ERIC Number: EJ1086679
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1357-3322
EISSN: N/A
The Place of Play: From Playground to Policy to Classroom Well-Being
Jachyra, Patrick; Fusco, Caroline
Sport, Education and Society, v21 n2 p217-238 2016
In 2010 the Provincial Government of Ontario, Canada introduced a new play-based learning curriculum. Educational stakeholders (i.e. teachers, early childhood educators and student teachers) have been charged with the task of implementing the play-based curriculum, which upholds children's fundamental right to play, as a means to health and well-being. In this paper, we examine educator's experiences with the new play-based curriculum in Toronto, ON, Canada's largest city. While we found that a play-based curriculum has been championed with respect to health and well-being in educational policy, there are many challenges integrating play into teaching practices, especially in an era of standardized testing. We conclude that while there are benefits to play-based learning for children's health, it is important to further investigate whether current iterations of play-based curricula are a new pedagogical site for governing children's bodies or whether play-based curricula allow children to experience, and engage with the pleasure and ambiguities of play in their daily lives in schools.
Descriptors: Well Being, Playground Activities, Play, Educational Policy, Teaching Experience, Educational Practices, Educational Change, Curriculum Enrichment, Curriculum Evaluation, Qualitative Research, Semi Structured Interviews, Physical Activities, Teaching Methods, Teacher Attitudes, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A