ECIGNITEPresentation

UNOPLAYConsortium

NotJustfortheChildren:Teachers'DevelopmentinUsingPlayasa

LearningMedium

DEBORAWISNESKIJohnT.LanganProfessorinEarlyChildhood

Education/AssociateProfessorDepartmentofTeacherEducation

ProfessionalDevelopment,Teachers,andPlay

• CrisisinKindergarten, MillerandAlmon(2009)

• Vu,Han,andBuell(2015):"Earlychildhoodeducatorsareoftenawareofthegeneralimportanceofplayinchildren'sdevelopment;however,theyareoftenlessawareofhowplaycansupportbothacademicandsociallearningandwhattheirownrolescanbeinchildren'splay"(p.444).

• “Ifteachingandplayaretobeseenasmutuallyinclusivetermsthentheremustbeareconceptualizationofplaytoincludeteaching,teachers,andthepoliticsofplaywork”

• (Ryan&Northey-Berg,2014,p.212).

StudyOverview

Questions• Whatdoearlychildhoodteachersknow

andbelieveaboutplayasalearning• medium?• Howdoearlychildhoodteachers

implementplayfullearningactivitiesintheir

• classrooms?• Howdotheteachersmakemeaningof

theirstudentsplayindividuallyand• collectively?• Whatprofessionalsupportsand

barriershaveearlychildhoodteachersencountered intheireffortstouseplayasalearningmedium?

Methodology• Participants:4ECEteachers

inpublicschooldistrict– Prek-1st grade– CompletedTED8220PlayAs

aLearningMediumatUNO

• DataCollection– WrittenInterviews– Play-basedFocusGroup

Play-basedMethodology

Findings LeadershipModelsPLCsReggio-InspiredProject

ParentEducation

Process• Playintheclassroomrequiresteacherstohaveintention,careful

observation,anddocumentation.• Playobservationsareusedasinsightintochildren’slearning.

• Struggles:Time,SchoolPolicies,Parents,LackofResources,Environments

IdentityPlayispersonal.

“It(play)issopartofwhoyouare.”

Playisopenforinterpretation.

TakeAways• 1.ECETeachersincorporateplayasalearningmedium

whentheyhaveaccesstopersonalplay/playmemoriesandintentionaldialogueandreflectionwithotherteachersaboutplanning,documentation,andinterpretationofplay.

• 2.Whengivensupportforteachingthroughplay,ECEteacherscanarticulateandsupportchildren’slearningandcanbecomecurriculumleadersfortheircolleagues.

• 3.Schoolpoliciessuchascontrolledpackagedcurriculum,limitedteacherplanningtime, andtimedlearningperiodsarecommonbarrierstoteachersusingplayasalearningmedium.