Reflection of activities with Magformers kits in kindergarten teacher training

Abstract

: The development of reflective competence is an important part of the preparation for the profession and further professional growth of kindergarten teachers. The study finds the level of reflective competences of future kindergarten teachers at the end of their preparatory education and how these competences can be developed with the use of video recording in the real environment of a kindergarten. Using the 3A (annotation-analysis-alternation) methodology, the paper reflects on a set of activities with Magformers magnetic building blocks considered a suitable opportunity to develop children’s spatial imagination and basic technical literacy. The participants of the research were final year undergraduate students of the Bachelor of Education for Kindergarten (N=12) in the context of their continuous teaching practice. Similar to the activity analyzed in this study, other themes were explored by the 3A methodology. Reflective analysis and suggestions for activity alternations seem to be beneficial for the professional training based on our experience. The students evaluated the observed phenomena less often intuitively, and rather reflected on their own activities and the children’s expressions, taking into account the theoretical anchoring. This progressive approach can be considered desirable in terms of the professional development of future teachers. Research has shown that by the end of their bachelor’s studies students are already able to translate their mathematical knowledge into educational content and specific methodological practices, thus creating the necessary preconditions for the development of a professional portfolio.