PLAY OBSERVATIONS
THEORETICAL FRAME WORK
PLAY ANALYSIS
PLAY PHOTOS
PLAY PORTFOLIO Midlaj CH MAE15056 Observations Jan 18th, 2016 - March 28th, 2016 Submitted to: Anindita Bhattacharya
INTRODUCTION
This is not a detailed description of child plays but a small attempt of an adult to go back into the childhood memories of innocence and curiosity. I remember this time two line of Sudarshan Fakir Ye daulat bhi le lo, ye shoharat bhi le lo Bhale chhin lo mujhase meri javaani Magar mujhako lauta do bachapan ka saavan Vo kaagaz ki kashti, vo baarish ka paani Muhalle ki sabase nishaani puraani (Take away my wealth and fame You may even take my youth; But please return the monsoon of my childhood; that paper made boat, and the rain (in which I used to play in) ;That oldest relic of the neighborhood). Yea trough this semester I tried to penetrate to the world of children. But I understood that it is a world adults can’t catch it very easily. Every play I observed trough this period I got many new experience about the world of children. I observed through this period of time in different settings. Primarily my setting was my family itself my uncles son 1.5, aunt’s relatives small naughty girl and my neighbourhood children. The school settings which we went for the practicum that was in the presence of PT teacher and other helpers and the children live near to my room near Shikaripalaya. I could see different settings and cultures like in tribal area while my ITR research period. By this observations I could relate the plays in urban and rural settings. I could take photo graphs and videos in some situations but more couldn’t record those. In this portfolio I try to depict my experience and analyze the observations connecting to the theories and my perspectives and experience in childhood.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Children need the freedom and time to play. Ply is not luxury play is necessity (Key Redfield Jamison) Play is the highest form of research (Albert Einstein) These are some of the quotes on play we understand the importance of play. From adults perspective we may thought that it is wastage of time. We can see developmental psychologists promote play as important thing for child development. But some like Peter Smith (1994) say there is no clear evidence on play is benefitial for child development. When we come to school curriculum parents and teachers are in confusion about letting child to play (Barnes, 1995). We have to examine is there any importance for play in developing cognitive abilities, social skills and other form of development in early and middle childhood. From ancient times we can see the works on the importance of the play. Plato in his republic emphasis on the play for young’s mental and physical development. Gavery (1991) said it is universal instinct for child the exuberance and it is characteristics we can see every culture. Rousseau’s Emile also presented the play as an instrument for development and emphasis on the importance of the adequate environment settings (Joan Santer, 2007).
We can see the Victorian period saw the play as the wastage of time. There were some theorists like schiller (1770-1835) who said play is “aimless expenditure of exuberant energy�. We have to enter different theoretical perspectives of play which are influencing in the school curriculum and ideas like child and play centered educational ideas.
Play What and which?
T
here are many arguments in
what play means? There are many arguments about play as some say it is an instinctive character in animals, some like Karl Groose argue it as a mean for preparation for future survival as practice for self-defense and hunting. Some argue it as recapitulation G. Stanley Hall. Herbert Spencer view it as a mean to discharge the surplus energy (Gravery, 1990). Any way what is play is a controversial thing even there are some common characteristics we can see in common. Like: a) It is pleasurable, enjoyable even there is no sign of the mirth it is valuable for the player. b) It has no extrinsic goals. c) It is spontaneous and volunteer activity from behaves of the participants. d) There is an active engagement of the player.
We can can see adult plays so institutionalized while child plays developing gradually. Let us check the different types of play. American Sociologist Mildred Parten in 1932 categorized play observing 2-5 age children into four.
1. Solitary independent play: child alone paly with toys without attention to other things 2. Parallel activity: children play independently but his play brings him to others naturally 3. Associative play: I n this play children loan and share materials. But not in organized way. 4. Co-operative or organized supplementary play: child play in group but in organized and controlled goal oriented way.
Barnes coming with some categories of play which he got from different categories. a) Role plays in which socio-dramatic play as two children imagining things and going to conversations we can call it also “Fantasy play� because they constructed it. b) Role play and constructive play like Piaget observed child making garden and food for toy. It has a social theme even it is solitary. c) Role play but can’t call socio-dramatic like hurling car to hole in group. d) Play with defined roles it has goal and end point like playing marbles. We can see psychologists divided into groups whether play is a causal factor in social development. Because there may be variance between played children and not played children. If not play is only one factor among other factors influence the cognitive and social behavior.
