Running Head: PLAY- BASED CURRICULUM IN KINDERGARTEN

The Importance of Social and Emotional Development and a Play-Based Curriculum in

Kindergarten Classrooms at Bolton Center School

Vanessa Ferguson

Post University

PLAY BASED CURRICULUM IN KINDERGARTEN 1

Introduction

This case study will discuss the importance of social and emotional development in five-

year-old children and the benefits of implementing a play based curriculum in the

kindergarten classrooms at Bolton Center School. Research states the importance of

social and emotional development in students’ readiness for school success.

“These studies identify a number of skills that help new kindergarteners be

successful: confidence, the ability to develop good relationships with peers,

concentrating of challenging tasks, attending to instructions, being able to solve

social problems and effectively communicate emotions” (Ostrosky & Meadan,

2010).

Fostering this need in young children is important because technology is replacing social

interactions in children and adults every day and is taking over businesses and

classrooms. Teachers at Bolton Center School can create a curriculum that takes the best

from both worlds: technology and dramatic play and merge them together to give

students what they need to succeed in school.

PLAY-BASED CURRICULUM IN KINDERGARTEN 2

The Importance of Social and Emotional Development and a Play-Based Curriculum in

Kindergarten Classrooms at Bolton Center School

Bolton Center School (BCS) is located in the rural town of Bolton with a

population of 4,980 residents. It is primarily made up of residential neighborhoods,

farmlands, small businesses and two public schools: Bolton Center and Bolton High

School. The median income is $85, 878 with a median age of 45 years old. There are

currently 533 PK- 8 children attending BCS with an approximate breakdown of 50 %

male and 50% female students (Bolton Connecticut, 2015). The teacher to student ratio in

1987 was 13:1 and is currently 16:1. There are 42 classroom teachers with three sections

of each grade level from K-5. The student population is made up of 1 % Asian, 4 %

Hispanic, 6 % African American and 87% white (public school review, n.d.). BCS has

two fields for children to play on and host sports games, two playscapes, one for pre-

school students and one for K-5. It is located on a very quiet street and provides a safe

and nurturing learning environment for students to grow.

This school is unique because the grade levels are integrated throughout the

school. There are two floors. Kindergarten, first, second, and third grade, middle school,

computer labs, science, and social studies classrooms are on the first floor. This is also

where the special area rooms are: music, P.E., art and the library. Fourth, fifth, and sixth

grade classrooms are on the second floor. Children are all very respectful of each other no

matter the age or grade level.

In 1731 it was decided that Daniel Griswold, Benjamin Talcott, and Matthew

DeWolf would form a committee and be in charge of choosing a schoolmaster for the

PLAY-BASED CURRICULUM IN KINDERGARTEN 3

children in this town (Ronson, 1970). Schools were established in 1732 with three school

locations in town. This changed, however; in 1733 when this decision was revoked and

the first permanent schools were not established until 1749. The town was divided into

four sections and a school was established in each. Parents were allowed to send their

child to any of the four schools (Ronson, 1970). By 1823 there were five school districts:

Center, North, South, Southwest and Talcott Northwest (Ronson, 1970). In 1946 the one-

room Birch Mountain School closed and a portion of the community hall became a

school addition to the Center School which was located “just steps away” and the

fireplace room was turned into a classroom for the seventh and eighth graders (Ronson,

1970). In 1949 the consolidated school on Notch Road was opened (Larned, 1994).

Bolton Center School is still located on Notch Road today and currently serves preschool

through eighth grade students ranging from ages 3-13. Bolton Center School was

founded in 1949 (Larned, 1994).

BCS has had many educational and physical changes over its history from

growing class sizes to expansion of the building to house more children. One of the major

educational changes that BCS has been through is the implementation of full day

kindergarten. This program allows children to double academic learning as well as

increase socialization time with peers.

Bolton Center School has many successful programs. The district-wide positive

behavioral initiative was implemented in 2011. It is called Positive Behavioral

Intervention Support or PBIS. This is a model in which teachers focus heavily on

students’ positive behavior rather than on the negative. Students are more apt to use

PLAY-BASED CURRICULUM IN KINDERGARTEN 4

words rather than violence to solve problems. The school’s acronym is B: be kind and

honest, A: act responsibly, R: respect self and others, and K: keep safe. If students are

seen demonstrating one or more of these behaviors they are given a BARK ticket. The

PBIS committee incorporates motivating activities and rewards for students earning these

tickets. The committee also works to involve parents and families in this initiative by

sending home the student of the week photograph of their child when he/she is selected.

