Gemma Aylward
BA(Hons) Illustration 2017 BA3a: Research and Development Unit Summary This unit has brought me a lot to think over in terms of my practice and the direction I want to take it. I’ve struggled a lot more with developing my practice compared to developing my research report, which I did not expect, however the research report has been a major help for me to discover children’s needs in relation of child development through play. My findings from the report have fed into my thoughts process when I’m tackling idea possibilities for my practice. The publish event was also a defining point in this unit, mainly because it was the only practice I did other than research, but I got to feel what it’s like to work collaboratively again since BA2b, and I’m coming to realise how important it is towards my approach in creating in my practice. With writing the research report, it was very useful to have the reader group seminars because it allowed me to organise the steps leading up to submission. I find it easier explaining my ideas verbally and within a discussion, rather than through writing, because by saying it aloud, I can coherently explain my ideas. The initial ‘Share’ presentation task allowed me to do this and share my ideas for the first time in the unit after researching over the summer. As I had to address my ideas to others on the course, it forced me to collate my ideas for the first time which I discovered as a good first step into how to go about the report’s style and structure. The draft session was also a good opportunity to write down the initial 2,000 words of the report. If I didn’t have these sessions to motivate me, I feel that I would have left the draft even longer to make a start on. Having that 2,000-word draft gave me good taste of what the report would become, and I’m glad I had these sessions to organise my time without leaving the report to a last minute worry. I can’t appreciate these session’s timing across the unit more than I possibly do and I want to take this careful planning for specific writings and projects into the future with me. Gathering research for my practice has caused me a lot of strain on my mind as to how I want to take my career further. I’ve been sceptical the majority of the unit of how can I create work. I had come to university with the prospects of becoming a visual development artist, however after my extensive research, I’ve become more interested in getting interactive and engaging with public, primarily children aged between 5 and 7. The more I’ve researched for my practice, the more I get excited about the possibilities of becoming a designer for playgrounds/play spaces. Two pieces of research that I have a strong feeling for are the Reggio Emilia approach to child development and The Playground Project (2016) book. The two combine my love for how an environment can be interactive, fun and a learning tool for children and I believe that I will refer to them for a long time in the future. Being doubtful on my practice has hindered my progress, because I hadn’t made a specific decision on a context as to why I want to create a space for children and in what cause to do so. I still feel to date that I haven’t made this specific decision. I’ve spent the last part of the unit worried about the lack of producing creative work, in relevance to my individual project, because of this daunting decision of choosing a specific context. In order for me to continue my progress into BA3b, I really do need to select a context immediately, otherwise I will continue to struggle as I already have. As I struggled with a context for my practice, I do consider that the research I had done played an important role in the project task ‘Publish’. I got the opportunity to work in a collaboration again towards an interactive event. When I felt that I wasn’t contributing enough of my time towards the task, I took my own initiative to experiment with my skills to produce designs for the display. Despite feeling that the designs of a poster and a 3D set-up weren’t that useful towards the event itself, they played a significant role in improving my digital skills that I wanted to experiment with based upon my practice research if I were to take the responsibility of a play space designer. Working in a collaborative setting has now started to become an easily approachable task for me, because of doing many beforehand in second year has taught me what to expect. It also feels that way because I technically had been in collaboration with these people throughout the term, exchanging each other’s ideas for critique and improvement upon our research. The event being spread over the two days was very useful as well as a tool for a practice run. By evaluating Thursday’s event, we were able to produce a more fun and engaging experience the following day for the participants based on the different reactions I saw throughout the experience. Overall this unit has taught me where my passion lies within the creative industry, and I believe that is designing space for children to inhabit for their heart’s desire to explore and discover new possibilities. When I’m contemplating how to make possible work, I’m considering the effects and benefits it may have on the children, in order to ensure I’ll be creating work that’s effective. What I’ve learnt though from my experience with the publish event is it may need a trial run in order to evaluate what’s working and what isn’t. My next steps from BA3a I believe are to distinguish my context, and to develop skills required for the playground design industry. Report ResearchSecret life of 4 year olds original
