The topic related to the early childhood field that I would like to know more about is the benefit of play in the early childhood classroom. I have broken this topic down into three related subtopics: 1. play and brain development, 2. play and social development, 3. the teacher’s role in classroom play. The reason I chose this topic is because of what I see happening in my school and my classroom every day.
This is my eleventh year of teaching and I am sad to say that I have seen play slowly worked out of the school day. I taught first grade for 8 years and this is my third year teaching kindergarten. Many of the things I am teaching in kindergarten currently were part of my first grade curriculum years ago. I also have many students who have never been in a school setting before coming to my classroom and do not have the opportunity to play with other children their age in their neighborhoods. The only time they have any interaction with their peers is the two and a half hours they are in my room. I also have students who are learning English as a second language. The only time they get to practice English in a risk free setting is when they are talking to their peers during play time. Unfortunately the increasing difficulty of the standards does not leave much time for free play, or so my administrators and district leaders think.
If anyone has resources or personal experiences that would help me in my research journey, I would greatly appreciate it. If I find any helpful information, I will be sure to pass it on. I am looking forward to learning with all of you!
Leigh,
ReplyDeletePlay is such an important part of every child's day. It is disappearing from the classroom and the children are the one's paying the price. I look forward to following your research through out the course.
If I come across any good resources, I'll send them your way.
Teri
Leigh:
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing an article in NAEYC's Young Children that stated statistics on the reduction of recess and the differences for children in urban areas and at-risk children. I believe it was in an issue focusing on learning standards. I believe the reference list might be helpful. I thought I used it as a resource for an application assignment or a discussion post. If I find it, I will share it with you.
Good luck with your project,
LouAnn
Leigh,
ReplyDeleteIt is sad when children are not allowed to play. Play is their expression time and all of us need that whether we are 2 or 66, we need to play.
What a great post. There are several good resources on play, we used them in our first class, I think that you were in that class with me. I will look them up and send them to you.
Leigh,
ReplyDeleteIt is great to see that I have another awesome class with you. Play is definitely a topic to research more on. I chose to research on Childrens health in schools. I know I need help because I chose a broad topic. You are welcome to throw in some ideas and your opinions.