Chapter Two The Process of Play Playing and Learning in Early Childhood Education.

Chapter Two

The Process of Play

Playing and Learning in Early Childhood Education

Opening Reflection

In play the child is always behaving beyond his age, above his usual everyday behavior;

in play he is, as it were, a head above himself. Lev Vygotsky, 1978

Overview

Early LearningPractitioner

Atypical Development

Theories

ClassifyingPlay

The Play Process

Characteristics

MotivationEngagement

Process

An Ecological Perspective

The Processof Play

Play from an Ecological Perspective

Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory examines how environmental influences contribute to a child’s play through the five environmental systems: Microsystem Mesosystem Exosystem Macrosystem Chronosystem

Play from an Ecological Perspective

Microsystem: Play is influenced by the child’s family

Mesosystem: Play is influenced by the interactions and relationships between the family and early learning practitioners

Exosystem: Play is influenced by federal, provincial, and territorial policies

Macrosystem: Play is influenced by culture and societal ideologies

Chronosystems: Play is influenced by environmental conditions and timing of events

How Children Learn and Play

From a constructivist perspective children’s play experiences require: Children and adult interaction and artifacts to support

the process of understanding new information within a social context

Children to share the physical space and social process as well as participate an internal process in order to make sense of the learning

Both individual and groups of learners for an effective learning process

Unique Features of Play

Motivation Active engagement Process rather than product

Play, Learning, and Motivation

Intrinsic motivators of play is affected by:

Challenge Curiosity Fantasy


Play and intrinsic motivation are interrelated and influence child’s play in the following ways: Intrinsically motivated children act for the fun or

challenge of play rather than for external products, pressures, or rewards

Negative emotions, such as anxiety and stress, detract from a child’s interest in playing and exploring

Structured environments that confine children to specific activities or events reduce play


Early learning practitioners support children in developing self-regulation because it is interconnected to:attention skills memory cognitive flexibility interpretation of behavioursocial interactions


According to Pascal (2009), self-regulation: Is defined as “The ability to adapt one’s

emotions, behaviours, and attention to the demands of the situation” (p. 1)

Is about “Establishing one’s own internal motivation for adapting to, and understanding emotional and social demands (p.1)


A child’s level of self-regulation and internal motivation is connected to his ability to:Exercise patience and persistenceExhibit flexibility, curiosity, and exploratory

playApproach new experiencesReduce bullying tendencies

Play, Learning andActive Engagement

Active engagement in play is children’s work during their early years and leads children to develop skills and abilities in:

language development cooperation sharing problem solving expansion of curiosity coordination of body skills

Play, Learning andActive Engagement

Children require active play to support them in:Developing skills to manage stress and to

formulate a healthy lifestyle

Acquiring a balance of vigorous play and quieter activities to enhance each of the child’s developmental domains

Play, Learning, and Play as a Process rather than Product

Children’s play experiences should: Focus on the process of play rather than the

production of a product

Allow children to be in control of their play by being given the freedom to engage in play, explore, and to be able to make mistakes without the feeling of failure

Evolve from the child, be voluntary and self-initiated.

Characteristics of Play

According to Henniger (2002) and Isenberg and Jalongo (2010), there are seven common characteristics of play:

Play is active

Play is child-

initiated and

focused

Play is process-oriented

Play is intrinsic

Play is episodic

Play is rule-

governed

Play is symbolic

The Play Process

Children advance through five phases in the play process. They are: Phase 1: Body Play Phase 2: Motoring Movement Play Phase 3: Imaginative Play Phase 4: Intentional Imaginative Play Phase 5: Peer Play with Rules

The sixth phase occurs during adulthood Phase 6: Adult Play

Classifying Play Experiences

Piaget (1970) suggests children participate in three distinct stages of play. They are: Functional/sensorimotor play (birth to age 2) – Children

focus their play on simple, repetitive muscle-like movements with people, objects, and sounds

Symbolic/dramatic play (ages 2 to 7) – Children focus their play on beginning to express fantasy, use props, and take on roles other than being children

Games with rules (school-aged children) - Children negotiate the rules before they engage in a play experience


Sarah Smilansky (1968) made significant additions to Piaget’s play stages. She identified that:Children between the ages of 4 and 6 years of

age participate in social/dramatic play that is complex and sophisticated. She labeled this as a constructive play stage


Mildred Parten (1933) examined play from a social-behaviour perspective. She identified that play progresses through a series of stages: Solitary Play - the child generally plays alone. There is limited or no

interaction with other children or materials that other children use

Parallel Play—Children begin to either play independently or beside peers—they do not play with peers

Associative Play—Children begin to share play materials and participate in similar activities

Cooperative Play—Children participate in group play. They determine a common goal and then each child works towards meeting the goal


Parten identified non-playing roles as unoccupied behaviour time and onlooker play: Unoccupied Behaviour – Children are not engaged

in play; they appear to be wandering in the play area without a defined purpose.

Onlooker Play – Children observe other children or adults in play but do not become involved in the play. Children may use this strategy to ask questions, learn about materials or determine how they may participate in a play episode.


Seagoe (1970) identified:As children approach 7–9 years of age, they

participate in cooperative competitive play

Children and Theories of Play

Classical theorists examine play through theories of: Surplus-energy theoryRecreation/relaxation theoryPractice theoryRecapitulation theory


Modern theorists examine play from the perspective of why play exists and the consequences of play for the child: Psychoanalytic theory (Freud and Erikson) - through play,

children act out feelings and work through challenges through role switching and repetition

Cognitive-developmental theory (Bruner, Piaget, Sutton-Smith) - Play is a venue for children to use materials, interact with people, and build knowledge about the world they live in

Neurobiological theory – Play strengthens the child’s neural network


Contemporary theorists examine play from current societal issues such as diversity, social justice, and the relative nature of truth and knowledge.

Sociocultural theory – children learn about their social and cultural contexts through play

Goncu – The values and beliefs that adults have about play, directly influences the quality of the play experiences that are extended to children

Vygotsky – Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) through play, children stretch their boundaries to figure out situations and then construct knowledge


Contemporary theorists examine play from current societal issues such as diversity, social justice, and the relative nature of truth and knowledge.

Bronfenbrenner – a child’s development is impacted by both the person and their environment, which includes family, community, culture, and society

Critical educational theory – critical theorists examine how play is influenced by gender, class, and race inequalities within society

Play and Children with Atypical Development

Children with atypical developmental patterns may:Participate in play differently from children

with typical developmental patterns

Early learning practitioners continuously observe each child to understand their play patterns, interests, and needs

The Role of the Early Learning Practitioner

Early learning practitioners promote children’s play by:

Role modeling positive attitudes towards play Preparing appropriate play environments Observing children in their play Promoting play and opportunities for expansive

discoveries

The Role of the Early Learning Practitioner

The Early learning practitioner engages in the appropriate level of participation in child’s play experiences Parallel play – the adult plays beside the child Co-playing – play episodes include a child or group

of children and an adult. Play Tutoring – the adult, a child or group of children

play as the adult leads the play for a short period of time.

Summary

MotivationEngagement

Process

CharacteristicsThe Play Process

Piaget, SmilanskyPartenSeagoeClassical

ModernContemporary

Theories

Atypical Development

The Role of Early Learning Practitioners

BronfenbrennerEcological

Theory

Process of Play

Chapter Two The Process of Play Playing and Learning in Early Childhood Education.

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Transcript of Chapter Two The Process of Play Playing and Learning in Early Childhood Education.