Observation of 4 year olds interaction within a new social group dealing with rejection, team work and building friendships. Revealing their personalities of being a dominant (or not) member of the group and how that affects how they deal within certain play and tasks. Secret life of 4 year olds episode 1
Beginning to develop an understanding of their peers by attempting to use their peers perspectives on matters. Secret life of 4 year olds episode 2
Seeing how rapidly relationships between each other and emotions change throughout the days/week. Learning to use empathy and ways to convey their emotions to each other. The Secret Life of 5 Year Olds Episode 1
Similar behaviour as 4 year olds, yet are socially quicker due to attending school in an environment of interaction with others. The Secret Life of 5 Year Olds Episode 2
Development of Theory of Mind and their reactions to dealing with how they represent their identity and how others may interpret it. Role playing as adults, learning how would they play out if they were an adult. Enforced socialising boosting confidence of a child who was very introverted. Secret Life of 6 Year Olds Episode 1 -working out themselves by comparing to other people -curiosity of how they’re different from peers -awareness of personal identity -problem solving who’s the leader via strength competitions -then voting ‘democracy’ -Kash refuses to wear clothes he appropriates for girls – eventually joins in with make-up after seeing the fun -girls wear all sorts of clothes -stereotypes of genders, women do cleaning, boys cant wear dresses etc -learning about each others pets and heritage and how others view them based on these statements -winning proves important to them -when Beatrice becomes sad, shes comforted by a friend, but learns she can try and win next time. -eloisa wants to kiss all the boys on the lips – they all become grossed out – girls are disgusting -turn it into a game via kiss chase -eloisa asking kash for marriage – thinking about future of being married – she watches many weddings at the church – influence -topic of opinion on boy and boy marriage and babies in the future. -kash ends marriage after becoming embarrassed. -elvin aware of the trouble and starts problem solving to avoid being in trouble with the teacher – the group helps -elvin worried about disappointment – believes in truth -kash wants to take the punishment for his actions and not blame the others -roleplaying hospital, brain surgery -exploring adult concepts such as love Vast understanding of their personal identity compared to others. Understanding of gender stereotype roles in the world. Their personal influences has an impact on which types of play / roleplay they intend to join in. Voluntary team work to help a peer, problem solving an issue. Secret Life of 6 Year Olds Episode 2 -kush identifies himself king of the gang -painting each others families -parents spend too much time on their phones- punishment via not drawing her arms -interested in adult themes – such as celeb gossip -enacting a sky news tv -inventing story news – such as terrorist type events -tempted by cake given to Eloisa from Beatrice – Beatrice being protective over it -leila breaks temptation when Beatrice is out of the way -creates a girl club, about exclusivity, special if a member of the club, girl exclusive -beatrice becomes close with elouisa and she begins to start defecting from her rules and describes elouisa as a bit crazy -elvin is happy for Beatrice to have more friends -beatrice receives the winning prize of chocolate coins, and shares them with her friends -elvin becomes upset when he hears he is no longer best friends with Beatrice from Beatrice -abandons girl club to include poppy more with what she wants to play -after upsetting Beatrice, Elvin apologises and they begin playing with each other to repair their relationship Become more interested in adult themes and issues they see around them at home eg, TV news. Wanting the need of acceptance eg, exclusivity of a club or highest rank of friendship. I'm hoping to gain an insight into my target audience of young children around these ages to understand how do they behave. Watching this documentary series, I've gained a further understanding how certain children would react in certain situations and why they may occur. I've also seen how some children are developed further than other children at their age. It was a good outlook to understand which age group would be best to target as an audience. 4 year olds are still understanding how to socialise whereas the 6 year olds, who have now harnessed that skill, are beginning to take it further and use play as a route to understanding adulthood.
