The structure of the play space directly influences the play that occurs and the types of interactions. Unsuitable spaces may cause adults and children to invest more energy dealing with disturbances than focussing on the positive outcomes of play. By watching and talking to the children about their play, unsuitable spaces can be identified and adapted so children are able to engage in more undisrupted play. Adults can encourage play by displaying equipment attractively in accessible ways and further support children by clarifying what is available. Equipment that invites group participation may be more effective if placed where adults can closely monitor activity, giving adults opportunity to interpret the play as it develops and suggest ways the children can develop play scripts further and include others within the play, fostering group collaboration.
As children learn to play co-operatively they are likely to encounter conflicts as they bring their own understandings to the play, which may be contrary to those of their peers. Adults can support the children by asking them suitable questions to ascertain individual understandings. Children learn that people hold different views and effective communication is needed to work through issues collaboratively. Once views are raised, adults and children can discuss and agree on a mutual set of rules so play can continue. This interaction demonstrates to the children the importance of valuing individuality and fosters an environment which shows concern for the needs of others; giving children the opportunity to begin to understand the shared nature of learning, as described by Cullen & St George (1996) and cited in Cullen (1998).
Children learn at different rates and stages and by taking a flexible approach adults can observe and talk to children about their interests and suggest ways the environment can be arranged in more meaningful ways, relating to interests. Children learn that through communication with the adults they can express their needs and work with the adults to find ways to cater for those needs, encouraging children to become active participants in their own learning as they have opportunities to make their own decisions (Coltman & Whitebread 1996), valuing individual strengths and contributions within the setting.
By placing familiar equipment in unfamiliar places children are confronted with a degree of novelty and uncertainty, which may encourage a natural instinct to explore the unknown. Dau (1999) suggests that through exploration of a variety of materials, children use their imaginations and become increasingly creative, giving adults opportunities to interact with the children to talk about the new experiences.
Fisher (1996) expresses a view that children learn by using language; suggesting that as children experiment and practice language skills they are able to use language for a range of purposes. By mediating amongst the children in a non-threatening manner adults are able to encourage the children to express their views and thoughts, valuing their opinions and respecting them as individuals and in doing so children begin to understand the concept of ‘give and take’ in communication and learning, as outlined in the Ministry of Education’s (1996) Te Whariki Principle of ‘Relationships’. Through adult-child interactions children gain confidence in their abilities to express themselves, benefiting future learning as they ask questions, confirm understanding and express opinions in effective ways.
By playing alongside children, in a similar way (termed parallel play), adults can closely observe the children and determine developmental stages and find out what thing are currently of interest to the children. Adults can then find suitable, meaningful ways to extend and complicate current levels of understanding with the aim of enhancing learning. This form of interaction takes consideration to Vygotsky theory of the zone of proximal development (ZPD), whereby interactions with peers and adults form a basis for construction of new knowledge and understanding (Dockett & Fleer 1996). As a child tips water into different size containers they discover concepts relating to maths and science. An adult can extend on this further by parallel playing and talking about the discoveries, developing communication skills and introduce new ideas.
Circumstances may cause children to find it hard to communicate with peers and as a result entering and participating in social play is difficult. The adult can approach the child in a non-threatening way by using parallel play, then begin to talk to the child about what the other children are doing (narrate events) and suggest possible ways for the child to enter the play, valuing their contributions and giving them equal opportunity to develop fundamental social skills and recapture a sense of belonging. This same approach is useful to adopt when introducing new children to the setting and encouraging them to play with the other children.
Often children set tasks for themselves that cause them to get frustrated and adults need to assess the cause of disturbance and then interact by listening and acknowledging the children’s feelings. By explaining to the children any possible risk they may encounter from physical challenges they set for themselves, the adults are empowering the children, by encouraging them to take an increasing responsibility for their own learning and care, as described in the Ministry of Education’s (1996) Te Whariki Principle ‘Empowerment’. From here adults can offer ideas and explanations that ‘Scaffold’ the children’s play by providing, “…guidance and interactional support … until the child is able to take over tasks for him or herself” as described by Wood et al. (1976, and cited in Fisher, 1996, p.11).
In using the observation, “I’m The Shopkeeper” produced by Dockett (1997, cited by Docket & Fleer, 1999, p.180), the teacher took the role of mediator of the play, as intervention was necessary to keep the children safe and avoid damage to equipment. The adult posed the question of what was happening to all four children, demonstrating values of equity in giving the children opportunity to express their opinions, valuing and affirming them as individuals.
In asking the children to comment on the appropriateness of four shopkeepers, the children were encouraged to work through the problem collaboratively with the aim of achieving a common goal. One child offered a solution to the overcrowding problem by suggesting the children take turns. The teacher used verbal scaffolding to extend on the idea by asking the children what it was that shopkeepers did? This question gave the children a chance to reflect on their understandings of the role of shopkeepers and communicate these understandings clearly to the group. Once the roles within the play were identified and the rules of play agreed upon, co-operatively play could continue, enabling the children to make discoveries together, share the success of the play and form meaningful relationships.
As children play they construct understandings and experiment with ideas as they learn about the world around them and how they personally fit in as social beings. Play has the ability to provide children with an abundance of skills, including problem-solving, language and concentration skills, it is therefore important that adults support children within play contexts so that learning opportunities are optimum.
As adults interact with the children they learn a lot about the children’s interest and development, enabling them to create a more meaningful environment, which in turn enhances learning outcomes. Through effective interactions with adults, learning is influenced as children gain confidence in their own abilities to ask questions, confirm understandings and express opinions. Adult-child interactions enable adults to support the children, build positive reciprocal relationships, extend on learning and model desired behaviours. It is therefore important that adults create an environment, which fosters these interactions. Adults support the children indirectly by setting up the environment in ways, which promote play and adult-child interactions and direct support given when interacting with the children through mediation and playing with and alongside the children. The ways in which the adults adopt these roles will directly determine the extent of the learning outcomes.
Reference List
Coltman, P., & Whitebread, D. (1996). My mum would pay anything for chocolate cake. Organising the whole curriculum: Enterprise projects in the early years. In D. Whitebread, (ed). Teaching and learning in the early years. London: Routledge.
Cullen, J. (1998). What do teachers need to know about learning in the early years? Key note address to Early Childhood Development Unit seminar, “Promoting Positive Partnerships”, Auckland, 23 April.
Dau, E. (Ed.). (1999). Child’s play. Revisiting play in early childhood settings. Australia: Australian Early Childhood Association.
Dockett, S., & Fleer, M. (1999). Play and pedagogy in early childhood: Bending the rules. Marrickville, NSW: Harcourt Brace & Company.
Fisher, J. (1996). Starting from the child. Buckingham: Open University Press. (Chapter 1).
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whariki. He whariki matauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aoteroa. Early Childhood Curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.
Ministry of Education. (1993). The New Zealand curriculum framework. Te anga marautanga o Aotearoa. Wellington: Learning Media.