Theories on play
Swiss
psychologist JienPiaget (1896-1980) through his constructivist theory argued that the child. Development is trough active engagement of child with environment. Through the process of assimilation and accommodation. He said child develops schemas and learns new things. He put forward two activities 1) play 2) imitations we can see the first as
the product of assimilation latter as accommodation. He said that play develops trough three stages of development 1. Mastery 1-2 -solitary play, repetation 2. Play stage 3-6- symbolic interaction, egocentric 3. Game stage 7-. Co-operative, intellectual and linguistic development.
This stages are important for symbolic representations which help to improve genuine interaction and creation of shared meaning between individuals (Garvey, 1990). Preoperational child make their own play without rules they are ego-centric and difficult to co-operative plays. Gradually child accept the fact of rule in games and sports and they understand the mutual constant and agreement and so social values. But later Jonathan and theory of mind showed that child develops social skills much earlier than this. Soviet psychologist Vygotsky (1896-1934) said learning comes through social context. He was a social constructive theorist. So adult have big role in the development of the child in scaffolding. He said ply creates a zone of proximal development this is connected learning and cognitive development. Then play help to develop through conversation and other formal interactions (Garvey, 1990). Using physiological tools like rules and conventions improve their capacity of language and other things. George Herbert Mead (1863-1931) emphasis on the development of the self. . Mead says children acquire a sense of who they are through play.Child get the sense of self when take the role of other he described three stages. A) Preparatory stage B) play stage C) game stage. . By this childhood, participation in cooperative plays and the experience of being in various social groups allows children for making a sense of themselve as social beings through the concept of the generalized others.
OBSERVATION AND ANALYSIS Observation 1 When I went to Banasura sagar dam with my uncle’s family his small child Dani I observed him what he is doing in that park. His age was just 1.5 he is a toddler; we let him free in the park. His attraction was with colourful flowers and different small objects he can take and hurl. He was giving whatever he get to uncle
or me. He was not interested in playing with other children there in the park. And when we return from
park he was playing with flowers not giving ear in calling his name (video 1). I think as Piaget said child in this age dong things repeatedly and have some kind of ego in not hearing calling his name. There is the difficulty in co-operating with other children or strangers. In solitary play they are doing things themselves without any special goal and intention. Same thing I could observe in the child who live next room to my room in Bangalore. He is alone there he has no to play with him he play with his tricycle pulling it to and fro without any intention (video 3).
Observation 2 This time I write about the toys children play. Because of my uncle was in abroad Dani got many different kind of toys. Teddy bear, cars, tricycle, gun and playing bells. He is not interested in playing with those things. But when the bear sing or the car light in different colors he take it and do something (video 4,5).
I think children in this age have no idea of using it properly they play with cars taking it into mouth or hurling it too far. Even we show the using of toy they can’t use it properly. The history of toys is very ancient we can see that ancient Greeko-Roman children wereplaying with objects they made balls with pig’s bladder and toy soldiers (Joan Santer, 2007).In my childhood I remember we got very little purcahased toys. We made our own toys with leaf of coconut tree and other old hawai chappal. Things like snake, ball, wistle and different carts.
but now changed the situation all things are purchasing from market. Children now playing with video games and other electronic gadgets. I observed one of my relative’s girl she is asking for mobile phone and opening it very easily baby is just 2 years old. This thing I could also see in urban and rural settings in tribal area we saw children are playing with a vehicle which they put on their shoulders and play with it. In Bangalore when I visit Forum mall I could see children are playing racing sitting on toy motor bike and racing in the screen.
Observation 3 This observation I did comparing the rural and urban children. In my internship tribal area children have their own way of playing. That area was a forest area because of that they are going to forest to play. One of the teachers said when we asked her about the attendance of tribal children that they are absent in class most of the days. They go to forest for taking honey and trapping tiny birds and squirrel. We also saw that they are playing in group (age 5-13) there is no rule in play they just climb on the tree and jump to river even small could climb tree and swim. By that there is the problem of absenteeism in schools. We could see small children below 4 are playing in mud parents are not considering about hygiene or dirtiness in the
way we concern. Their organized plays are marble and play with sticks kuttem kolum. One beat the stick then other catch it if he can’t catch he lose one point…
This is the boys’ play girls play in jumping in different boxes drawn in ground they call it akku kali this play have certain rules they get points or priority if win. In urban area where I used to Banashankari in Bangalore children were not have enough time to play I saw them play in night time in weekends after their tutions. Everyone are experts in circus with cycle. They also play cricket in road because they have no ground. Girls were playing shuttle on roof top or in premises of houses. The parenting in urban area giving on school education other than playing they give very little time to play. When I asked about this they said we are going to public parks or malls in weekend and playing there different games.