Report ResearchSeverance, A.D. (1919) ‘Play in education’, The Lotus Magazine, 10(3), pp. 116–117. doi: 20544087. "...motivate their own work, originating their own projects, or working out those given them." In context of learning discipline "But playing in friendship with a group of children subject to the laws of justice and kindness is perhaps discipline enough at this stage." "Play furnishes an adequate motive for the practice that brings its own discipline" Tools for playing "There are blocks to build railroads and houses, horses and carts that they may harness exactly as the horses in the street are harnessed, drawing materials that they can use for free expression of whatever stored-up impressions are in their minds, clay to be moulded into the shape of whatever they wish, a bench and tools to make toys. They assist the cooking teacher, help her market, collect the luncheon money, and keep the books. They play store, and thereby learn the fundamental arithmetic processes before they handle large numbers." "The entire play movement seems significant of a growing wisdom of life, the signs of which, as Montaigne has said, are joy, gladness and unconstrained rejoicing." How children learn through play (no date) Available at: http://www.familylives.org.uk/advice/toddler-preschool/learning-play/how-children-learn-through-play/ (Accessed: 24 June 2016). "How do young children learn? Children learn through all their senses by: Tasting, touching, seeing, hearing and smelling. Watching and copying people close to them they learn language and behaviour. Playing." "Anyone who spends any amount of time with pre-school children understands that providing them with opportunities for play provides so much more than a few minutes or hours of ‘fun’. Play also allows children to relax, let off steam, develop social skills such as concentration and co-operation, encourages the development of the imagination, develops motor skills and teaches self expression." Note To Self: Very helpful website detailing the importance of play in child development. Too much relative information to note without losing context. Look at all information on the webpage linked. Aitkenhead, D. (2007) Why We Need to Set Our Kids Free. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2007/nov/03/familyandrelationships.family5 (Accessed: 21 April 2016). "...overlooking our children's ability to learn responsibility for themselves." "How do they find their way through difficult situations? Only by self-directed learning. Yes, it can be difficult and upsetting, and children are going to make mistakes. But I think they need to be given enough rope." Cocozza, P. (2014) Are iPads and tablets bad for young children? Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jan/08/are-tablet-computers-bad-young-children (Accessed: 28 May 2016). "...are these devices harmful to their development? Or do they encourage 'technological intelligence'?" "It is the future, and it enhances their learning massively. It has never replaced any more traditional teaching methods we use. It is another toy in the box." "It is the perfect fusion of hi-tech and outdoors, digital and concrete." "Fleet thinks that to deny children access to tablets is to 'risk having one section of society that is growing up with skills and one section that is growing up without. You might think that it doesn't matter because they will develop those skills later. But its not the same. They won't identify with it. Its not the part of who they are ... Children have been born into a world where these things exist,' she says, 'like we were born into a world where there were televisions, cars on the street and packaging on food.'" Sullivan, A. (2013) Reading for fun improves children’s brains, study confirms. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2013/sep/16/reading-improves-childrens-brains (Accessed: 28 May 2016). "I would suggest that reading also introduces young people to new ideas." Wheway, R. (2015) Children should be free to play, not prisoners in their homes. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2015/oct/15/children-free-play-not-prisoners-homes (Accessed: 28 May 2016). "For countless generations children have played together just outside their own houses, In this way they learned to organise themselves, take turns, reach compromises and, of course, get daily healthy exercise. The rise and domination of the car has changed this and in most roads children cannot now play outside because of the traffic: the obesity epidemic is the result." "In play, children have to make the rules for themselves, reach agreements and make compromises without any adult intervention." Hinsliff, G. (2016) Education needs a Lego moment – more fun and fewer pointless targets. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/may/06/education-lego-let-our-kids-be-kids-protesters-sats (Accessed: 21 July 2016). "Let Our Kids be Kids protestors" "...that even learning through play is becoming an anxious, grimly regimented process - will resonate nonetheless." "The kids, by all accounts, had a lovely time making dens and pond-dipping and doing all the other charmingly educational things they probably do at weekends already." "For the toy company [Lego] is now actively campaigning for kids to break up their flatpack and invent something new with the pieces." "...creativity sometimes means breaking the rules." "For a start, Nicky Morgan could be crystal clear that proposals for longer school days aren't just about cramming in extra maths but about making school places where kids do sometimes make dens and play sport and draw, of only in after-school clubs." "...by instigating a national day of Learning Through Fun, where schools swap good practice in imaginative teaching." Meng, T.K. (2016) Everyone is born creative, but it is educated out of us at school. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/media-network/2016/may/18/born-creative-educated-out-of-us-school-business (Accessed: 20 June 2016). "Businesses urgently need innovative people," "Creativity is the most powerful competitive advantage a business can have." "... empowering people to use their imagination." "I believe everyone is born creative, but it is educated out of us at school, where we are taught literacy and numeracy." "Young children fizz with ideas. But the moment they go to school, they begin to lose the freedom to explore, take risks and experiment." "When it comes to the right and the left brain, they need to be able to use both." Oksman, O. (2016) Are gendered toys harming childhood development? Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/may/28/toys-kids-girls-boys-childhood-development-gender-research (Accessed: 21 July 2016). "While it may seem like a trivial issue, toys help children to learn new skills and develop intellectually, says Dinella. Dolls and pretend kitchens are good at teaching kids cognitive sequencing of events and early language skills. Building blocks like Lego and puzzles teach spatial skills, which help set the groundwork for learning math principals down the line. 