Dockett, S., & Fleer, M. (1999). Play and pedagogy in early childhood: Bending the rules.

South Melbourne, Vic.: Cengage Learning.

A
1
B

Play at School

265

Play and outcomes

The outcomes-based approach to education prevalent in Australia at the moment (Curriculum Corporation, 1994a, 1994b) provides many avenues for play. Outcomes for each of the curriculum areas may be planned for within a play context and the same context can

provide opportunities to assess these outcomes. One of the great advantages of play in this approach is that there is no requirement for children to play in the same way or to produce the same outcomes. The appropriateness of playas a vehicle for promoting learning and for evaluating that learning, in the areas of language (Makin, 1996), science (Fleer and Segal, 1996), technology (Fleer, Corra and Newman, 1996) mathematics (Perry and Conroy, 1994; Skinner, 1996), and society and environment (Dockett, 1996) has been detailed elsewhere. In the next example, an episode of play in a Year 1 classroom (children aged 5 %to 7) has been observed and recorded, and the transcript is used as a work sample. This means that the teacher considers the play that occurred in terms of the outcomes for a particular curriculum area or areas. It is also an effective way of reiterating the view that play and work are not mutually exclusive categories of experience. In this example, learning outcomes from the curriculum area, Studies of Society and the Environment (Curriculum Corporation, 1994c), have been used. Considering play in this way emphasises opportunities to document children's learning and to collect information that may be used as the basis for future planning, or that will provide feedback to the children and families

Two of the players were then blindfolded, or turned away from the grid. Each player took turns to call out the co-ordinates for their move. The recorder placed noughts or crosses in the grid as instructed until the game was over. Several games were played in this way. Each group was then asked to discuss the following. How they felt as they played the game blindfolded What senses other than sight they used What strategies they were using to plan their moves What strategies they used to remember their own, and the other player's, moves After the discussion, other possible variations of the game were explored, including grids other than a 3 X 3, and three-dimensional games-with three 3 X 3 grids on top of each other. From this, children were asked to identify any conclusions that always applied. Further games with grids followed over the next few days as children explored their conclusions and tested them out in different situations.
(Adapted from Perry and Conroy, 1994, pp. 32-33)

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Play and Pedagogy in Early Childhood

PLAY
A shop area has been set up in the classroom. Several children approach the area. Dale is behind the counter, Kate and Jenny are standing on the other side of the counter. You are allowed to buy some food in here. KATE: Carrots. [Reaches for the carrots] JENNY: No, you have to ask the man sometimes. [Looks at Dale] What do you want? Dale: Yeah, what do you want? KATE: [Holds up a Smarties packet] Smarties? DALE: OK. Chocolate. Kate: That's all, that's all. JENNY: Pay him, pay him. DALE: And what else? I'm doing it! [Pushes other children away from the cash register] Five dollars. Give me the money. DALE : [Calling out to children passing by] Hey, you want to buy? Customers? Customers, wanna buy? Going cheap ... come to my shop! [There is no response. Kate and Dale leave, Jenny steps behind the counter] JENNY: I wonder when someone'll come. We have lottsa stuff here. I'll have to buy something.
DALE:

OUTCOMES
TOWARDS LEVEL 1

Resources- using money to pay for goods Investigation- shows awareness of daily activities Participation- demonstrates understanding of acceptable/unacceptable behaviour
LEVEL 1

1.10

Sequencing of events Recognises that money IS a resource 1.11 Identifies different

1.2

kinds of work done by people 1.16 Gathers and records information from direct and indirect experiences of people and places 1.17 Role plays a character from real life

involved. Representing play and documenting the outcomes of play are also discussed in Chapter 11.
ILLICIT PLAY

PLAY IN ASSEMBLY

Sarah (aged 12) and Emma (aged 8) are discussing their school assemblies. EMMA: We have to say the motto. 'Strive is

the motto of our school .. .' Sometimes we change the words and say 'Strife is the motto of our school,' or 'Strive is NOT the motto of our school.' SARAH: It's not play when we have to say the motto, unless we say the opposite things! Then we're doing what we want. You can sing the wrong words in the anthem too. That's play. And some kids tap coins on the concrete when we're sitting down. [Slow