Where History Meets Practice: Play Narrative as a Shaper of Professional Knowledge

• In Event: Conceptions of Play in Early Childhood Classrooms

Abstract

The purpose of this narrative study was to uncover and describe the ways in which teachers’ personal play histories inform their facilitation of, provision for, and perceptions of dramatic play in their classroom. This study’s findings highlight play history narrative creation as a powerful reflective tool for teachers. Considering this reflective process as a builder of teacher identity and a key piece in the development of their personal practical knowledge (Clandinin & Connelly, 1988), creates space for the use of personal play narrative with both pre-service and in-service teachers.

Author

• Katelyn Clark, Rutgers University