From: May Sarmac
Submit: Post Field Note
VisitDate: 11/21/96
Adult-Run: Selected
Children-Run: Selected
Collaborative: Selected
Unclear-Philosophy: Selected
Bottom-up: Selected
Top-down: Selected
Unclear-Approach: Selected
Informal: Selected
Formal: Selected
Unclear-Type: Selected
LearningArea: ZPD
Date: 23 Nov 1996
Time: 17:33:09
Remote Name: am.ucsc.edu
Alex,male,8; Kyle,male, 7; Mars, male, 8(?) Maria, female, 11; Manuela, female, 11
On Wednesday, nov.20, I mainly worked with Maria and Manuela. I was walking around the room observing who would need help. Maria was playing on the computer, but she came up to me and asked if we could go color in the next room and if I could make her an origami crane. So she called Manuela over and we went to the next room. After I made the first crane, Maria and Manuela asked if I could show them how to make one. We all took a sheet of paper and I showed them how to fold it into a crane. At first, Manuela didn't really know what I was saying because she does not speak any English and I don't speak any Spanish. Our language barrier was not actually a barrier because I explained the steps slowly to her and demonstrated how and where to fold. When Manuela and I didn't understand each other, Maria was more than happy to translate. The next day, Mars was the first one at B.U and we started out the session by playing Dominoes. It was hard playing with him because I felt like he wasn't listening to me, let alone showing me respect. He threw around the case for Dominoes and when I asked him to just place the case on the table, he replied, "I'll put it on the table if it lands there when I throw it." After he put it on the chair, Mars wanted to play table hockey with the dominoes instead. He thought it was amusing when he pounded my fingers with the dominoes while trying to make a goal. When I suggested playing with the computer, he pushed some of the dominoes off the table. I asked him to pick them up, but he only picked them up after I had asked him to several times. After he put the dominoes away, other kids came in. Alex and Kyle, two boys I've worked with before, recognized me and asked me if could help them. When I was answering questions for Kyle about Minesweeper, Alex came over to ask me to play with him. I told him I'd when I finish answering Kyle's questions, but Alex got impatient and started to tug me away to play a game. We ended up playing Mancala until other kids started to line up for the next game.
I think Maria and Manuela wanted to color and amke origami because the computer games just weren't interesting to them. I don't know why it bothered me when Mars and I were playing together. I guess it was because he was telling me to pick things up for him and purposely dropping the dominoes so he can "let me" pick them up. On a lighter note, I was glad to see the kids again. I'm glad that Alex and Kyle remember me and wanted to play with me for the session. It is unfortunate though, that the kids are starting to get to know us and we're starting to get to know them, but the quarter is ending.