Marjory Ebbeck - Play in Early Childhood Education

in Early Childhood Education

in Early Childhood Education

Learning in diverse contexts

Second Edition

Edited by

Marjory Ebbeck
and
Manjula Waniganayake

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Marjory Ebbeck and Manjula Waniganayake 2016

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National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry

Creator: Ebbeck, Marjory A., author. Title: Play in early childhood education :
learning in diverse contexts / Marjory Ebbeck, Manjula Waniganayake.

Edition: Second edition.

ISBN 9780190303211 (paperback)

Notes: Includes index.

Subjects: Early childhood educationAustralia. PlayPsychological aspects.
Child developmentAustralia.

Other Creators/Contributors:
Waniganayake, Manjula, author.
Dewey Number: 372.210994

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Contents

Marjory Ebbeck and Manjula Waniganayake

Marjory Ebbeck

Marjory Ebbeck

Vicki Banham

Sheila Degotardi and Emma Pearson

Pirkko Hyvnen, Aili Helenius and Eeva Hujala

Romana Morda and Manjula Waniganayake

May-Yin Sirene Lim

Fred Ebbeck and Sanly Kam

Louise Porter

Sylvia D Reyes and Marjory Ebbeck

Karen Martin

Chanel Croker and Marjory Ebbeck

Alison Elliott

Bonnie Yim and Lai Wan Maria Lee

Kate Highfield

Qin Guo and Manjula Waniganayake

Foreword

Early childhood education has been the focus of a great deal of worldwide attention in recent years. Across organisations such as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the World Bank and UNESCO, there is now consensus that children learn a great deal in the early years of life, that investing in high-quality early childhood education is of benefit not only to the children but to the long-term benefit for societies, and that the same investments contribute to breaking cycles of disadvantage. This worldwide interest has been accompanied by a considerable investment in early childhood education in countries such as Australia. Along with recognition of the importance of early childhood education has come increased accountability and scrutiny. If governments are prepared to invest heavily in early childhood education, there is an expectation that there will be demonstrable and measureable outcomes. In this context, attention has been directed to the role of play in early childhood curricula: if we know that the early childhood years are a time of significant learning and development, why do we not capitalise on this and institute strong teaching programs?

Confronted with arguments such as this, early childhood educators are called upon to explain and defend the role of play in childrens learning and development. This can be challenging, as play is itself an elusive concept: we know when were playing and are often able to recognise when others are playing, yet have difficulty defining what constitutes play and attributing specific outcomes to play experiences. Partly, this is because play and playing can mean different things for different people, and play looks different for different children, within and among different families, communities and educational settings.

Despite this, there is consensus that play and learning often go hand in hand for children, particularly young children, and that play pedagogies are core features of early childhood education. This has a range of implications for educators and the educational environments they create. The first of these is that educators need to have considered their own perspectives, understandings and expectations of play. Educators require sophisticated and nuanced understandings of playmoving well beyond slogans such as play is the childs work. Such understandings will be based on profound knowledge and critique of the theoretical bases of play, informed by reflection and understandings of context, as well as their own experiences.

A second implication is that educators need to draw on these understandings to articulate their approaches to play, and the connections between play and learning, within specific early childhood settings. In many ways, educators will be advocates for playwith children, families, other professionals, and within communities. However, it is important to note that advocating for play does not translate to blind acceptance of play as the only way children learn, or as the preferred mode of learning for all children. Rather, advocating for play requires awareness of the potential benefits as well as the potential limitations of play, the challenges as well as the excitement it can create, and acceptance of the notion that play can sometimes be a negative experience.

As they engage with this book, readers will be challenged to reflect on their understandings of play and their role as educators to construct and create play environments that are engaging and responsive, challenging yet supportive. In reflecting on their own experiences of play and the experiences of children in many diverse contexts, they will be introduced to some of the tensions that surround play and learning, including the place of play within different curriculum frameworks and approaches; differences and/or similarities in adult and child perspectives of play; and the affordance of play in diverse environments and community contexts. As they peruse the chapters, readers will encounter arguments that the changing nature of westernised societies has resulted in changes to childrens play and to the educational value ascribed to play. Further reading will introduce counterargumentsthat changes in childrens play do not necessarily represent a diminished engagement in playand evidence that children manage both play and other approaches to learning and participation without problems. These arguments are complementedand complicatedby evidence from diverse social and cultural settings.