Preschool teachers in child play

KatarinaKatarina Rengel, teaching assistantRengel, teaching assistant

Department of PedagogyDepartment of Pedagogy

Faculty of Humanities and Social SciencesFaculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

University of J.J. University of J.J. StrossmayerStrossmayer in in OsijekOsijek

CroatiaCroatia

Aim of the paperAim of the paper

The aim of this paper was to review recent The aim of this paper was to review recent theoretical and empirical theoretical and empirical literatureliterature on the on the roles of preschool teachers in child playroles of preschool teachers in child play

More specifically, the aim was to determine More specifically, the aim was to determine dominant understandings of the roles of dominant understandings of the roles of preschool teachers in child playpreschool teachers in child play

Play as an educational toolPlay as an educational tool

Dominant discourses of preschool teachers Dominant discourses of preschool teachers rolesroles’’ in child playin child play

Opponents of preschool teachersOpponents of preschool teachers’’ involvement involvement in playin play

Building bridges between the perspectives of Building bridges between the perspectives of adults and childrenadults and children’’s perspectivess perspectives

Play as an educational toolPlay as an educational tool

In the reviewed literature, play is defined In the reviewed literature, play is defined as an as an intrinsically motivated, expressive, transformational, intrinsically motivated, expressive, transformational,

processprocess--oriented, free, independent activity.oriented, free, independent activity.

??

On the other hand, iOn the other hand, in literature about play, n literature about play, ””learning learning through playthrough play”” is a commonly found phrase.is a commonly found phrase.

The separation of play The separation of play and learning is and learning is

artificial and does not artificial and does not exist in free play exist in free play

((BabiBabićć, , IroviIrovićć, 2004)., 2004).Play and learning Play and learning are interwoven.are interwoven.

learning derives from the nature of play

Play is a critical scaffoldPlay is a critical scaffoldthat enables children that enables children to advance to higher to advance to higher

ability levels in ability levels in all developing areas all developing areas

(Isenberg, (Isenberg, JalongoJalongo, 1997)., 1997).

learning tool placed in the context of play

What is a preschool teacher in child play?

What is the purpose of preschool teachers’ involvement?

Roles/ways and levels of involvement?

If we are considering roles of preschool teachers in child play, whose perspective is our starting point i.e. whose perspective are we advocating:

• perspective of adults

• children’s perspective

• perspective of adults and children’s perspective?

What are roles of preschool teachers in child play from the perspective of adults and what from the children’s perspective?

Dominant discourses of preschool Dominant discourses of preschool teachers rolesteachers roles’’ in child playin child play

Preschool teachersPreschool teachers’’ involvement in child play involvement in child play is is advocated from the perspective of adults:advocated from the perspective of adults:

Best practice mandates teachers’ involvement in play (with respective roles on different

levels) so that it can have a maximum impact on children’s learning and development.

One of the justifications for preschool teachers’involvement in child play:

Preschool teachers’ involvement in child play is related to learning, development and taking

responsibility for own learning i.e. development meta-learning skills.

Or specifically, Johnson et al. (1999) suggestOr specifically, Johnson et al. (1999) suggestother advantages of teachersother advantages of teachers’’ involvement in involvement in play:play:•• letting children know play is valuableletting children know play is valuable

•• attachment to the adults playing with themattachment to the adults playing with them•• increased attention spanincreased attention span

•• increased peer interactionincreased peer interaction

•• longer and more elaborate play episodeslonger and more elaborate play episodes

In the reviewed literature, the issue was not soIn the reviewed literature, the issue was not somuch much ifif preschool teachers should be involved preschool teachers should be involved in child play, but in child play, but howhow they should be involved they should be involved

in child play.in child play.

Two types of preschool teachers’involvement

The two extremes can empower each other or go further apart, separating from children’s deeply rooted way of learning and becoming didactic(Miller, Almon, 2009).

Guidance of play (1)

•• being too demandingbeing too demanding

•• directing playdirecting play

•• excessively interferingexcessively interfering

•• not knowing how to not knowing how to pretendpretend

•• overover--structuring playstructuring play

•• reducing childrenreducing children’’s s opportunities for opportunities for discovery, critical discovery, critical thinking, peer interaction thinking, peer interaction etc.etc.