Bolton School District’s mission statement is to “provide a safe, engaging and

challenging environment in which all students develop essential skills and values”

(Bolton Public Schools, 2015).

With education changing rapidly due to educational technology, economic, and

demographic trends, it is imperative that educators and policy makers understand the

impact these trends have on young students in kindergarten. The kindergarten curriculum

has changed drastically over the last twenty years and it needs to be changed again.

Young children today are considered digital learners. “Digital media and interactive

technologies are becoming an integral part of young children’s daily lives (Education

Commission, 2012). Two thirds of households with children 0-11 are equipped with

computers, Internet access, video game systems and cell phones (Education Commission,

2012). “Currently, 90% of parents report that their children younger than 2 years watch

some form of electronic media, 14 % of children aged 6 to 23 months watch 2 or more

hours/day of media and by 3 years, almost one third of children have a television in their

bedroom” (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2011 p. 2). Children are growing up with

technology right by their side and by the time they start school they are already very

PLAY-BASED CURRICULUM IN KINDERGARTEN 5

familiar with touch screen technology. “This means that young children are now born

into social and cultural contexts in which digital technologies and the consumption of

digital media and popular culture through these technologies are increasingly typical

cultural behaviors” (Nuttall, et. al., 2013). It is important that kindergarten teachers

incorporate technology into the play-based curriculum. Moderation and balance between

social interactions and use of technology in the classroom is vital. While technology is an

integral part of children’s lives: so is play.

“Play is important in the early years because, according to a culturally historical

perspective, it is directed towards children’s development: as children become

better at play, they expand their access to the opportunities for social interaction

and engagement that are necessary to support their development” (Nuttall, et.al,

2013).

Children will be expected to use technology not only in upper elementary, middle, high

school and college but also in the workforce. Kindergarten students will need to improve

and enhance their technology skills to be successful; however, this cannot be at the

expense of social and emotional development. When so many young children already

have televisions in their bedrooms, tablets and cell phones; it is crucial that educators

make it a priority for children to interact with each other and not solely on a piece of

technology. There is room for both play and technology in the kindergarten classroom.

In order to properly implement both technology and play teachers need to be

prepared. “Concerted efforts to improve teacher preparation and training are already

underway in states around the country but it’s not clear how many are including any

PLAY-BASED CURRICULUM IN KINDERGARTEN 6

technology-focused training” (Education Commission, 2012). Currently, the professional

development that is typically given to teachers is usually a one-day workshop in which

the teacher is given a lot of information and materials on a new initiative and expected to

implement it with his/her students. Teachers are not usually given an opportunity to try

the strategies and have a forum to discuss the results and ask questions. “Continual

professional development as opposed to onetime workshops has been deemed more

effective in supporting teachers’ ability to learn about new teaching strategies and

facilitating change in their classrooms” (Sugar & Slagter, 2014).

Many school districts have hired numeracy and literacy coaches to help teachers

with new programs and implementation. “A coach creates a non-confrontational

environment where teachers can share their thoughts, instructional best practices and

learn from each other” (Sugar & Slagter, 2014). Having a coach eliminates the one-time

workshop model of professional development for teachers. “A possible approach to

provide professional development support for technology rich environments could be

using a technology coach model” (Sugar & Slagter, 2014). The role of the technology

coach would be to create a “professional learning community of teachers” (Sugar &

Slagter, 2014) to share ideas and resources. “Existing research indicates that teacher

professional learning communities could affect student achievement gains” (Sugar &

Slagter, 2014). Teachers need ongoing training when it comes to incorporating

technology into kindergarten classrooms.

Humans today live in a “web-connected world” (Glen, 2014). “More than 8

billion devices are connected to the Internet of Things, which is expected to grow to 40

PLAY-BASED CURRICULUM IN KINDERGARTEN 7

billion-80 billion devices by 2020” (Glen, 2014). Glen also states, “nearly 40% of

humanity now uses the Internet and that it is close to becoming the global brain of

humanity” (Glen, 2014). Economically, the Internet has taken over businesses,

classrooms, homes and jobs. This trend needs to be taken seriously when planning the

play-based curriculum. This “era of rapid technological change necessitates that humans

of the future be educated thinkers who are problem solvers, leaving the mundane tasks to

technology” (Marchant, Stevens & Hennessy, 2014). Structured dramatic play allows

teachers to pose a problem to students to solve critically with peers and resources and

thus, become problem solvers.

