Objects to Learn about and Objects for Learning 1

4From Object to Instrument for Language Development in Kindergarten: Necessary Support in the Development of Professional Competence Among Probationary Public School Teachers

4.1. Introduction

Using objects to perform tasks is ingrained in our lives: it seems perfectly normal to pick up cutlery to eat or a pen to take notes. Depending on the type of knob on a door, for example, everyone knows whether they need to press or push, if they have been through that kind of door before. Some objects have functions that may be obvious to the user, but this may vary from person to person depending on their education and their experiences.

In the context of school, classes are so rich in diverse and varied objects that outsiders might see rather a jumble where an educational professional would see the full learning potential, and two professionals would not see the same potential. With the democratization of information and communication technologies for education (ICTE), new objects are making an appearance, such as computers, digital tablets, etc. (Zaid et al. 2019), and through them, the number of objects “present” in class is increasing exponentially. This development, which could be seen as a springboard to action, also involves good management of all these objects along with didactic consideration of the synergies between the objects selected with a view to a precise learning objective.

Our research is inscribed within this context and focuses more specifically on objects for language ...