A Case Study comparing the responses

of 2 classes of 10 year olds in England

and in Japan to a constructivist lesson

Hilary Cooper, Emeritus Professor, University of Cumbria

Hideyo Sugao,
University of Hiroshima
This study: Pedagogy
 Compare responses of  Bruner: learn the questions
Japanese and English to ask at the centre of a
10- 11 year olds to discipline, in order to apply
 Lesson based on
historical enquiry about
to new material
sources: What do you  Vygotsky: importance of
know? What can you discussion
‘guess’? What would you
like to know?  
Historical Enquiry:
Rationale
Collingwood
• Discussions about
Interpreting sources:
the new Japanese
 How was it made?
history history
 How was it used?
curriculum
 What did it mean to the
• Historical enquiry,
people who made and used
not memorised facts
it?
(by 2020) C
 S

Nagisakoen: Mr. Katsunori Fujiyama

 S
High Hesket: Mr. Paul Jenkinson
Small pit dwelling
Whole class discussion
What do you KNOW for
certain?

What can you ‘guess’?

What would you like to

know?

S
Analysis of whole class responses
10 • Most responses concerned
9
with how hut was made
8
• Children in both groups
7
developed points made by
6
Qu 1 others
5
4 Qu 2 • e.g. qu 2: Mud was used to
Qu 3 keep it together. So it was
3
insulated. It might have
2
been warm.
1
0
Nagisa High
Hesket
Some responses used language of possibilty (3) They might have put wood
shavings on the floor to make it more comfortable (H H )
Opinion: (2) I think… I want to argue….
Causation: Because/ therefore (5) People were short because there is a small
entrance
Reasoning: (5) therefore/so/ as a result
S
Large pit dwelling group discussion
What do you know for
certain,
What can you guess?
What would you like to
know?
 Large Pit Dwelling: analysis of group
responses
6

3
Qu 1
2 Qu 2
Qu 3
1

0
r 1 r 2 , 3 r 4 r 5 r1 r 2 e 3 r 4 r 5
a G a G Gr a g a g et g t g t g t g t g
gis gis gisa gis gis esk ske ske ske ske
a a
Na Na Na N N H He he He He

Interesting responses: Did people walk on hands as well as feet? Did

they wear clothes? Did people live in different size houses according to
social position? How did they communicate?
 Large pit dwelling 2
Thinking about how small pit dwelling made in task one develops in task 2
qu. 2: ‘How was this building used? (But with different hypotheses}

Nagisa High Hesket

look out

Storage
defense

Meetings
/attack
Shelter
house many
Home-rich
interior
Village hall
soc superior
Keep animals

C
 Rubbish pit: pairs
draw and label what might have been in pit
Nagisa HH
Types of 15 11
Bones
Pots 26 5
various
Types of 5 1
Stone tools
Types of 5 0
Stone
weapons

(nuts, shells 21 0
hair
ornaments
etc.)

total 72 17
S
Jomon pot: individual archaeologist’s report form

What do you
know?

What can you

guess?

What would you

like to know?

S
 Individual reports: Jomon pot- how was it made?
Every child in Nagisa and High Hesket gave a valid answer to each question
Answers grouped in Collingwood’s categories: 1. How was it made?

NAGISA HIGH HESKET

Materials
earth, clay
Made by burning/ firing
How did they find out how to
make it because this would tell
us hints about the Jomon
period? 
 
Skills of makers
manual dexterity, Patterns made
by binding with ropes
 various patterns, shapes sizes  Detailed patterns
Materials
clay/soil and water,
  stone,
Fired to make it solid; fired at a
high temperature
It’s hand made
How long it took to make? 
Skills of makers
time and concentration to make
long time to build
moulded in specific shape
S
Answers grouped in Collingwood’s qu. 2:
How was it used? Inferences
High Hesket
Nagisa  To put flowers in
Put flowers, for water
as a cup ointment
a dish, liquids
put fruit and nuts in to drink out of
storage cooking pot

store items

a container

C
 Conclusions
• Little difference between responses of Japanese and
English children
• Number of responses/children’s (confidence) increased
through whole class>groups>pairs>individual responses
• Some children volunteered vocabulary of opinion,
possibility, causation, connection
• By task 4 every child made a valid, individual response to
each of 3 questions; they had learned to differentiate
between types of question
• Answers could be categorised according to Collingwood:
How was it made? How was it used?
• With further experience answers could have included
Collingwood’s 3rd category: What does it tell us about the
people who made and used it?