Schools are dominated by data and standardized testing. Policy makers want to

see student achievement at its highest and as a result have put immense pressure on

school districts. “There has been such a political push for our teachers to improve student

outcomes through data driven results from standardized testing, that the developmental

needs of the students have been placed aside” (Riek, 2015). Kindergarten students are

expected to follow what seems like a first grade curriculum and teachers no longer have

the time to let children explore their environment and foster social and emotional

development. Structured play left the kindergarten classroom when standardized testing

came in and it might be difficult to bring it back.

Kindergarten classrooms are becoming more and more diverse. Play can assist in

bridging language and cultural gaps between children of different ethnicities and foster

acceptance and curiosity. “In 2008, the Census Bureau reported, elementary and high

PLAY-BASED CURRICULUM IN KINDERGARTEN 8

school students today are more diverse by race and Hispanic origin than the Baby Boom

generation of students” (Center for Public Education, 2012). See Table 1.

Table 11970 2008

79% Non-Hispanic white

59% Non-Hispanic white

14% black 15% black1 % Asian 5 % Asian

6 % Hispanic 18 % Hispanic

There are many benefits of using structured play in a language diverse classroom.

The “values of play in ESL literacy are that play: (1) becomes an international language;

(2) provides a relaxed and comfortable environment for children’s learning; (3) helps

with integrated lessons such as literacy and mathematics through play together; and (4)

makes a natural connection between the home language and the target language

(English)” (Moon & Reifel, 2008).

Historically, play was considered the best way for children to learn. Researchers

such as Maria Montessori, Jean Piaget, and John Dewey all had theories as to why

children learned best through play. Maria Montessori believed “learning is a natural

process that the child experiences” (Riek, 2015). “John Dewey believed that knowledge

is constructed and reconstructed through interaction with society within which one lives”

(Riek, 2015). “Piaget stated that knowledge is constantly linked with actions and to learn

one must displace, connect, combine, take apart and reassemble objects in order to

develop knowledge (Riek, 2015). These researchers have different theories but they all

“agreed that effective education involves children being engaged in the learning process

PLAY-BASED CURRICULUM IN KINDERGARTEN 9

through personal hands on experience and purposeful interaction with the environment”

(Riek, 2015).

Methodology

A scenario is a “description of a future situation and the course of events, which

allows one to move forward from the original situation to the future,” (Godet & Roubelat,

1996, p. 166). The steps needed to start scenario planning are:

1. Identify the decision that needs to be made—play-based curriculum in

kindergarten classrooms

2. Challenge people’s present perceptions- play is not valuable in the classroom

3. Gather data and information from various sources-other school districts,

research on value of play and social/emotional/academic development

4. Determine the driving force behind the decision-the need for social and

emotional development and implementation of technology

5. Determine all unforeseen events that could occur-lack of funding/materials,

parental and administrative apprehensiveness, alignment with CCSS

(Mietzner & Reger, 2005).

Scenario/Rationale

In five years, kindergarten classrooms will have a curriculum with thematic units,

which will tie together dramatic play and technology. Classrooms will be set up with

centers/stations with room and materials for students to interact together. Technology will

be incorporated into each center to prepare students for upcoming years of education

PLAY-BASED CURRICULUM IN KINDERGARTEN 10

while still promoting human interaction. According to Ostrosky & Meadan, to set up a

play-based learning classroom teachers need to do the following:

Establish clear boundaries to let children know where a center begins and

ends

Make sure there are enough centers to accommodate all children while

also providing quiet independent centers for down time

Provide enough materials so children do not get frustrated while waiting

for an item. Materials should include: dramatic play props, dress-up

clothes, art materials, toy/farm animals and diverse family figures

Images/Books: display posters and pictures of children shaking hands

and/or enjoying each other’s company. Books should reflect diversity of

the community. (2010).

Dramatic play is essential for literacy development. “Using dramatic play in the

classroom not only accesses the natural tendency, but also engages the child emotionally

in the learning process” (Sharp et.al, 2012). The dramatic play center will allow students

to build the setting of the story and act it out in sequence with characters/puppets rather

than cutting and gluing pictures on a sheet of paper independently. Students can use

phonemic awareness and writing skills when writing a menu for a restaurant. They will

utilize vocabulary skills when talking with each other meeting the Common Core

speaking and listening standards.

