Running head: 6.

1 Signature

Assignment 6.1 Signature Assignment

Stephanie Wagerer
Fresno Pacific University

What Is Play?

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Anybody who walks into an early childhood development center or preschool, expects to
see children learning, but many of these people have expectations of children and their learning
that is developmentally inappropriate. Their ideal learning environment sees children seated at
desks doing quiet work, learning skills necessary for integration into mainstream education at
the higher level. Instead, they are greeted by children who are laughing, exploring activity
centers, playing dress up, and arent organized or quiet at all. The number one question parents
ask educators is why are they playing so much? They view play as something wasteful but in
his paper Neuroscience, Play, and Child Development, Frost (1998) states Play, the frivolous,
unimportant, behavior with no apparent purpose has earned new respect as biologists,
neuroscientists, psychologists, and others see that play is indeed serious business and is perhaps
equally important as other basic drives of sleep, rest, and food.
For children, play comes naturally and it takes many forms. Early forms of play include
interaction and bonding with the parents as they talk with their child, read, and allow them to
explore the world. Play is not just limited to one thing however, but it is a series of activities that
help enrich a childs learning experiences. Impromptu games, sorting and classifying, dress up,
drawing and coloring, and running around in unstructured games outside, can be classified as
play. Play can even be integrated into more formal lessons, teaching children complex ideas
through games, music, sports, and the arts. Several theorists such as Jean Piaget and Lev
Vygotsky built the foundations of constructivist theory and advocated for play based education.
How Should Play Based Education be Addressed?
There are several ways that children can be taught in a classroom environment. The first,
open-ended play, allows children to use materials freely to explore a subject or a concept. When

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asked what they learned, however, they are often unable to talk about what they learned, giving
the answer that they were just playing. Modeled play is too often the go to standard for play
whereby a teacher demonstrates how to use specific materials for a desired outcome and then
allows the children to perform the same task using their model. Though children are able to
discuss what they did, there often isnt an understanding of why they did it. The last model is
purposefully framed play. It uses a combination of both open-ended play and modeling to engage
the children in a discussion about the theme of the lesson and to use the materials both freely and
purposefully.
All three models are important in the classroom but teachers need to be aware of what
model is appropriate for which situation. Children simply exploring an idea might benefit from
open-ended play as they explore the concept. As interest grows, teacher modeling can benefit the
children as they add to their open ended play with specifics about the topic of choice. Teachers
can also set up additional learning opportunities that tie in both models together to create a well
rounded curriculum based off of the childs interest. the three play types (using the teacher
definition of purposefully framed play) provide various opportunities for experience, content,
exploration, and teacher-child engagement and interaction. When experienced iteratively, the
pedagogical strength of one play type potentially feeds into the next. (Cutter-Mackenzie, A. &
Edwards, S. 2013)
The classroom environment is another important factor in considering how children
construct learning. Centers must have meaningful materials that allow children to explore and
create. Free choice areas can be supplemented by materials that correlate to the unit of study
such as books or props in the dress up center. Activities should be prepared with children in
mind, and outcomes should be planned to create an environment of learning. The physical spaces

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should have children in mind from soft areas where children can relax, spaces where children can
engage in physical activities, appropriate paths and boundaries, and provide accommodations for
special needs students. Setting the stage in this way further enhances the environment for
appropriate play based learning to take place. (Lieberman, 2003)
Constructivist Education
Many theorists were advocates of play based education including Jean Piaget, Maria
Montessori, the Reggio Emilia approach, and theorists Lev Vygotsky and Howard Gardner. The
perspective in constructivist theory is child centered. The constructivist perspective states that
children are the protagonist, they actively construct their own knowledge, learning in holistic, the
learning environment is one that is deliberately prepared, and caring adults model pro-social and
ethical behavior. (Ogunnaike, Y. 2015) Vygotskys theories also posited that learning is
environmental and that the type of learning and play in the western world was not universally the
same. The culture and social context that a child is brought up in has a direct impact on how they
build their knowledge.
Howard Gardner took the constructivist theory further in that he developed a theory that
children learned on an individual level. No two children learned the same thing the same way
and it opened up a world of possibilities in that educators could use that information in their
classrooms to provide learning opportunities that fit individual needs. Gardner developed the
idea that there are nine modalities of intelligence after finding disparities in the traditional IQ
tests that were the standard way of measuring intelligence. (Ogunnaike, Y. 2015) Each of these
modalities address a specific strength though it is important to note that a person possesses the
ability to be proficient in several areas.