'Both genders lose out if we put kids on one track and they can't explore,' says Dinella." Manzoor, S. (2016) Could Steiner schools have a point on children, tablets and tech? Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/jun/14/steiner-schools-children-tablets-tech (Accessed: 21 July 2016). "The report noted that 'pupils do not use computers or the internet when in school but staff have ensure that they have learned about internet safety." "... so what appealed to me about Steiner was that it stressed that the work of children was play." "... emphasised the importance of understanding how young children naturally learn to lear, and of providing educational experiences which build on their natural interests and curiosity.' explains David Whitbread, director of the Centre for Research on Play in Education, Development and Learning at Cambridge University." (NOTE TO SELF - Research this man) "'The needs of our young people are that when they leave school, they become part of a world that is highly likely to include technology ... we should be doing all we can to help them be prepared for that world, just as we would for the physical world that is around them'" "But when used creatively, 'Technology can engage the children because of their experience of what they are doing at home, where they may be watching television or gaming'." "Asma Al-Deraa has a seven-year-old son at the Iona school and a 10-year-old daughter in mainstream state education. “My daughter is being taught inside the box with lots of testing,” she says. “But with my son – he is more creative and trying to dig for the things that are beyond.” When her daughter returns from school she will reach for the iPad, but her son “is not asking for that or the PlayStation – he just wants to draw and play”." "In Kirsty Thompson’s classroom at the Iona school, the children don’t even have any ready-made toys in the room. They have to use their imagination to make what they want. Here boys and girls are playing together, rather than self-segregating, to make towers from wooden blocks and to play dressing up with cotton and woollen sheets." Barnard, J. (2006) The nesting instinct. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2006/apr/15/familyandrelationships.family3 (Accessed: 28 May 2016). "Building a den is great for encouraging children's imagination and reinforces their sense of self. "New research by academics in the US and Scandinavia is showing both that dens are crucial to children's development" "Kids don't experience a space primarily through visuals. They are interested in what they can do in it. They like bushes. They like hidden corners. As urban planners, for example, we can look at the walk to school, we can look at open spaces in housing blocks and try to make them not only secure, but also challenging." "Sobel, following a successful pilot scheme with Steiner schools, is fighting to get den-building included in the curriculum. He reports that teachers find the dens the children have built themselves prove particularly conducive to meditative activities, such as writing journals. The toy company Mattel has been so struck by the potential of dens to improve creative thinking, that in their US head office they've installed one, complete with a life-sized tree trunk - a place where its (adult) employees are sent to brainstorm." (NOTE TO SELF - Article gives tips on how to create a den) Oldfield, E. (2015) Playtime is crucial for a child’s development – cut it at your peril. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/sep/17/playtime-child-development-learning-cut-at-peril (Accessed: 28 May 2016). "...for me, rushing across the playground at break was the only time my imagination really came alive. It was a moment of freedom, when I could recreate the worlds I had read about in class." "In 2012, a review of more than 40 studies highlighted the relationship between play and creative problem-solving, cooperation and logical thinking. Research by Edward Fisher also found that play can enhance early development by anything from 33% to 67% by increasing adjustment, improving language skills and reducing social and emotional problems. This has positive implications for both educational development and everyday intellectual life." Ward, L. (2016) Children should learn mainly through play until age of eight, says Lego. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/mar/15/children-learn-play-age-eight-lego (Accessed: 21 April 2016). "If parents and governments push children towards numeracy and literacy earlier and earlier, it means they miss out on the early play-based learning that helps to develop creativity, problem-solving and empathy..." "Rasmussen laments that “barriers in systems – school systems, homes, longstanding institutions that run on their own structures and methodologies” make it a “heavy, heavy task” to change things. Here in the UK – with a school starting age some three years earlier than that of our Scandinavian neighbours, “instructional” learning from the outset and external testing of seven-year-olds in literacy and numeracy – the barriers look pretty solid." "Lego identifies five types of play – physical, symbolic, with rules, with objects, and pretence – and points to the variety of skills developed through each. Even tech-driven play – that source of guilt and respite for so many parents – can fit in: not mindless screen-gawping but activities in which children can “engage with the technology”, or what Lego calls “hands-on, minds-on”. Its second definition of play is a playful state of mind in which, Rasmussen says, “you are open and try different things and are in a positive flow”." "A Cambridge University project, funded by the foundation, saw children devise, tell and act out stories with Lego before writing them down, with play shown to boost narrative and writing skills, as well as interaction and cooperation. The Cambridge study centre will now look into how early play relates to other aspects of young children’s development, explore what happens to the brain during play and conduct a longitudinal study examining what promotes children’s playfulness and how it helps learning and wellbeing." This compilation is of articles found relating to my research report. A lot of this involve the topic of schooling and education as it's such an important role in a child's life as they develop. It's good to see an outlook of how different schoolings can affect a child's cognitive and physical skills, as well as seeing personal opinions of they're own children behaviours or their childhood to help gather a further understanding how schooling may affect a childs development for my research report. I gathered up majority of the quotes I feel were most defining in the articles in relevance to my research for later use when writing the report.