•• interrupting play to teach interrupting play to teach academic skills and academic skills and knowledgeknowledge

•• always playing the way always playing the way with the same materialwith the same material

•• redirecting childrenredirecting children’’s s behaviour: direct behaviour: direct suggestions, veiled suggestions, veiled ‘‘ordersorders’’, , direct physical involvement direct physical involvement (e.g. physical relocation)(e.g. physical relocation)

Preschool teachers dominating play and employing Preschool teachers dominating play and employing inappropriate interventions:inappropriate interventions:

Guidance of play (2)

Guided, directed play does not require the Guided, directed play does not require the same level of skills, initiative and decisionsame level of skills, initiative and decision--making, and therefore does not offer the making, and therefore does not offer the same learning experience. It results in:same learning experience. It results in:

• less constructive play

• more non-play time

• repetitive pretend behaviour

• negatively affecting the social dimension of play …

Support of play (1)

Preschool teachers with an active and subtle presence, minimally intervening, supporting the planning of

play and unobtrusively building on children’s interests.

BodrovaBodrova, , LeongLeong (2006) distinguish between (2006) distinguish between directdirect((modellingmodelling ways of playing with a toy, taking turns, ways of playing with a toy, taking turns, settling disputes, verbalizing what is happeningsettling disputes, verbalizing what is happening……) ) and and indirectindirect (observing, setting the environment, (observing, setting the environment,

choosing materials, encouraging children, providing choosing materials, encouraging children, providing experiences that inspire childrenexperiences that inspire children……) roles preschool ) roles preschool

teachers taketeachers take,, whichwhich support play.support play.

Support of play (2)

The specific role of preschool teacherThe specific role of preschool teacherss depends depends on the age and play stage of the child, but on the age and play stage of the child, but also on the abilities of other children.also on the abilities of other children.

Indicators of preschool teacherIndicators of preschool teacherss’’ involvement involvement that supports play could be childrenthat supports play could be children’’s s competency and participation in play.competency and participation in play.

Opponents of preschool teachersOpponents of preschool teachers’’involvement in playinvolvement in play

Opponents claim that preschool teachersOpponents claim that preschool teachers’’involvement can disrupt and overpower involvement can disrupt and overpower childrenchildren’’s play activities resulting in reduced s play activities resulting in reduced learning and discovery opportunities.learning and discovery opportunities.

Smith (2010) claims play can be used by adults Smith (2010) claims play can be used by adults to manipulate children in the interests of to manipulate children in the interests of adults (e.g. to keep children out of way adults (e.g. to keep children out of way ororencourage them to play with encourage them to play with sophisticatedsophisticatedtoys).toys).

Guidance, support or nonGuidance, support or non--involvement: involvement:

empirical evidence (1)empirical evidence (1)

Research suggest that in ECE reality preschool teachers do not get sufficiently involved in

child play or are involved in a way that guides and corrects play.

Guidance, support or nonGuidance, support or non--involvement: involvement: empirical evidence (2)empirical evidence (2)

Possible reasons:

• pressure for academic readiness

• outcomes of learning through play are not as transparent as outcomes of direct instruction

• organizational, program burdens i.e. over-scheduling

• preschool teachers not being able to follow the logic of child play

• preschool teacher’s implicit/personal theory about play

To conclude…

Despite advocacy of the supporting role of preschool teachers in child play, empirical research suggests that guidance or non-involvement of preschool teachers in play are more prominent in ECE reality.

In the reviewed literature, preschool teacher’sinvolvement and roles in child play are

considered from the perspective of adultsperspective of adults (in terms of e.g. learning outcomes, developmental

benefits…).

Children’s perspective

• There have been attempts to “capture” the children’s perspective in ECE research (Sandberg, Pramling-Samuelsson, 2005; Einarsdottir, 2005; Kernan, 2007; Stamatoglou, 2004…), emphasizing the significance of the perspectives of all the stakeholders in the ECE reality.

• The results of these research suggest that:• children describe preschool teachers as those who prefer calm and quiet

play; those who organize, control and teach

• children value being able to choose what to do, playing with their peers, free time, spontaneity, freedom

• children’s ideas about preschool teachers contribution to play are: help during conflicts, help when children cannot find a play-mate, for safety

• children’s view of the way preschool teachers “should” get involved is by assuming certain roles or by offering suggestions

Building bridges between the perspectives Building bridges between the perspectives of adults and childrenof adults and children’’s perspectivess perspectives

The social-cultural context of children’s lives calls for a balance between the perspective of adults and children’s perspective.

In the reviewed literature, the elaborated benefits of play come from the perspective of adults and therefore raise the question concerning the benefits of play from the childrenchildren’’s perspectives perspective, which needs to be brought to consciousness in preschool teachers’ personal theories.