Play and meaning in early childhood education / Doris Pronin Fromberg.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fromberg, Doris Pronin, 1937-

Contributor:

James Hosmer Penniman Book Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Play.

Early childhood education.

Physical Description:

xii, 196 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Boston : Allyn and Bacon, [2002]

Contents:

Section 1 Vision Informs Dynamic Theory 1

1 What Is Worthwhile Learning? 3

Toward a Dynamic Theory of Play and Meaning 3

Linear Academic Teaching 4

Nonlinear Intellectual Teaching 4

Ethical Teaching 5

Meaning 5

2 A Definition of Play: Conditions for Integrated Learning 8

Play Is Voluntary 10

Play Is Meaningful 11

Play Is Symbolic 11

Play Is Rule-Governed 11

Play Is Pleasurable 11

Play Is Episodic 12

The Continuum of Psychological-Individual and Sociocultural Perspectives on Play 12

Play as a Context and Categorization Frame 12

Exploration and Play 14

The Many Dimensions of Play 15

3 A Vision of Play in Early Childhood Education 16

Imagine Classrooms 16

How Do Infants Play During Their Waking Hours? 16

Do Toddlers Ever Stop Moving? 16

When Will Preschoolers Get Closure? 17

How Much Literacy Can Kindergarten Children Use in Their Play? 17

How Elaborately Will Primary-Age Children Construct Their Buildings? 18

What Are Some Characteristics of Play That Span Development? 18

Play Looks Simple 19

Play Usually Looks Like Fun 19

Play May Look Trivial to Some Adults 19

Play Takes Different Forms 19

Play is Legitimate School Activity 20

The Disciplined Freedom of Play 20

4 What Research Says about Play and Meaning in Early Childhood: Play as Integrated Learning 21

Play Influences Development 21

Social Development 21

Cognitive Development 23

Language Development 26

Creative Development 27

The Influences of Play 28

5 Brain Research and Meaning 29

Influence of Enrichment and Connections 29

Influence of Feedback and Stress 30

Influence of Early Experiences 30

Influence of Personal Meaning 31

Connections 31

Section 2 Nonlinear Theories That Function Like Play: Theory Informs Practice 33

6 Sociodramatic Play and Script Theory: Sociodramatic Play as Representation 35

Script Theory and Narrative Structures 35

Shared Predictability and Collaborative Novelty 36

Metacommunication May Predominate 38

Seamless Negotiation Between Imagery and Metacommunication 38

Linear and Nonlinear Imagery Processes Interact 40

Diverse Cultural Context and Content 40

Emotional, Moral, and Cosmic Issues 41

Group Identity and Stereotypes 42

Play Grammar 42

7 Chaos and Complexity Theory 44

Sensitive Dependence on Initial Conditions 45

Self-Organization of Systems 46

Fractals 47

Complexity Theory and Phase Transitions 48

Chaos Theory and Phase Transitions: Some Final Thoughts 49

8 Theory of Mind 50

Toward a Dynamic Theory of Play and Meaning 52

Valuing Predictable Unpredictability 53

The Nonlinear Dynamic Theory of Play and Meaning 53

Section 3 Integrating Dynamic Practice 57

9 Beginning with Nonlinear Environmental Design 59

Beginnings 59

Infants and Toddlers 60

Planning with Infants and Toddlers 61

Verbal Harmony: A Form of Teacher Intervention 61

Preschool and Kindergarten 62

First Day 62

Planning with the Children 64

Primary Grades 64

Planning with Children 64

Choices 65

The Teacher Circulates 66

Building Autonomy and Shared Responsibility 68

10 Classroom Organization 69

Schedule 69

Transitions Are Problematic 69

Scholarship Takes Time 70

Setting Up Space to Support Play and Meaning 71

Traffic Patterns 71

The Sociodramatic Play Area 72

Other Forms of Play 77

How Might Teachers Influence Children's Development? 78

Supporting Play and Learning 81

11 Building Play into Curriculum Strands: Play Is a Condition for Learning 82

Quantitative Knowing 83

Infants 84

Toddlers 85

Preschool and Kindergarten 86

Primary-Age Children 86

Physical Knowing 86

Social Knowing 87

Representational Knowing 88

Infants 89

Toddlers 90

Preschool and Kindergarten Children 90

Primary-Age Children 90

Planning for Varied Representational Forms 92

Movement and Dance 92

Visual and Construction Arts 93

Technology and Related Representations 93

Play with Many Forms of Knowing 95

12 Dynamic Themes: Weaving the Strands 96

Teachers and Children Construct Dynamic Themes 96

Cyclical-Change Dynamic Theme 98

Dialectical-Activity (Conflict/Contrast) Dynamic Theme 100

Indirect-Progress Dynamic Theme 100

Synergy (The Whole Exceeds the Sum of Its Parts) Dynamic Theme 102

Double-Bind Dynamic Theme 102

Teachers Match Dynamic Themes, Experiences, and Children 102

How Nonlinear Theory Works (and Plays out) in Nonlinear Practice 104

An Early-Childhood Grammar of Experience 104

Phase Transitions 105

Integrating Meaning with Dynamic Themes and Play 106

Section 4 Dynamic Issues 109

13 Present and Future Issues: The Power of Play 111

Cultural Contexts 111

Teachers Appreciate Diversity 112

Work-Play Issues 112

Why Play? 113

Where to Play 115

Who Will Play? 117

The Influence of Western European Traditions on Early Childhood Education 118

14 Controversial Subject Matter 119

What to Play? 119

With Whom to Play? 124

When to Play? 129

Play as an Assessment Tool 129

Play and Controversial Subject Matter: Some Final Thoughts 130

15 Nonlinear Dynamic Theory and Practice in a Linear Context 131

Advocating for Children's Play: Some Questions and Answers for Parents and Other Policy Makers 131

An Executive Summary: The Power of Play in Early Education 132

Ways to Communicate Children's Progress to Parents 134

What Is Worth Communicating? 134

Through What Forms? 135

What Is the Role of Play in Early Education for the Future? 136

From Academic to Intellectual Early Education 137

A Balanced Future: The Future in Balance 139

Appendix A Play Themes 143

Sociodramatic Play Themes of Four-Year-Olds with House, Hospital, and Blocks 143

Sociodramatic Play Themes of Two- to Six-Year-Olds 144

Appendix B Cyclical Change: Dynamic-Theme Experiences 147

Appendix C Dialectical Activity: Dynamic-Theme Experiences 155

Appendix D Indirect Progress: Dynamic-Theme Experiences 163

Appendix E Synergy: Dynamic-Theme Experiences 165

Appendix F Double Bind: Dynamic-Theme Experiences 171

Figure 2.1 Conditions for Learning in Early Childhood Education in Addition to Play 9

Figure 2.2 The Continuum of Psychological-Individual and Sociocultural Theoretical Perspectives of Play 13

Figure 8.1 Nonlinear Dynamic Theories Weave a Nonlinear Dynamic Model of Teaching Practice 54.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the James Hosmer Penniman Book Fund.

ISBN:

0205296505

OCLC:

46383436