Education Commons^™

Shining Lights: The Power Of Students As Storytellers, Marisa A. Johns

Art of Teaching Thesis - Written

Weall have stories waiting to be told, and this thesis intends to explore the ways in which we as educators can support children as innate storytellers and nurture a love of storytelling. Storytelling f irst emerges through imaginative play during early childhood, and lends itself to the development of literacy skills they can later use to tell their stories. The continuation of play-based learning for upper elementary students is necessary in maintaining their original voice and imagination alive in their storymaking. Along with oral and written stories, we have to embrace dramatic arts and visual storytelling as mediums for students …

The Power Of Play: The Role Of Children’S Museums In Kindergarten Readiness, Catie Davis

All Dissertations

This study explores the transformative potential of play in preparing young children for Kindergarten, focusing on the intersection of children's museums, caregiver interactions, and school readiness. The study, conducted over an eight-week Pop-Up Classroom program at The Flowerfield Children's Museum, included 52 participants, primarily from low-income backgrounds. Through a mixed-methods approach, including participant observations and caregiver surveys, the research aimed to answer the fundamental question: What is the role of play in preparing children for Kindergarten?

Two significant findings emerged. Firstly, the study illuminated the pivotal role of play in nurturing social-emotional development and communication skills among children. Structured observations …

Research Conference 2023: Becoming Lifelong Learners. Proceedings And Program, Kylie Burns (Ed.)

2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences

We know learning in the early years sets the foundations for people’s ongoing academic, cognitive and socio-emotional development. Education across those formative first 12 years is currently segmented, with children often starting fresh in new systems. How can each of us make learning in the early childhood and primary years more effective? Research Conference 2023 will examine research around how we can improve the continuity of learning from birth to 12 years. It will bring together leading international and Australian researchers to provide insights into the best ways to identify, conceptualise, develop and assess these new linkages for learning.

A Pedagogy Of Play: How Pre- And In-Service Early Childhood Teachers’ Perceptions Of Play Are Influenced As A Result Of Practicum Experience In A Play-Based Environment, E. B. Nygard

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

There is a growing body of research behind the play-based movement in education today – a topic that is somewhat controversial (Nicolopoulou et al., 2010; Overstreet, 2018). While some are steeped in a more classical approach to early education, advocating learning should be painful (Adler & Van Doren, 1988), others are paving the way for a more progressive approach, suggesting play to be the premier window into a child’s development (Paley, 1979-2014; Wohlwend & Peppler, 2015). The purpose of this study was to look at how the perceptions of pre- and in-service teachers changed regarding play and storytelling after participating …

Will Personal Engagement In Play Affect The Perceived Stress Of Early Educaors?, Kathy Chase Young, Jeffrey L. Leffler

Journal of Research Initiatives

Studies over many years have indicated that early educators are exposed to high levels of stress related to such factors as low pay, lack of benefits, high-stakes responsibilities, low levels of support, and inattention to basic personal care needs. At the same time, the effective early educator has been identified as a primary factor in providing quality early childhood care and education experiences. An additional factor contributing to positive outcomes for your children is a play-based early childhood environment. The current study sought to investigate if playful activities would also be benefit early educators by relieving perceived stress levels. An …

How Social Interaction Opportunities And Emotional Skills Instruction Affect Kindergarteners’ Self-Efficacy And Mental Health Within The Distance Learning Model Of School, Sarah Taraba

Education Masters Papers

This study was designed to investigate how implementing social interaction opportunities and emotional skill instruction could improve the overall mental health and self-efficacy levels of students in a kindergarten distance learning classroom. Due to the worldwide pandemic, COVID- 19, students were forced to participate in a distance learning format. This meant that students utilized a technological device to participate in schooling through online meetings with teachers and classmates. The research that was conducted focused on kindergarten students as the participants to see what could be done to improve their overall mental health; increasing levels of positive emotions such as happiness, …

Language Abilities Of Children Who Qualify For Both Speech And Language Therapy And Play Therapy, Rylee Atkins

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

Play is an essential role in the development of children’s language and social-emotional well-being. Intervention methods with the use of play are used by both registered play therapist and speech-language pathologists. This study aims to explore if students who have met the eligibility requirements for speech-language therapy services are also eligible for child-centered play therapy services, as well as examine if students who qualify for both services have common characteristics. Findings demonstrated that students who qualified for CCPT and had individualized education plans (IEPs) for speech-language services had significantly lower poor peer social skills, as determined by teacher’s rating scores, …

Playing Through Tragedy: A Critical Approach To Welcoming Children’S Social Worlds And Play As Pedagogy, Cassie Brownell

Occasional Paper Series

Children’s play frequently reflects the ways they understand and cope with personal life experiences and those in the wider world. Drawing connections to many of the tenants of Jonathan Silin’s lifelong work, the author offers illustrative examples of why play and children's social worlds matter as well as why adults should pay attention to what children do and say in their play. Through personal stories, the author shows how integrating play(full) experiences into the daily life of a classroom can foster children's understanding of seemingly "difficult" or "adult" ideas and events that may be confusing, fear-inducing or represent significant loss. …

Blue The Bee Learns To Be Happy, Connie Reimers-Hild, Deborah J. Weitzenkamp, Connie Reimers-Hild, Kim Wellsandt

Kimmel Education and Research Center: Faculty and Staff Publications

Do you sometimes feel sad or blue and don't know what to do? If so, this book was written just for you!

Join Blue the Bee as she travels through Happy Orchard meeting her friends (Flutter, Buzz, Bonita and Ernie) to learn the 7 Happiness Habits. When happiness is a habit, it comes without thinking. You can choose how to spend your day and use your time. You choose how to live your life and what is on your mind.

Each page was designed to enjoy at any age. People can become pollinators of happiness in any life stage!

This …

Creating Opportunities For Learning: Play As A Scaffold For Format Based Informational Text Features, Susan Fisher Dandalides

Wayne State University Dissertations

Abstract

A play intervention was used with second grade students to help them develop a deeper understanding of format based informational text features. On Day 1 of the intervention, groups of students role played as reporters as they observed classmates at play. During Days 2 - 5 of the intervention, the same students wrote an informational book about the play they had observed. A pre-interview was used to determine which format based informational text features were noticed and/or explained by the students in an informational trade book. The text features that were included in the trade book were: table of …

Toddlers: Avoid Chaos By Matching Activities To Developmental Levels, Genan Anderson

Genan Anderson

The key to success in caring for toddlers is capitalizing on the knowledge that toddlers will engage repetitively in an activity that is on the edge of their ability to accomplish it with support. A range of activities are presented along with four skill levels on the task plus tips for facilitating the skill for each activity.

The Teacher's Role In Child-Directed Play, Genan Anderson, Anita Spainhower

Genan Anderson

In the context of a play scenario, the full range of strategies on the DAP Teaching Continuum used by a master teacher to facilitate mature socio-dramatic play is illustrated to the reader. The fluid, intentional movement of the teacher from strategy to strategy in response to the play of the children delineates the role the teacher plays in content-rich, child-directed play.