Reconceptualizing the play-pedagogy relationship: Malaysian experiences

Norsuhaily, Abu Bakar and Najihah, Abd Wahid and Rahimah, Embong (2014) Reconceptualizing the play-pedagogy relationship: Malaysian experiences. In: Seminar Kebangsaan Majlis Dekan-Dekan Pendidikan IPTA 2014, 25-26 September 2014, Fakulti Pendidikan, Universiti Malaya.

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Abstract

This paper examines contemporary developments in play and pedagogy in early childhood education settings, drawing on Malaysian policies and international play scholarship. The study explores and analyses some of the challenges inherent to incorporating play into classroom practice, which is occurring in four types of preschool classroom settings in Malaysia. It investigates the implementation of play in each of these settings. Established principles about play and learning are reified in many curriculum guidelines, alongside recommendations for the role of adults in linking play provision with their pedagogical strategies. Play is also located within contemporary discourses about quality and effectiveness, with a specific focus on „educational‟ play (Wood, 2010). Although policy texts and policy –oriented research have provided positive validations for play as integral to „effective practice‟, there remain significant challenges in conceptualizing the play-pedagogy relationship. Linking play with defined educational outcomes and effectiveness agendas also raises questions about the regulation of play through dominant policy discourses and practices. Drawing on critical and postdevelopmental theories, some of the key principles underpinning play and pedagogy are scrutinized here, specifically in relation to assumptions about the eficacy of play across dimensions of diversity (teacher control and heavy emphasis on whole-class teaching, constraints on implementation included pressure to complete and adhere to the National Curriculum, teachers‟ own pedagogical limitations, and lack of resources and budget. It will be argued that some of the essential truths about play can also be seen as myths, which need to be contested in the light of contemporary concerns with diversity, power and control and how these relate with educational settings.

Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Subjects: L Education > LB Theory and practice of education
L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2361 Curriculum
Divisions: Faculty of Islamic Contemporary Studies
Depositing User: Muhammad Akmal Azhar
Date Deposited: 20 Oct 2020 08:07
Last Modified: 24 Nov 2020 07:13
URI: http://eprints.unisza.edu.my/id/eprint/273

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