Then two settings say to us different cultures have different view point on play and plays, time, types, rules all change according to this variations. Playas and viewpoints also differs by the changing of the years then we can say everywhere children have certain methods to charge up their joy through play.
Observation 4 This was the playground observation of our practicum school, Patel International School. There also I could compare the play situation of private school and government school I will come to it later. Playground was near to school. There was a big house carpeted, fenced with iron grills fitted with rounding circle, seesaw and slides. It was only for small children they can play without mud in their dress.
I observed this and took the video also there was always a teacher caring them and instructing them. Children were shouting and climbing slide and helping other round on wheel and etc. in contrast to Piagets viewpoint children play together and helping others to play (video 2).
Observation 5 In playground there was PT sir and 7th standard students. First play was together all. All have to round until sir whistle then they have to take one pair anybody didn’t get pair; out. I observed girls pair with girls such boys with boys. After there was another independent choice play session boys selected kabadi and cricket but girls selected badminton and less effort plays. From this I could understand that the girls and boys have some choices and interests both keep a distance in gender. Another thing boys choose adventurous and effortable things while girls chose more simple one. I thing girls have more attention on dirtying their dress than boys have. When boys play they shouting but girls are less in shouting while play.Other than those small children’s play big boys played more organized and with rules. They voluntarily accepted rules and regulated games themselves.
In the government school next to Patel international School there was a small ground but no any fecilities. Children were playing there without any supervision of any teacher. They are playing in ground small children were almost mud in their dress. They have no any carpetted indoor play ground and such fecilities.
Observation 6 Another thing I could see in children was the aggression behaviour; when I went to one urban area night play ground where children play in weekends that. Two children are arranging big hollow bricks in good way and setup with a lot of affort they are doing this work. In another part some another children in same age were in group play from those one came and shuffle all the bricks. Even these two stopped he shuffled it but this two rearrranged it twise then that child came and shuffled it again then this children cried and shouted. Similar behaviour I could see in other occassions also I don’t know what is the cause of such misbehaviour in children. I have reed about that it is coming from family problems and problem in parenting. May be it true because as Mead says children’s self setting is very important then the problems may influence them badly will reflect in their behaviour also.
Observation 7 This observation was on my relatives baby. How the school learning influence in children’s play behaviour. She was playing with crayons on the house’s wall before going school. Now after going school she started drawing pictures in paper. And dancing with song. She was less speaking now speaking verywell. She was less going with persons she don’t know now she is speking and playing with others very well playing with other neighbour children sharing toys between.
CONCLUSION Play is the universal factor that influence on children’s mental and physicl development. By the active participations of a child to his environment and his near relationships he is developing cognitive and social intractions. In play active relation to his environment and peers is very important. Development theories are emphasizing the role of play in child development. In new educational settings school and curriculum
developers seeing the importance of play as crucial one in child’s behaviour and relation. Schools are trying to make a child and play centered educational system in schools. But our children are losing the nature of play which was trough first hand relationship with nature. New changed life style teaching him to swim in artifitial swimming pools and carpetted indoor grounds this lose childs approach to the environment and relations. The overwhelming video gaming effects child’s behaviour negatively. Then there is a need of giving children more effective play settings which they can improve their sensitivity and passion to relationships. Some parents approach the play as if it is a bad thing at all such parents should be awared the imprtance of play. And they should get what types of play children shoud play in different ages and what are the benefits and merits of the play. REFERANCES Barnes, P. (1995). Personal, social and emotional development of children. Blackwell. Gravery, C. (1990). Play enlarged edition. Camebridge: Harward University. Joan Santer, C. G. (2007). Free Play in Early Childhood: A Literature Review. London: National Children's beurau. APPENDIX https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B08i1yAsI1ozb25jTGJVMGxqcm8 https://drive.google.com/a/apu.edu.in/folderview?id=0B08i1yAsI1ozb25jTGJVMGxqcm8&usp=sha ring