Research for BothFantasy Play Boosts Creativity - London Play "This is because, theoretically, playing in make-believe worlds requires imagination to conceive of the world differently to its current reality, which is also necessary to think creatively.” "Dr Bunce said: “The results provide evidence that engaging in play that involves imagining increasingly unrealistic scenarios is associated with thinking more creatively, although at the moment we don’t know the direction of this relationship. It is possible that children who enjoy fantasy play are subsequently more creative, and it’s equally possible that children who are more creative subsequently engage in more fantasy play.” http://www.londonplay.org.uk/blog_entry/3518/news/latest_play_news/latest_play_news/fantasy_play_boosts_creativity Encouraging Children to Play Imaginatively and Creatively. "Imaginary play happens when children use their imaginations to create pretend and make-believe scenarios. Children can engage in this type of play using small toy figures, puppets, dolls, or stuffed animals for example. Or children can act out a particular role themselves and become a part of a play drama. Often, dressing up and using props will be part of this kind of imaginary play." "Arts and crafts, and construction/building play are ways for children to express their creativity, encourages focus and concentration, and develops fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination. It also allows children to feel proud of themselves and gain a sense of mastery after they have created something." http://www.kathyeugster.com/articles/article007.htm A couple of articles to help understand the role of imagination in Play during child development. How can I create an encouraging, imaginative space for children to inhabit that meets the development of skills in the criterias mentioned above?
Report ResearchPlease click image for larger view. This was my first seminar with my Reader Group and an introduction of my research so far to a new audience. We discovered at the end of the presentations that we had a connection of social engagement throughout our work.
It was clear based on feedback of my presentation that I was interested in Interaction Design and Design for Need, which I agree is a key element for my practice. Report ResearchThe Importance of Imagination, Creativity and Play in Child Development I’m investigating the importance of imagination, creativity and play in child development. I believe that I shall write my report as an industry report to learn what is actively being done for child development currently. My reasoning for this subject is because I want to understand what children need to develop within our world as they are my preferred target audience. Imagination Children are still learning and adapting to the world around them using their curious minds, meaning that children are still experimenting with the boundaries of possibilities and impossibilities. The use of their imaginative minds encourages their creativity further and therefore improves creative thinking and problem solving. "In Kirsty Thompson’s classroom at the Iona school, the children don’t even have any ready-made toys in the room. They have to use their imagination to make what they want. Here boys and girls are playing together, rather than self-segregating, to make towers from wooden blocks and to play dressing up with cotton and woollen sheets." Manzoor (2016) Creativity The use of creativity allows children to use their freedom of exploring, experimenting and taking risks into becoming innovative and learn to toggle between possibilities and reality. Creativity allows them to develop their ideas, that they’ve established through their imagination, for external use to share with others, either visually or through play. “Creative people have new ideas, but this doesn’t make them revolutionaries. It means they are using their adaptive human intelligence. Seeing new ways of doing things is part of intelligent behaviour. It is central to creativity. Creativity is a high-level aspect of thinking because it shows depth of:
Play Learning through play is hands-on approach to discover about their surroundings and experiment with its potential. It allows the child to use their creative and imaginative minds in the circumstances that they’re needed. Play also contributes to the social aspect in child development, learning how to socialise and interact, as well as empathy. "In 2012, a review of more than 40 studies highlighted the relationship between play and creative problem-solving, cooperation and logical thinking. Research by Edward Fisher also found that play can enhance early development by anything from 33% to 67% by increasing adjustment, improving language skills and reducing social and emotional problems. This has positive implications for both educational development and everyday intellectual life." Oldfield (2015) I want to conclude with how important imagination and creativity can lead to effective-learning play which then feeds back into ideas about the world as they develop throughout their childhood. Ackerman, D. (2000) Deep play. New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Barnard, J. (2006) The nesting instinct. The Guardian. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2006/apr/15/familyandrelationships.family3 (Accessed: 28 May 2016). Bruce, T. (2011) Cultivating creativity: For babies, toddlers and young children. 2nd edn. London: Oxford University Press. Hinsliff, G. (2016) Education needs a Lego moment – more fun and fewer pointless targets. The Guardian. