Problem solving and persistence

27/8/18

Dear x,

Today you built a ramp outside on the lawn. I noticed that you were using the ramp to roll
down a car. I suggested that we should have a race to see whose car would travel further.
You liked this idea! You predicted that your car would go all the way to the foot path. But
we had a problem; the car would fall off the ramp each time. I asked you whether you
needed to change your design. You began adjusting the ramp so that it was straight. “It
worked!” I asked you why you thought it worked and you said “Maybe because it had
enough power to do it.” We then hit another problem. The car would slow down at a certain
point on the ramp. I asked you what you thought was happening to the car and you said
“Maybe it runs out of energy”. I asked you how you could give it more energy to which you
replied “Super push! That means we do a hard push!” So that’s just what you did, but I think
it might have been too much of a super push because your car flew off the ramp. “Did the
hard push work?” I said. “Nah. It just made it fly off” you replied. I suggested that perhaps
we needed to make the ramp steeper to give it more energy. You agreed and made the
changes. Next you said, “I think I have to punch it” but this didn’t work. You then realised
something: “Oh there’s a bump there. Maybe that’s what’s stopping it” You then began
adjusting your design: “I fixed the bump!” So at last we had a working car ramp. You showed
x how the car ramp worked and you then both began to race the cars. What great problem
solving and persistence you have demonstrated today!
EYLF Outcomes:

x you have demonstrated dispositions for learning such as persistence, confidence, commitment and
enthusiasm (EYLF, Outcome 4.1, p.34). You kept trying even when things weren’t working and you were
committed to solving the problem. You confidently expressed your ideas and theories as to what was
happening to the car and why. You were enthusiastic about your design as you shared with your friend x what
you were doing.

Additionally you were able to demonstrate a range of skills such as problem solving, experimentation and
investigating (EYLF, Outcome 4.2, p.35). This was clear when you were able to question why things weren’t
working, and actively investigate and experiment to find out how you could solve the problem. You tried many
different things to get the car to run smoothly down the ramp and you did not give up. These are great skills
to have as there are many situations where we need problem solving skills and dispositions such as
persistence to help us.

Throughout this learning experience you demonstrated that you are an effective communicator (EYLF,
Outcome 5, p.38). This was demonstrated through your ability to interact verbally and non-verbally for a
range of purposes such as: asking questions, answering questions, expressing ideas and demonstrating how
things work.

Where to next?

The concept of cause and effect has been explored within this learning experience as xwondered why the car
began to slow down at certain point. Following on from this learning experience, we will aim to add different
surfaces (carpet, grass and Lino) to the experiment to find out which surface the car travels faster on.

Written by Tulasi Hollis