How do teacher educators enact a pedagogy of play within a higher education context? A small-scale self-study into the effectiveness of pedagogical approaches taken with student teachers of young children.

My research seeks to uncover what effective teacher education of teachers preparing to teach children in the early years might look like. The conclusions are drawn from my reflections on my teaching along with a student questionnaire conducted at the end of the module.

Harris’ (2007) research concluded that a playful classroom atmosphere created through the use of metaphor where immediate realities and constraints may be suspended or transformed was important and that this was much more than the play activities alone. Much of the work around preparing student teachers to teach young children is rooted in an understanding of and a respect for the value of play as a vehicle for learning. Harris’ work emphasizes the thorny dilemma of how to enable student teachers to understand and appreciate the value of the authentic experience in terms of play whilst in a higher education seminar.

My reflections enabled me to consider how my values were threaded and embedded throughout the sessions. I became aware of the vocabulary that I repeatedly used in conveying an implicit message. Harris’ research made me consider the extent to which play ‘permeated the ideals, experiences and interactions in my pedagogy’ (Harris, 2007:152). This self-study, albeit limited in scope, has enabled me to gain a deeper understanding of my own teaching alongside developing my thinking in relation to pedagogical approaches involving play.