Understanding Young Children's Learning through Play

This timely and accessible text introduces theorises and practically applies two important concepts which now underpin early years practice: those of âplayful learning' and 'playful pedagogies'. Pat Broadhead and Andy Burt draw upon filmed material conversations with children reflection observation and parental and staff interviews in their longitudinal study of outdoor and indoor play environments in an early years unit. This research-based text offers extensive insights into related theories as well drawing on the authorsâ skills and knowledge as researcher and as class teacher in order to provide opportunities for personal reflection and possibilities for practical application in early years classes and settings. Discussing both indoor and outdoor environments the text explores ideas surrounding âopen-ended playâ and âthe whatever you want it to be placeâ. It illustrates how the themes of childrenâs play reflect their interests experiences knowledge gained at home and in school and their cultural heritages. By showing how children become familiar and skilful within open-ended play environments the authors illustrate how the childrenâs co-operative skills develop over time as they become connected in communities of learners. Alongside the examples of childrenâs playful learning the book also considers the implications for resourcing and organising playful settings through playful pedagogies that connect with the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum (DfES 2007) and with the Tickell Review ongoing as the book went to press. Understanding Young Children's Learning through Play uses childrenâs perspectives on their play to illustrate how rich their personal understandings are. It also includes parental reflections on what may initially appear a risky and unusual outdoor environment and it draws attention to the importance of conflict resolution in play in order to extend childrenâs resilience and assertiveness. This insightful text will be of interest to students of early years education early years practitioners academics and researchers. . Language: English