Play Research, Practices, and Policies: Building Connections, Empowering Diverse Communities, and Improving Early Childhood Education

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

This symposium highlights the value of playful learning and its rightful place in early childhood classrooms. Implementing a play-based curriculum presents challenges for pre-service and in-service teachers given the current climate of standards and didactic pedagogies. An overarching focus of this symposium is to examine play concepts as they relate to sociocultural learning theory. It draws from a wide range of experiences across diverse communities in Northeastern schools and college classrooms to demonstrate convergent results regarding the connection between play and learning and the realization that early childhood programs need to endorse a playful pedagogy.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Early Education and Child Development

Chairs

• Doris Bergen, Miami University

• Michael Matthew Patte, Bloomsburg University

Papers

• Functions of Teacher Roles and Types of Teacher Language During Play - Juana Gaviria, Univeristy of Delaware; Myae Han, University of Delaware; Jennifer A. Vu, University of Delaware; Jason Hustedt, University of Delaware

• Block Play: Spatial Language and Symbolism With Preschool and School-Aged Children - Lynn E. Cohen, Long Island University - C.W. Post Campus

• Teacher Education for Using Play With Children: What Is Valued and Learned by Teacher Candidates - James E. Johnson, The Pennsylvania State University; Mei-Hsuan Wu, The Pennsylvania State University

• The Development of Self-Regulation With Preschool Dual Language Learners - Ruth Guirguis