Abstract
The importance of early learning and development is growing with new evidence from life sciences. But specific character of early learning and development often is understood from the point of view of rational adult logic and assessment criteria. This has limited the possibilities of fully exploiting the developmental potential of joint play in preschool age. Adult participation has been limited to guiding rational learning processes, and in the Scandinavian ‘free’ play, ideal children choose the play contents. Our aim is to construct joint narrative play environments of adults and children in order to introduce and study together basic human values and themes, to create dramatic collisions and make sense by participating in play events. Narrative learning environments have been implemented in two types of classrooms: (1) value-oriented before school clubs and (2) goal-oriented vertically integrated classrooms. Narrative play environment in clubs is constructed without explicit learning tasks. Themes introduce ideal forms of behaviour for children, teachers and parents. Children have a free choice to participate in activities derived from the themes. In goal-oriented classrooms, assignments are intertwined with the thematic storylines, and the story cannot continue before children have solved the tasks. Often children cross the boundary from narrative play world to their classroom in order to solve the task using rational logic. We suppose, based on our results, that our approach effectively utilises developmental potential of advanced play forms (role-, directors-, and rule-play) and promotes elaboration of the zones of proximal development.
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Notes
- 1.
The new Finnish university law made it possible to eliminate small research units of the university. As a result of this law, our activity was stopped. Now we continue play development at Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences with younger children.
- 2.
The wardrobe was a big cardboard box fixed to the doorframe between the two rooms of the children’s group space. The front opened like a cupboard door, and there was an opening in the back wall, which could be sealed when access to “Narnia” was denied and left open when transition was allowed. The wardrobe appeared in its place on 2 days each week, and it was taken away after the adventure so that the second room could be used as working space. “Narnia” was staged in the second room with simple props.
- 3.
Each member of the groups wrote the name of the magic power of the group on the backside of the badge.
- 4.
In ordinary classroom situations, this would never happen.
- 5.
Children had to loosen several knots before the bag could be taken down.
- 6.
Children are not graded until the fourth grade in Finland. The teacher carries out continuous assessment during the school year. Assessment is meant to guide and help children in their learning and development. The form of assessment is decided in negotiations between local authorities, school and parents.
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Hakkarainen, P., Bredikyte, M. (2018). The Program of Developmental (Narrative) Play Pedagogy. In: Fleer, M., van Oers, B. (eds) International Handbook of Early Childhood Education. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-0927-7_53
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