Chapter 11: Play

Froebel and Play Curriculum

in Froebel's kindergarten curriculum, children were to play naturally with objects and each other to gain understanding

ideas on play based on natural learning between mother and child

argued that women make the best teachers

differences about the meaning of play were debated:

traditionalists wanted to maintain prescribed use of objects with teacher guiding children towards patterns through play

developmentalists wanted more free play and choice, and for teacher to use play as a way of studying children's needs and growth

Science and Developmental Play

G. Stanley Hall included play as a key element in his recapitulation theory of child development

argued that children repeat the evolutionary history of humans as they play

believed children's play goes through seven developmental stages

John Dewey argued that play was children's learning experience

Montessori method essentially involves play, though the children's work activities are not called play, and are carefully planned, not free play

Signaling to Create Play

children learn to respond to social cues through play

players use signals to communicate with each other

children play with their voices and expressions in pretend play

language used in play may be the foundation of literacy

Play as a Social Setting

play required negotiation and develops social skills

with adult guidance children can develop and refine their strategies for negotiating more successfully

Culture and Social Play Communications

shared communication bonds playmates and develops children's group identity

when children play together they form their own peer cultures

children's play culture usually separates from the values and desires of adults in the culture

peer culture is a concern for adults and educators because it often challenges authority

Multiple Meanings of Play

play represents thinking and interacting according to children's stages of development

however, it also relates to our larger societies

some argue that play can be read as a text for layers of meaning

Postmodern Play Analyses

strives to understand children's play from the perspective of social justice and equality

asks how play becomes a context for children confronting larger social issues

play can become a tool for establishing and reinforcing society's inequities and biases

research suggests many biases entrenched in educational play

Play in Contemporary Education

play is challenged by the accountability movement and NCLB

pressure to show results on concrete or standardized assessments

the amount of time for recess is declining dramatically

shown to improve on-task behavior, recess is still cut as "noninstructional" time

play in classroom is challenged: direct instruction to teach literacy is official policy

early childhood classrooms resemble older grades in that children spend more time with pencil-and-paper tasks

Piaget on Play

play is important in Piaget's understanding of thinking

play is how children assimilate their experience, and how they practice their thinking

argued for including pretend play as a necessary part of the curriculum for disadvantaged children

inspired research on the effects of play interventions

Vygotsky on Play

unlike Piaget's view of play, for Vygotsky play=learning

saw pretend play as zone of proximal development

children are predisposed to play, and socially constructed to play

play is not just a stage, it is how children expand their thinking, supported in their ZPD, to think on higher levels

Educational Play Materials

increased knowledge about brain development influenced how materials are selected for classrooms

however, research shows that some materials labeled good for the brain are not helping children get "smarter" and may be harmful

play materials for educational purposes have been used for centuries

Caroline Pratt developed unit blocks

classrooms usually have dramatic play materials

small manipulative materials

puzzles

literacy materials

Categories of Play Materials

open ended: can be used in many different creative ways

closed ended, such as puzzles, which are generally only used one way

can be categorized by the type of plas

costumes fo dramatic play

Lego blocks for construction play

realistic vs. nonrealistic

can be categorized by the different domain of development supported

general consensus: children benefit from a balance of play materials

Controversial Classroom Materials

toys that promote violence

toys that promote racial or gender stereotyping

noneducaitonal television shows

technology

war play

some consider it a part of children's emotional development and growing awareness of the world