Dramatic play is beneficial when creating inter-disciplinary lessons and can be

incorporated into the Science, Social Studies, and technology centers. Children

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can bring in artifacts from home representing their cultures. Teachers can stock this

center with items that represent the country and historical figures like the American Flag,

Martin Luther Kind Jr., items representing holiday customs/celebrations, microscopes,

seeds, soil, planters, animal artifacts, etc., allowing children to explore different cultures

and topics. Technology in these centers can include an old mouse and keyboard, cameras,

touch screen tablets with programs/videos relating to the thematic unit. Teachers can

videotape dramatic play sessions and replay them back for students (NAEYC, 2012) to

have them reflect together on what they accomplished/built. “Digital technologies

provide one more outlet for them to demonstrate their creativity and learning” (NAEYC,

2012). Teachers can co-create digital books with photos of children’s play and work and

attach a digital audio file with the child as the narrator” (NAEYC, 2012). There are many

ways to merge technology and dramatic play. The technology center will include a

listening center with a theme-related book, app and/or program for children to explore.

“Studies of socio-dramatic play reveal that it helps develop meta-cognitive and

mathematical skills, such as problem solving, reasoning, and planning” (Karaman &

Ivrendi, 2015). The opportunities for children to use manipulatives and interact with one

another during math instruction is important. Programs written to be aligned with CCSS

structure lessons that are mostly teacher-directed and ask that the students complete paper

based multiple-choice assessments. This needs to change. Students should be practicing

counting skills by using play money in a restaurant set-up or build a symmetrical shape

out of pattern blocks. Other examples include: providing play-dough and cookie cutters

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for shape recognition rather than just having children draw them, or setting up a “store”

in which a child is the owner and other children are customers to utilize math skills.

Five opportunities of dramatic play in the kindergarten classroom:

Increased social and emotional development opportunities

Increased opportunities for problem-solving skill development

Play helps bring children from different backgrounds together-it is

essential in diverse classrooms

Helps create a balance between technology and play

Promotes positive peer relationships later in life (Ostrosky &

Meadan, 2010).

Five challenges of dramatic play in the kindergarten classroom:

Instruction has already changed under NCLB to become teacher-centric

Teachers feel pressure from leadership to prepare students for

standardized testing-even in kindergarten (Bowdon, 2015).

Teachers who serve disadvantaged populations need to make up a lot of

academic ground in order to meet CCSS (Bowdon, 2015).

Districts are buying textbooks/workbooks for kindergarten students

leaving little money for art supplies, sand and water tables, or dramatic

play costumes (Bowdon, 2015).

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CCSS caused rushed adoption of programs and teachers are unprepared to meet

the standards using a developmentally appropriate play-based curriculum

(Bowdon, 2015).

With children growing up in a technology rich, Internet dependent society it is vital

that BCS move towards implementing a play-based curriculum for kindergarten students.

The need for social and emotional development is greater than ever and leaving

classrooms at an alarming rate. “Play let’s children engage in extended interactions that

build on oral language” (Bowdon, 2015) and without this children will depend solely on

technology and lose the benefits of human interaction. “The absence of positive social

interactions in childhood is linked to negative consequences later in life, such as

withdrawal, loneliness, depression, and feelings of anxiety (Ostrosky & Meadan, 2010).

Educators are very focused on academic achievement but what is equally, if not more

important, is the students’ social and emotional health. It is very simple: if students are

interactive--they will learn.

Bolton Center School can prepare for this shift in the following ways:

1. Conduct an initial meeting with the early childhood teachers and discuss

the problem and what needs to be implemented

2. Start a committee of teachers and administrators who will conduct

research and present finding to teachers, parents and the Board of

Education

3. Visit neighboring towns that have implemented play into their curriculum-

Manchester, CT has a play-based curriculum that is in its initial stages

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4. Research the effects of dramatic play on the five-year-old child and how

to best incorporate it into the classrooms, and the cost of implementation.

What materials will be needed? How do teachers still meet the CCSS?