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/may/06/education-lego-let-our-kids-be-kids-protesters-sats> (Accessed: 21 July 2016). How children learn through play (no date) Available at: <http://www.familylives.org.uk/advice/toddler-preschool/learning-play/how-children-learn-through-play/> (Accessed: 24 June 2016). Huizinga, J. (2016) Homo Ludens: A study of the play-element in culture. United States: Angelico Press. Manzoor, S. (2016) Could Steiner schools have a point on children, tablets and tech? The Guardian. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/jun/14/steiner-schools-children-tablets-tech> (Accessed: 21 July 2016). Meng, T.K. (2016) Everyone is born creative, but it is educated out of us at school. The Guardian. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/media-network/2016/may/18/born-creative-educated-out-of-us-school-business> (Accessed: 20 June 2016). Oldfield, E. (2015) Playtime is crucial for a child’s development – cut it at your peril. The Guardian. Available at: <http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/sep/17/playtime-child-development-learning-cut-at-peril> (Accessed: 28 May 2016). Robertson, S. (2013) How thinking like a child can impact innovation. Available at: <http://www.ideastogo.com/the-science-of-imagination> (Accessed: 21 April 2016). Severance, A.D. (1919) ‘Play in education’, The Lotus Magazine, 10(3), pp. 116–117. doi: 20544087. The Secret Life of 4,5,6 Year Old. 1-7 (2015) Channel 4. [Online] Available at: <http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-secret-life-of-4-5-and-6-year-olds> (Accessed: 3 April 2016) Ward, L. (2016) Children should learn mainly through play until age of eight, says Lego. The Guardian. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/mar/15/children-learn-play-age-eight-lego (Accessed: 21 April 2016). Creating this presentation gave me a clear view on how I need to structure my report. It's my first attempt at using quotes from my readings of how to use them to structure and write my report. It became clear that I'll need to focus on imagination, creativity and play and how all these three work together to help a child develop.
Feedback from the session crucially highlighted that I was talking about imagination and creativity through the lens of play in child development, and that this is the angle i should take my report further. Report ResearchPage 1 "It is a significant function - that is to say, there is some sense to it. In play there is something 'at play' which transcends the immediate needs of life and imparts meaning to the action. All play means something." Page 4 "We find play present everywhere as a well-defined quality of action which is different from 'ordinary' life." "If we find that play is based on the manipulation of certain images, on a certain 'imagination' of reality, then our main concern will be to grasp the value and significance of these images and their 'imagination'." Page 7 "First and foremost, then, all play is a voluntary activity." "It may be objected that this freedom does not exist for the animal and the child; they must play because their instinct drives them to it and because it serves to develop their bodily faculties and their powers of selection." Page 8 "Child and animal play because they enjoy playing and therein precisely lies their freedom." "...first main characteristic of play; that it is free, is in fact freedom." "...play is not 'ordinary' or 'real' life." "Every child knows perfectly well that he is 'only pretending', or that it was 'only for fun'." "This 'only pretending' quality of play betrays a consciousness of the inferiority of play compared with 'seriousness'." Page 9 "Play begins and then at a certain moment it is 'over'. It plays itself to an end." Page 10 "All the temporary worlds within the ordinary world, dedicated to the performance of an act apart." "Play casts a spell over us; it is 'enchanting', 'captivating'." Page 11 "...- all want to achieve something difficult, to succeed, to end a tension. Play is 'tense', as we say." (spoilsport who leaves/ruins rules of play) "He robs play of it's illusion - a pregnant word which literally means 'in-play' (from inlusio, illudere or inludere)." Page 12 "Even in early childhood the charm of play is enhanced by making a 'secret' out of it." "This temporary abolition of the ordinary world is fully acknowledged in child-life." Page 13 " The 'differentness' and secrecy of play are most vividly expressed in 'dressing up'." "We know, however, that in child-life performances of this kind are full of imagination. The child is making an image of something different, something more beautiful, or more sublime, or more dangerous than what he usually is." Page 14 "... with delight, transported beyond himself to such an extent that he almost believes he actually is such and such a thing, without, however wholly losing consciousness of 'ordinary reality'." Page 16 "The term 'instinct', he says, is 'a makeshift, an admission of helplessness before the problem of reality'." Page 17 "Child-play possesses the platform in its veriest essence, and most purely." Page 18 "The child plays in complete - we can well say, in sacred - earnest. But it plays and knows that it plays." Page 19 "We found that one of the most important characteristics of play was it's spacial separation from ordinary life." The first section of Homo Ludens gave myself an in depth look into how play creates a seperation between fiction and reality. I've managed to pull out quotes that I find relevant to my report topic, especially the quote from page 13 about imagination. This quote will most definitely be useful to writing my report chapter about imagination through play in child development.
