Clarity and Insights into Educational Debates (original) (raw)
Related papers
Rhetorics of Play in Kindergarten Programs in an Era of Accountability
Brock Education Journal, 2016
In this paper we conduct a deductive analysis, using Sutton-Smith's “rhetorics of play,” of the published kindergarten programs that have guided Ontario kindergarten teaching since 1944. Our analysis is used to gain an understanding of how we in Ontario have arrived at a point where play-based learning has been taken up by developers of the provincial kindergarten program and approved as a pedagogical focus by politicians. The predominant discourses appear to have changed from a romantic view of play as a natural, child-centered activity, to a discourse of play as progress, with an emphasis on the developmental benefits of play and learning outcomes of play. We believe that the use of the rhetoric of play as progress has been key to the continued prominence of play in Ontario kindergarten programs. It represents ideologies of schooling to which policy-makers seem to be attuned in this era of accountability.
2016
In this article, school division and Ministry of Education–based early childhood consultants and university researchers respond to the question of whether play is at risk in kindergartens in five Canadian provinces by analyzing current and previous kindergarten curricula using Sutton-Smith’s framework of rhetorics of play. We find that play is integral to kindergarten curricula in Saskatchewan and Ontario, but only implicitly mentioned in the Alberta, British Columbia, and Manitoba curricula where support documents provide more support for play. The rhetoric of play as progress is the dominant discourse of current kindergarten curricula.
This summative report examines the role of play-based learning in Kindergarten programs in four provinces – Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan. Through a detailed review and analysis of official Kindergarten documents produced by the Ministry of Education of each province, emerging themes related to play-based learning were identified: (1) Role and benefits of play, (2) Characteristics and types of play-based learning, (3) Role of teachers in play-based learning, (4) Role of parents in play-based learning. This report presents a synthesis and integration of the key themes gathered from those documents. The goal in reporting these themes is to provide a better understanding of the role and benefits of play-based learning across the four provinces.
More than a child’s work: Framing teacher discourse about play
2007
Abstract: In early childhood education, tension between accountability pressures and romanticized notions of play influences teacher decisions, shapes classroom activities, and determines what counts as learning. Critical discourse analysis shows how discourses of work and play were activated as the teachers analyzed videotaped instances of children's classroom activity. Microethnographic discourse analysis tracks the interactional frames within the teachers' discussion.
2015
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PLAY-BASED EXPERIENCES IN POST “NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND” KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOMS: THE ROLE OF TRAINING, RESOURCES, AND ACCOUNTABILITY PRESSURES IN MEETING BEST PRACTICE by Cristina Medellin Adviser: Professor Joseph Glick In response to No Child Left Behind (NCLB), opportunities for play-based experiences in classrooms have been challenged over the past decade. Despite research demonstrating the educational benefits of child driven play, teachers and schools have been pressured to focus on improving children’s success on standardized assessments which may not relate to the developmental achievements expected from activity based experiences. To explore teachers’ response to the tension between assessment driven mandates and best early childhood practices, this study investigated which factors influence teacher practices and values. Specifically, how do teacher training and classroom resources influence teachers’ values about the appropriateness of using child driven le...