Considering the Relationship Between Play and Teaching in a Preschool Practicum

• In Event: Imagination, Play, and Creativity as Sustainable Self-Study Practice

Abstract

This self-study aimed to deepen understanding of how prospective teachers of young children (PTs) learn to teach in the context of play and how teacher educators can support them in this endeavor. Data were generated from both university and preschool classroom observations, informal interviews with PTs, and documents. I describe the three modes that characterized the PTs’ embodiments of play-based teaching and reflect on how each mode posed unique kinds of questions to practice. This study highlights the need for teacher educators to explicate the variety of ways PTs can both increase the social/cognitive complexity of play and meaningfully embed content knowledge and skills in the context of play.

Author

• Jolyn Blank, University of South Florida
  Presenting Author