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At the core of constructivist education is the importance of play. The benefits of play are
overwhelming and yet the education system in North America is still struggling with integrating
play into education above the kindergarten level. Play at its core is an integral part of learning,
allowing children to explore freely, engage in the world around them, and socialize with in a way
that will enable them to build meaningful relationships as they grow older. When play is
allowed to be child driven, children practice decision-making skills, move at their own pace,
discover their own areas of interest, and ultimately engage fully in the passions they wish to
pursue. (Ginsburg, K. 2007) And yet when play is controlled by an adult, the children risk
losing the benefits of play including leadership, creativity, and group skills.
The Benefits of Arts in Education
During the last thirty years in education, there came a shift in the way children were
taught. An emphasis was placed on core subjects such as mathematics, science, and language.
The arts, therefore, became secondary in education focus and schools were required to meet new
and exacting standards for academic progress. Because of this shift, more time was dedicated to
studying the core subjects and the arts such as music, fine arts, drama, and sports became
elective classes that were not emphasized or supported.
Several reports have been published since then advocating the importance of education in
the arts and tying it to solid evidence that arts education improves academic performance.
Students with high levels of arts participation outperform students with low levels of arts
participation on nearly every measure. (Scheuler, L. 2010) Further studies show that children
who attend schools where emphasis is placed on the arts also have higher attendance and
retention rates through high school as well as lowered levels of disciplinary action.

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Such results offer a compelling reason why the arts are vital to the success of the
education experience. Its those reasons teachers like Ron Clark have sought to not only open a
private academy dedicated to teaching through art integration, but have spread their model across
North America in the hopes that it will encourage more schools to emphasize fine arts. Many
schools that operate with a fine arts or science based curriculum have long waiting lists to enroll
students and can only accept a handful on lottery each year. As advocates for education
therefore, teachers and parents alike must work together to continue to compel schools to be
inclusive of the arts. Not simply for charter and magnet schools, but to bring the arts into every
school and in every day situations.
Conclusion
Children learn best through meaningful play that is encouraged and facilitated by their
parents, teachers, and peers. Through play, children are able to construct their own knowledge of
the world and where they fit in as active participants. Through careful consideration of the
environment, educators can start children off on the path of learning that will lead them through
the rest of their lives. Play needs to be integrated through the entirety of learning through
academics, physical education, and the arts in order to create a whole learning approach. The
more educators advocate for the inclusion of play based learning at all levels of education, and
the implementation of the arts, the better prepared children will be to learn in ways that are
meaningful to them regardless of standardized tests.

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References
Cutter-Mackenzie, A., & Edwards, S. (2013). Toward a Model for Early Childhood
Environmental Education: Foregrounding, Developing, and Connecting
Knowledge

Through Play-Based Learning. The Journal of Environmental Education,

44(3), 195-213.
Frost, J. L. (1998). Neuroscience, Play, and Child Development. 1-20. Retrieved February, 2015.
Reading, R. (2007). The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and
maintaining strong parentchild bonds. Child: Care, Health and Development
Child Care

Health Dev, 33(6), 807-808.

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Lieberman, V. H. (2003). Play at the center of curriculum. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/
Prentice Hall.
The Ron Clark Academy. (n.d.). Retrieved February 15, 2016, from http://
www.ronclarkacademy.com
Scheuler, L., PHD. (2010). Arts Education Makes a Difference in Missouri Schools. Missouri
Arts Council. Retrieved February 15, 2016, from
https://www.missouriartscouncil.org/

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