5. Research the technological trends in early childhood education and discuss

how to utilize technology in a play-based classroom

In a world that is so heavily reliant on technology, the youngest generation is

growing up thinking that their world begins and ends with technology. Educators at BCS

need to emphasis the need for social and emotional development by starting the process

to implement a play-based curriculum in the kindergarten classrooms. The first step is to

form a committee consisting of the three kindergarten teachers, an administrator and any

other early childhood teachers who would like to participate. The second step is for the

committee to make a plan of action steps on how to go about this shift. What will they do

first? Next? Research needs to be conducted on the benefits of dramatic play and the

incorporation of technology to guide the plan. Training and workshops need to be set up

for teachers to learn best practices with technology and play and funding needs to be

discussed. On-line (face-time) discussions or meetings need to be held with Manchester

teachers who are using play in their curriculum.

Play is innate in all children and it is important for kindergarten teachers to foster

this quality and help children flourish academically and socially to be prepared for the

world outside the classroom walls.

References:

Sharp, A. C., Escalante, D. L., & Anderson, G. T. (2012). Literacy instruction in kindergarten: Using the power of dramatic play. California English, 18(2), 16-18. Retrieved from EBSCO host databases.

Karaman, S. s., & İvrendi, A. a. (2015). Relationship among Preschool Period Children's Mathematical Skills, Socio-demographic Characteristics and Socio-dramatic Play. Education & Science / Egitim Ve Bilim, 40(177), 313-326. Retrieved from EBSCO host databases.

Bowdon, J. (2015). The Common Core’s first casualty: Playful learning. Phi Delta Kappan, 96(8), 33. Retrieved from EBSCO host databases.

Technology and Young Children. (n.d.). Retrieved August 9, 2015, from https://www.naeyc.org/content/technology-and-young-children/preschoolers-and-kindergartners

Ostrosky, M., & Meadan, H. (2010). Helping Children Play and Learn Together. Young Children. Retrieved 2015, from https://www.google.com/#q=peer reviewed articles about science and dramatic play

Mietzner , D. (2005). Advantages and disadvantages of scenario approaches for strategic foresight. Retrieved from Unit 3 materials.

Moon, K., & Reifel, S. (2008). Play and literacy learning in a diverse language pre-kindergarten classroom . Unpublished manuscript, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Texas at Austin, USA, Available from Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood . Retrieved from http://cie.sagepub.com/content/9/1/49.full.pdf+html

Nuttall, J., Edwards, S., Lee, S., Mantilla, A., & Wood, E. (2013). The implications of young children's digital consumerist play for changing the kindergarten curriculum. Unpublished raw data, Available from EBSCO. (1816-5435). Retrieved from EBCO host databases.

AAP Council on Communications and the Media, “Media Use by Children Younger than 2 Years,” Pediatrics (Boston: American Academy of Pediatrics, 2011). Retrieved from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2011/10/12/peds.2011-1753.full.pdf+html.

Sugar, W., & Slagter, P. (2014). Development of a virtual technology coach to supporttechnology integration for k-12 educators. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 58(3), Retrieved from EBSCO host databases.

Glen, J. (2014). Our global situation and prospects for the future. 48(5), 14-20. Retrieved from EBSCO host databases.

Marchant, G., Stevens, Y., & Hennessy, J. (2014). Technology, unemployment & policy options: Navigating the transition to a better world .Journal of Evolution & Technology, 24(1), 26-44. Retrieved from EBSCO host databases.

Riek, J. (2015). Reinstating p.l.a.y. pedagogy in early elementary classrooms. International Journal of Early Childhood Learning, 22(1), Retrieved from EBSCO host databases.

Center for Public Education. (2012). The united states of education: The changig demographics of the united states and their schools. Retrieved from http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/You-May-Also-Be-Interested-In-landing-page-level/Organizing-a-School-YMABI/The-United-States-of-education-The-changing-demographics-of-the-United-States-and-their-schools.html

Education Commission. (August, 2012). Technology in Early Education: Building Platforms for Connections and Content that Strengthen Families and Promote Success in School. The Progress of Education Reform, 13(4), 1-7. Retrieved from Unit 4 course materials.

Bolton Public Schools. (2015). Retrieved July 1, 2015, from http://www.boltonpublicschools.com/board_of_education/mission_statement

Ronson, B. (1970). Bolton's Heritage. Retrieved July 1, 2015.

Bolton, Connecticut. (2015). Retrieved July 1, 2015. http://www.city-data.com/city/Bolton-Connecticut.html

Public School Review. (n.d.). Retrieved July 1, 2015.

Larned, L. (1994). Our Town Hall. Retrieved from: http://www.boltoncthistory.org/grange.html

Appendix

Mind-Map