play and learning in early childhood education

Play and learning in Early Childhood

EducationMasaryk University

14 April 2011

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

Stockholm University,Department of Child and Youth Studies

www.buv.su.se

Ingrid Engdahl

Preschool teacher, Ph D,

International Coordinator

President of OMEP Sweden

ingrid.engdahl@buv.su.se

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

PlayingWorking

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

Outdoor play

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

Paint and clay

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

EatingSleepingCleaning

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

Constructions

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

Block play

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

Play is LIFE

Play is not just an occupation

Children play as soon as they can

Play is the most natural way for a child to be (Fröbel)

Homo Ludens Play comes before culture (Huzinga)

Play is not for production or for material gain

Is this play? Ask the players, they know.

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

Play definitions? Rather Characteristics

• Play is fun and enjoyable

• Play is voluntary, a free choice (not occupation)

• Concentration and focussing

• Inner motivation

• Beyond reality, fantasy and creativity

• Belonging and participation

• Children’s influence

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

Play is culture

Children adapt to the surrounding culture

Children and adults together produce culture

Children create their own culture while playing

Child cultures in the preschool

Drama, art, creativity and fantasy

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

Toddlers as social actors in the Swedish preschool (Engdahl, 2011)

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SUbuv.su.se / Ingrid Engdahl, Dep of Child and Youth Studies

The toddler

• Global experiences

• A living body

• Perceiving with all senses

• Tumbling around

• Gunvor Lökken, Trondheim, Norway

• Eva Johansson,Göteborg, Sweden

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

The Swedish preschool - international high quality

1975 – Preschool ACT nr 1

10 % of children 0.5 – 7 years 2 % of children 0.5 – 3 years

2009 86,5 % of the one year olds 90,6 % of the two year olds

93.6 % of the five year olds

(1998 Preschool class for six year olds)

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SUbuv.su.se / Ingrid Engdahl, Dep of Child and Youth Studies

National Curriculum for the Preschool for 1-5 years (1998)

The education shall beenjoyablesecure andrich in learning

for all children.

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

AIM of my research

Exploring the toddlers life in preschool

Focussing on the second year of life

Interaction and communication

During self initiated play sessions

In a toddler unit

In a municipal preschool

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

The young toddlers pay attention to each other - With their body language and movements

- With greeting rituals (Belonging)

- Through play invitations

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

By choosing a special peerRobin wants to play with Leo

After the morning circle the children go outside. When Robin is dressed he looks around for Leo. He goes back to the play room and finds him there.

Robin is standing in the doorway, looking at Leo, who keeps on playing with the small cars together with his brother Tim.

Robin runs to the hall and picks up Leo’s shoes and carries them back into the play room.

He walks up to Leo and holds out the shoes in front of Leo, showing him his shoes.

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

Leo looks up at Robin, but he doesn’t take his shoes. He holds on to the cars. …

Robin looks at Leo and then he puts the shoes on the floor in front of Leo.

Robin runs out of the room, back into the hall.

Robin picks up Tim’s shoes and goes back into the play room, bringing Tim’s shoes.

Robin walks up to the Leo and Tim, with the shoes stretched out in front of him. Leo and Tim look at Robin.

The situation is now interrupted by a teacher who comes up to the boys, puts on their shoes and brings them outside.

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

Play invitations

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

Video excerpt (November 16)

1 Leo →Bends over and pats the back of the red horse,

2 →looks into N’s eyes, saying: ’här’ [here],

3 →looks into N’s face and points at the red horse next to him

4 Nova looks at Leo

5 Leo →says: ’HÄR, här’ [HERE, here],

6 moves over to sit straight up and starts

jumping

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

Continued

7 Nova looks at L while scratching her hair

8 Leo looks at N, pulls a yellow horse closer and

9 →pats its back saying: ’här, här’ [here, here]

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

Taking the perspective of the other

• Interaction• Social competence• Taking turns • Decentralise• Improvisation

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

Taking the perspective of the otherLeo ’tells’ about sharing toys

Today, we were outside, playing with the cars in the playground. Then I saw a carriage and I so wanted to have that carriage.I was just about to start pushing when Oliver came up to me and he wanted to have the carriage! I let go and picked up the car again instead.Oliver went away, pushing the carriage. I looked after him and then I decided to go after him.I went up to Oliver and let go of my car. I looked very intensely at Oliver and then, he let go of the carriage!He understood that I wanted it! I took the carriage – and then Oliver picked up my car and started to play away with it. He drew down the hill to the fence.

And me, I took the carriage and I followed him.

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

Learning in an educational context -characteristics

• Outer motivation

• Learning outcomes

• Results and products

• Passing on facts and knowledge

• Structured

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

Learning in Early Childhood Education

Play and learning are looked upon as integrated

Teachers may use the variation on play to promote learning

A META perspective - HOW did you learn this?

talking about the content

talking about the process

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

Using the characteristics of play

• Concentration and focussing

• Inner motivation, involvement

• Beyond reality, fantasy and creativity

• Belonging and participation

• Children’s influence

• Play is fun and enjoyable

• Play is voluntary, a free choice

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

The playing learning child

Getting to know the children’s world

Using the children’s interests, experiences, ideas

Focussing on the children’s intentionsand the children’s perspectives

Arranging for rich and varied experiences

Supporting and challenging the children during play

04/19/23 / Ingrid Engdahl, Barn- och ungdomsvet.,SU

The role of the teachers

The teacher becomes a bridge between the child and the curriculum

A teacher may

• Intervene directly from an outside position

• Influence indirectly by arranging for play; the time, environment, materials etc.

• Directly from within by participating in the game