Teaching Perspective-Taking in Kindergarten
Presentation by: Jessica Benson-Mah
Session C | 10:25 – 10:45 | Room 208
Abstract:
One of the threads woven through the new curriculum is the concept of perspective, particularly in Social Studies where perspective is one of the six concepts (significance, evidence, continuity and change, cause and consequence, perspective, and ethical judgement) upon which the curriculum is based. This presentation investigates kindergarten classroom practice to promote strong perspective-taking skills in young children. Through the lens of developmental theory I examine three components of perspective-taking in Kindergarten-aged children: the cognitive, visual and affective.
My findings are significant to all educators who will be implementing the new curriculum but particularly for primary teachers. I will discuss how deconstructing perspective-taking into smaller, less abstract segments makes acquisition of this behaviour more accessible to this age group. From a pedagogical standpoint, I will demonstrate how perspective-taking becomes easier to teach explicitly and to infuse into all subject areas. Educators will understand how children need to acquire confidence using vocabulary to describe their personal internal state before they can make speculations of another’s internal state.
My findings are also significant in confirming that stronger perspective-taking skills are associated with increased prosocial behaviours and decreased aggressiveness. Bullying, unfortunately, is too prominent in our schools and finding early, proactive interventions is of utmost importance.
