the kids a goal or particular design which they may have difficulty doing on their own. It was more like I was asking them to make me a red triangle with blue fillings. There were no grades and no enforcements for being wrong. I did this so they can see what they could do and in time get them to draw a house and eventually their own thing. But I don't think free drawing or design was in their ZPD so i figured a couple of circles and triangles along with the variations on those were. I found this to be a very effective method for narrowing down this program which neither I nor the child knew where to begin. Iwas very impressed and gratified with the responses. They were looking very much forward to my next request for them to paint.
I'm hoping I gave them an understanding of how to explore such programs on their own. Maybe now they will be more readily accepting of exploring new directions with the program. I don't think that this is not informal, it's just a way to help break down a problem to work a little at a time; from the bottom up