Abstract
The objective of this study was to investigate preschool-aged children’s rational behavior and dialogical critical thinking and analyze different types of dialogical exchange about mathematics among 5-years-old children. Based on a two-part theoretical framework, one referred to Habermas’ construct of rational behavior and the second to Daniel’s model about typology of dialogical exchange among peers, the study shows that a dialogue containing all three components of the rational behavior can be reached by children just when the dialogue is a critical dialogical type. This happens when children show spontaneous and complete justifications, with a critic approach and this allows children to reach a modification of the initial idea as a common solution. Considerations about teacher’s role are presented.
Highlights
The case reported in this article is part of a collaborative project, funded by mobility funds granted by Division of Research and Innovation, between Norway and Italy, aimed at investigating how the cultural scenario can enhance the teaching-learning process in preschool, with focus on mathematics, outdoors, rational behavior and dialogical critical thinking
Our findings show that dialogical thinking and rational behavior may be promoted already in early childhood
The analysis of the development of children exchange brings to the crucial role of the teacher, who is fundamental to support and encourage children’s dialogical critical thinking and rational behavior
Summary
The case reported in this article is part of a collaborative project, funded by mobility funds granted by Division of Research and Innovation (project IN-11881), between Norway and Italy, aimed at investigating how the cultural scenario can enhance the teaching-learning process in preschool, with focus on mathematics, outdoors, rational behavior and dialogical critical thinking. Argumentation is considered relevant to the mathematical learning process through social interaction and numerous examples in literature have shown expression of arguments in elementary and secondary classrooms (Krummheuer, 1995). Literature has shown the possibility of identifying argumentation during classroom discussions (Boero, 2011) and different aspects of rationality with respect to argumentation (Boero & Planas, 2014). The specific of the present study is the fact of addressing pre-school children
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