Research for Both2006 Structure Mrs Tinik had idea of using inside of carpet. The Class upholsted the structure ourselves. We decided on choice of keywords to use such as: Community. Used paints and permament pens to cover the walls. Mrs Tinik gave direction but found it was important as Year6 Children that we were given full control of the project including of mantling and designing. Used as a picnic space. Miss Pritchard and Mrs Antoniou– Reception Focus on Communication and Language Children are allowed to be expressive and innovative. Telling of their stories – Feeds into how they write Talking and Acting – Using signs and symbols (visual and kinesthetic) to understand words. Act out before writing a story. Learning the Patterns of Stories. Role play areas to invoke different play scenarios. Small World – Area to create their own worlds, in control of the story. Model play, Construction Area – Scenarios started of as builders but developed into an obstacle course. – Shows adaption of one environment into another. Weekly Themes – T for literacy and 6 for numeracy. Classroom split into maths area and literacy area. Use of objects, shapes, colour and tactile learning throughout the week to repetitively embed the understanding. Given a range of activities in each area to choose from and take the initiative to move onto the next activity – independence. Still having to learn their gross motor skills before refining detailed motor skills such as fingers. Children who attend the school are from deprived areas, leaving their development behind the average. After starting school, they begin to develop quickly with those on average. Social aspect of school peers helps encourage development. As both my target audience and child development progression are in Schools, I felt it was really important that I visit a primary school and ask some questions.
I wanted to visit my primary school due to a past project when I was in Year 6. The whole school, took part in this project where each class had to work together to build an outdoor "structure". I couldn't remember much of the process of our class's reasonings for the structure. What intrigued me to remember about this project was because it involved the class working together like a community, and that we, the children, took control of the design and construction. Whilst at the school I had the opportunity to speak with other teachers who taught the reception year. I hadn't even thought about how much consideration goes into teaching plans with skills for child development. It was good to be aware about the importance of gross and fine motor skills, as important as it is to learn and broaden the mind, being able to do things physically is just as important! I really found the compositioning of certain areas interesting as well. A lot of the outdoor play was cheap simple items that got children playing. Inside was clearly labelled for simplication for the class tasks as well. The seperation of areas of learning was good to see because it was about giving children clarity about what the spaces can be used for in retrospect. As important as it was to see the classrooms layout, I'd love to be able to see how the children use and behave within the space. Hopefully I'll be able to return during school hours and be able to witness child development happening in the classrooms. Report ResearchPage 4 "Play is widespread among animals because it invites problem-solving, allowing a creature to test its limits and develop strategies." "It can be a dress rehearsal for adult life,..." Page 7 "Make-believe is at the heart of play, and also at the heart of much of what passes for work. Let's make-believe we can shoot a rocket to the moon." Plega in Anglo-Saxon was Play. Plegan in Indo-European meant to risk, chance, expose oneself to hazard. Page 11 "Play is an activity enjoyed for it's own sake." Page 13 "Creativity, psychotherapy, sensation-seeking - all are ideal playgrounds for deep play." Page 14 "It [deep play] contains uncertainty, illusion, an element of make-believe or fantasy, and allows one to take risks, or explore new roles." Page 17 "The spirit of deep play is central to the life of each person, and also to society, inspiring the visual, musical and verbal arts; exploration and discovery; war; law; and other elements of culture we've come to cherish (or dread)." Page 19 "Intense creativity is one form of deep play, whose origins psychologist Phyllis Greenacre helps illuminate. After years of clinical study of children, she concluded that often those destined to become artists were children who didn't have a reliable relationship with their caretakers. Instead, they developed (or made do with) 'a love affair with the world'." Page 24 "What is the difference between simple play and deep play? Simple play can take many forms and have many purposes, but it only goes so far. When it starts