Triggering Children’s Ways of Conceptualizing the World (Through the Analysis of the Meaning of the Concept of the Horizon)

Abstract

The article presents the results of research carried out in the 2016/2017 school year in selected primary schools in an urban environment (Łódź). The aim of the study was to diagnose the ways of understanding the abstract concept of the horizon, in groups of 8-to 9-year-olds and 9-to 10-year-old children. The research was carried out in a venue that provided a natural learning environment (in two second grade classes and two third grade classes). The research adopted the strategy of didactic intervention. The researcher acted as an observer and a participant, and the research material came from participatory observation. The observation covered both the activities of pupils as well as the effects of these activities. The research material obtained in the course of conversations with children and their artistic activity was analyzed. The research results reconstructed the children's process of understanding the concept of the horizon and revealed possibilities of enriching educational discourse.

Preconceptions and Their Significance in Early Identification of Potential Giftedness in Preschool-Aged Children

“…Preconceptions can be defined as the children's initial ideas arising from their experience with the given objects, events, or phenomena (in reality, from the television, Internet or contact with such phenomena). The importance of diagnosing children's preconceptions for effective education has also been highlighted by Bonar and Wiśniewska-Kin (2018).…”