Play and dialogical reading International Council for Children’s Play 26th World Play Conference Tallinn, Estonia 18th to 19th June 2012 Stig Broström Aarhus University, Denmark http://pure.au.dk/portal/da/[email protected]

Dialogical reading In 1988 Whitehurst described a specific form of reading: Interactive reading of picture book Parallel with reading aloud the reader puts question to children and the children comment the book

Dialogical reading •Reading in small groups •Three times a week •First reading without interruptions, reflections afterwards •Second and third reading children comment and have dialogues and aesthetic activities

Literature dialogues

• Did you find elements in the story, which you liked? • Did you find something, which you disliked? • Did you find something, which wondered you? • Did you find patterns in the story, which you recognized? And which remind you of other stories? Chambers, 1994

Dialogical reading The theoretical foundation was a mixture of behaviourism, social learning (Bandura) and Vygotsky’s idea of ZPD The reason for this approach: 35% of American children have not achieved language development corresponding to their age: school readiness

Dialogical reading Dialogical reading give children opportunities to make use of the words and sentences from the book Whitehurst make use of the hypothesis CIP: Comprehension, Imitation and Production

Dialogical reading Language acquisition is affected on three techniques: •Practice, use language •Feed-back, the child elaborates its language •Scaffolding, the child communicates and gets positive feed back, recognition

Research on Dialogical reading Traditional reading

•Coherence between reading aloud and children’s language acquisition and dater reading skills, (among others Robins & Ehri, 1994) •Bristol Study •Review by Aukrust •Elbro: language development but not reading skills

Research on Dialogical reading Dialogical reading

•Whitehurst et al 1994: effect not only on vocabulary but also narrative competences The lion, the witch and the wardrobe

Dialogical reading and play •Play-World, Baba Yaga Baumer, Ferholt & Lecusay, 2005

•Scripted play

Neeley et al. 2001; Klein et al 2010; Bannet et al., 2008:

Tools of Mind

Definition of play Play is characterized by: •Play is interior motivated •Play suspends reality: imagination, fantasy and fiction •self determination •Interactions and communication Lillemyr, 2009; Levy, 1978 Bateson

Definition of play Voluntary and independent Subjective reflection of reality Creative activity The motive of play lies in the process itself Vygotsky, Leontjev, Elkonin, Zaporozhets,

Role-Play etc. •Symbolic play •Pretend play •Make-believe play •Socio-dramatic play Make use of symbols “In play the child creates an imaginary situation” Vygotsky, 1978 p. 93

Role-in-action towards role Ascribe objects and actions a subjective meaning: ”I play pretend, that…”

1) Imitation of other people’s actions: Role in action Doing the action 2) Identification with other Role play The child is the person

Role play

• Define the play theme • Negotiate define and distribute roles • Define the imaginary play situation – the context, the scene • Construct play actions which are carried out by use of roles and objects - text • Formulation of a plot ⇨ Elkonin, 1988; Bateson, 1972; SuttonSmith, 1990

Plot

• The plot in the role play is defined as "the reflection of certain actions, events, and interrelationships from surrounding life and activity by children at play" Markova & Zaporozhetz, 1983

Play is a narrative characterized by - Beginning, middle (end) - Balance – chaos – new balance - Main characters, problem, goals, actions, scene Bruner 1990

Role play

• Express relations between roles • Young children express all play actions, older children shorten play actions using language • Move in and out of the role • Shift between play instructor and actor • Begins to understand the rules behind the roles • Mastering 3 spheres: reality, fiction and stage management spheres Elkonin, 1988; Bateson, 1972; Schousbo, 1993

Play as transitory activity system • Play is the preschool child’s leading activity Leontjev, Elkonin

• "In play a child always behaves beyond his average age”, “a head taller than himself”: • Zone of proximal development Vygotsky, 1978, p. 86

Free play? • May be free play does not always contribute to (all) children’s learning and development • Play has a development potential only when the play environment has the potential to challenge children to cross their zone of proximal development. Valsiner, van der Veer, Holzman etc

Play as transitory activity system • Play is a creative imitation - mimesis Holzman, 1997 – inspired by Vygotsky

