Language: English

ISSN: 1354-1498

Abstract/Notes: This is an article from Montessori Education, a Japanese language periodical published by the Japan Association Montessori.

Language: Japanese

ISSN: 0913-4220

Language: English

ISSN: 1470-8647

Abstract/Notes: Mixed-age groups have been shown to be effective in classroom settings, but only a handful of studies have explored mixed-age grouping in play. This research is a case study of one New York public elementary school that places great value on recess and mixed-age groupings. The school has implemented Let Grow Play Club before school one day per week for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. We use child interviews, teacher interviews, and parent surveys to examine the perceptions of mixed-age, outdoor play provided in Play Club and the school more generally. Across the different types of data, stakeholders expressed their support for cross-age interactions in mixed-age groupings. This play was perceived as valuable for helping build friendships and developing social skills, as older children become role models to younger ones. As suggested by Vygotsky’s (1978) theories, children are learning from one another and enhancing their development through unstructured play.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1080/21594937.2021.1878774

ISSN: 2159-4937

Abstract/Notes: The study of play in both animals and humans is flourishing. The purpose of human pretend play is not known. By analogy to play fighting in animals, evidence is presented suggesting that pretend play might improve sensitivity to social signals and emotion regulation in humans. Pretend play appears to be an evolved behavior because it is universal and appears on a set schedule. However, no specific functions have been determined for pretend play and empirical tests for its functions in humans are elusive. Yet animal play fighting can serve as an analog, as both activities involve as-if, metacommunicative signaling and symbolism. In the rat and some other animals, adaptive functions of play fighting include assisting social behavior and emotion regulation. Research is presented suggesting that pretend play might serve similar functions for humans.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2017.08.001

ISSN: 1364-6613, 1879-307X

Abstract/Notes: Godly Play is an approach to religious education for young children between the ages of three and eight. The Godly Play room, modelled on Montessori’s prepared environment, provides opportunities for young children to respond to Sacred stories, Parables and Liturgical actions presented by the Storyteller through art using any of the materials available to them. However, there is a paucity of research into how different spatial affordances may enhance opportunities for spiritual development in the Godly Play room. This article examines the Godly Play room through the lens of affordance theory. It applies elements of the notion of affordances to three documented anecdotes of Godly Play storytellers to show particular action possibilities enhance opportunities for spiritual development and wellbeing. The analysis highlights the importance of the Storyteller’s guidance, the readily accessible materials, and the dedicated space in which Godly Play is undertaken.

Language: English

DOI: 10.3390/rel13121202

ISSN: 2077-1444

Language: English

DOI: 10.33178/scenario.13.1.1

ISSN: 1649-8526

Abstract/Notes: Games have played an important role in modern educational methodologies. Beginning with the work of luminaries like Froebel, Montessori, and Dewey and continuing through the Cold War, the counter-culture movement of the 1960s and '70s, and into the present day, shifts in educational practice can be traced historically using the lens of games, where concepts like play, win strategies, cooperation, and engagement figure prominently in curricular structures. The author investigates how games have been discussed in art education literature, linking how the use of games in art educational environments significantly reflects the sociopolitical contexts of the 20th century.

Language: English

ISSN: 0039-3541, 2325-8039

Abstract/Notes: In Schiller’s opinion, to play means to act free from the force of need as well as of duty and thus to enjoy liberation from necessity. It is this experience of freedom that links play with the aesthetical phenomenon of beauty and causes its high edu...

Language: German

ISSN: 0352-7875, 1848-2317

Abstract/Notes: Emerging digital technologies enable teachers and students to access and manipulate sights and sounds in their school environments. The challenge is to systematically include these new media in academic environments, and to include adults who are ill prepared in technical issues as primary guides in this effort. This article suggests that child's play should be the focus of these efforts, and that the Montessori classroom provides a good model to guide these considerations. Kristina Woolsey is a Learning Experience Designer at the Exploratirum; Matthew Woolsey is a reporter at Forbes.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1080/00405840801992330

ISSN: 0040-5841, 1543-0421