Understanding children’s and teachers’ perspectives of learning through play: Findings from Rapid Ethnographic Studies in Bangladesh, Colombia and Uganda

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

Experiences of play are highly socially and culturally mediated. Teachers’ perceptions of the role of play in the classroom are naturally influenced by sociocultural and policy factors; and just as policies and system level factors have direct implications on teachers’ perceptions of the role of play, teachers’ perceptions of play have direct implications for the implementation of play in classrooms. When teachers conceive play as a child-directed activity rather than an opportunity for facilitated learning, they see time dedicated to play as being in tension with the time they must spend to meet academic standards outlined in school curricula; learning then happens through direct instruction, while play remains exclusively child-directed (Lynch, 2015; Prioletta & Pyle, 2017; Pyle & Danniels, 2017b). On the other hand, when teachers see learning as a process that requires teacher control, they may provide reduced free play opportunities or turn play time into structured learning time (Chowdhury & Rivalland, 2016).

Children, even young ones, also hold beliefs about play which are influenced by their context. However, it is not always clear how children experience learning through play or what fosters feelings of self-efficacy in children’s play. With a few exceptions, play has mostly been conceptualized from the adult perspective and there is a lack of literature on children’s perspectives of their play experience . Far too often, adults fill the void in knowledge with assumptions about children’s perspectives.

A strong ethnographic approach is necessary to understand these nuances. Taking an anthropological lens, the Play and Learning in Children’s Eyes (PALICE) project, implemented by a global consortium of partners led by FHI360 and in collaboration with University of Notre Dame, captured children’s and teachers’ perspectives of Learning through Play experiences and behaviors in Bangladesh, Colombia, and Uganda through Rapid Ethnographic Assessments (REAs). Using photo elicitation as a qualitative research method that involves children and educators directly in data collection and analysis, the REAs explored: (i) children’s understanding of the purpose of play and the role of teachers in play in their classrooms; (ii) educators’ conceptualization of the purpose of play in their classrooms and how they reason through the ways in which they facilitate/use play to support children’s learning in the classroom; and (iii) alignments and misalignments between teachers’ and students’ understandings and conceptualizations of Learning through Play.


This panel will present PALICE’s process for developing contextually relevant tools and the experiences of organization in Bangladesh, Colombia and Uganda in implementing the REA as well as key findings that emerged from the assessment. Overall, the REAs support our conceptualization of play from non-western locations by gathering an in-depth understanding of how children and educators are thinking about play and their experiences of play.

Sub Unit

• General Pool

Chairs

• Nikhit D'Sa, University of Notre Dame

• Nikhit D'Sa, University of Notre Dame

Individual Presentations

• Play and Learning in Children’s Eyes (PALICE): Developing contextually relevant tools to support teachers’ Learning through Play practices - Carina Omoeva, FHI 360; Fernanda Soares, FHI360; Nikhit D'Sa, University of Notre Dame; Jennifer Zosh, Penn State University, Brandywine; Brian P Dooley, FHI 360

• Teachers’ and children’s perceptions of Learning through Play in Colombian Classrooms - Ana Maria Conde, Universidad de los Andes; Carolina Maldonado-Carreño, Universidad de Los Andes

• Teachers’ and children’s perceptions of Learning through Play in Uganda - Martin Ariapa, Luigi Giussani Institute of Higher Education; Mauro Giacomazzi, Luigi Giussani Institute of Higher Education

Discussant

• Ciara Laverty, LEGO Foundation