• Mimesis implies a change and a transformation of the original starting point in an interpretative form • Mimesis is a sensual, critical receptivity to, and transformation of, the object. We see sensuous moment of discovery, and a critical movement away from traditional norms and standards Lukás 1963; Bruner 1990; and Diamond 1997

Play as transitory activity system • Learning by expanding,

Engeström, 1987

– the learning activity runs for a period – it changes in the situation – new content arises

• Expanding play,

Broström, 1999

• Construction of a new forms of play – Playworld, frame play Baumer et al, 2003; Broström, 1992, 1997, 1999

The teacher’s role in play In general preschool teachers do not participate in children’s play • Working under fives only shows that only 6% of the investigated interactions show adult participation in play Wood, McMahon & Cranstoun, 1980 • Some Nordic studies show that preschool teachers in general avoid to participate in play Åm 1986; Knutsdotter 1992

•

Yet 40% of 1.400 Danish preschool teachers claim, that adults participation in play is seen as the most important factor for learning Broström & Frøkjær, 2010

The teacher’s role in play “It has long be normal to warn against extended playdirected pedagogy – however, it is possible to do this with proper respect both to children and play” Lillemyr, 2006, p. 152-153

The teacher’s role in play • • • •

Parallel player Playmate or co-player Play tutor Spokesman for reality

Wood, McMahon & Cranstoun, 1980

• Uncommitted, Observer, Organizer, Participant, Guide Johnson et al. 1999

• In frame play all roles are used, the specific context determines the role

The teacher’s role in frame play The teacher’s role is to.. • take an observing and empathic attitude • support, enrich and expand the play • arrange possibilities to be invited in play • start playing him/herself • invite children to play continue

The teacher’s role in frame play The teacher’s role is to.. • analyse power in play, expulsion of children, “you are not allowed to play” Corsaro 1981

• help these children to build up mastering competences Ruud, 2010

• support refused children to enter play and to inflict on play

A Danish developmental research • Reading aloud a story of high literature quality • Based on the story teacher and children carry through literature dialogues • Children tell their own stories • They make drawings inspired of the literature • They turn their literature experiences into

play

• Children present their play (drama, theater) • After the play session teachers and children have learning dialogues

-Miss -Miss -Miss -Miss -Miss

Ignora explodes Ignora in the schoolyard Ignora and the starry sky Ignora falls in love Ignora and George influence their world

Literature dialogues

• Did you find elements in the story, which you liked? • Did you find something, which you disliked? • Did you find something, which wondered you? • Did you find patterns in the story, which you recognized? And which remind you of other stories? Chambers, 1994

Did you find something you liked? – and disliked? LIKED • It was cool when Miss Ignora exploded • I liked when their harts was weaved together • when Miss Ignora apologized to the teacher • she was nice to the cats DISLIKED • when she stole from the fish-dealer • when she exploded • there was nothing we disliked

Did you find something, which wondered you? • Why does she not have a mother? • Why does she come to that point that she explodes? • Why does she live in that strange house? • Why does she not ask for help from the fish dealer? • Why Miss Ignora’s father died in a traffic accident, “they do not use to die in books”

The book Miss Ignora and George

influence their world

The plot in short in the book: • George visited Miss Ignora • They sat in top of the water tower • They spoke about to mark one’s world, to make a difference • They sat the dog free • The sour man scold them • They spoke with the fishdealer • They slept at his sofa

The children’s play: Miss Ignora and

George mark their world The plot in short in PLAY: • George visits Miss Ignora, and they influence their world through helping the dog • They establish a place to eat and start the dinner • “Oh I forgot an appointment with Nina • Miss Ignora ran to Nina, solved the problem to upset her best friend: Should we not play together? Thus they reproduce elements from the book, but also create new dimensions, expanding play

Reflections • Does the more organized frame play demand the soul of play? • Will the independence, creativity and its voluntary nature of play be spoiled? • Will the children be brought into an activity which is characterized by motives which are "only understandable"? In other words they understand the play, but without ownership or emotions • Will the organized play serve the function of adjustment?