focusing one's life and offering ecstatic movements, it becomes deep play." "... in deep play's altered mental state one most often find clarity, revelation, acceptance of self and other life-affirming feelings." Page 38 "The spirit of deep play is spontaneity, discovery and being open to new challenges." Chapter 6 Quote "The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the object it loves." -Carl Jung Page 133 "According to Freud, a lot of play is projection, in which bad motives and feelings may be attributed to others, conflicts may be reenacted in order to master them, and fantasies and wishes may be fulfilled." "Art and play have as their hallmark freedom of choice, and that includes choosing new ways to use familiar materials and ideas." Chapter 7 Quote "We are communal histories, communal books. We are not owned or monogamous in our taste or experience." Michael Ondaatje - The English Patient p.261 Page 147 "Some primitive rituals - whose purpose is to fuse friends, relatives, or communities through deep play - continue to feel deeply satisfying..." Page 170 "As many artists have found, nature is an ideal place for creative play." Final Page Quote "Life is the game that must be played..." - Edwin Arlington Robinson "Ballade by the Fire" Deep Play gave me a good insight to how play is used throughout life and is cultivated through creativity. I gathered a rough conclusion that play is integral to the individual exploring their identity and the way that society works. It's useful for my report because many of the quotes back up my beliefs that creativity has upon a child in their development.
Research for BothGabriela Burkhalter Page 13 "Carl Theodor Sorensen's Skramellegeplads ("Junk Playground") in Emdrup Denmark in 1946. I had similar moments of unbelievable astonishment as I learned more and more about the history of playgrounds. What at first seemed like an insignificant niche turned out to be a realm of public experimentation, a cause of conflict between innovative and established perspectives, and something for both adults and children to project their desires onto - in short, playgrounds are sites of subversive potential." Page 14 "They were meant to promote public health, to prevent criminality, and to supervise children and protect them from the dangers of the city." Page 20 "Unlike the playground of the social reformers, the focus was now on free play as one of children's fundamental needs." Page 21 "In the Skrammellegeplads as he first realised it in Endrup in 1943, Sorensen made even more room for the creative moment: the children were given materials and tools to build their own worlds." "In New York at the beginning of the 1930s, the Japanese-American artist Isamu Noguchi was the first to design landscapes for play. Doing completely without playground equipment, his designs focused on sand, water and landscaping." Page 29 "The architect and artist Riccardo Dalisi was an exponent of "radical design" or anti-design, which replaced functionality and established taste with creativity." "Dalisi was actually less interested in play than in encourage children to find their own language. He and his students always took models and materials along and invited children to be inspired by them to build things, to realise their own ideas, and to respond to the space that refused them by occupying it." Page 33 "Recently, architects have also begun to rediscover the playground as a space of creative freedom. In 2014, the English architectural collective Assemble build the Baltic Adventure Playground in Glasgow." "In response to the chaos, we wanted to create a space that children could take control of - somewhere they could do things for themselves." - Assemble. Page 35 "In time of change and crisis, the most important element is the people themselves. Therefore I believe that all cultural activities should be designed to encourage the personal initiative and sense of responsibility in each individual, thereby creating and inspiring a sense of personal dignity, self respect, and community spirit. All cultural activities should, I believe, be dependant on participation and involvement by the inhabitants in their specific localised environment." Robert Rauschenberg, 1968. Page 57 "Adventure playgrounds are places where children of all ages can develop their own ideas of play." "It is my opinion that children ought to be free and by themselves to the greatest possible extent." Marjory Allen, 1969. As a lot of my practice research has been about playgrounds, I found it necessary that I include playground concepts within my research report because it's a place that does exhibit children's development via play. It's possible to see children independantly use and learn more about their social identity, and the physicality of the world, through their developing skills.
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