Master Players

by Reynolds, Gretchen; Jones, Elizabeth

• ISBN13: 9780807735817
• ISBN10: 0807735817
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1996-11-01
• Publisher: Teachers College Pr

Summary

Developed as a companion volume to the very successful The Play's the Thing, this book defines and analyzes the concept of master player based on videotaped observations of preschool children at play. By interweaving sequences of play together with their dialogue about them, the authors model how teachers can work as a team to develop their understanding of a particular child and of the value of children's quality play and how they can support it. The in-depth discussion between the authors reveals the multi-faceted nature of play, individual differences in both teachers' and children's styles, and the complexity of intervention decisions made by teachers.

Table of Contents

Foreword	vii
Edgar Klugman
The Concept of the ``Master Player''	1	(12)
Play as Representation	3	(3)
Play, Games, and Exploration	6	(4)
Supporting Children's Mastery of Play	10	(3)
Play Watching	13	(8)
Observing Children at Play	14	(1)
Coding Child Behavior	15	(2)
Using the Code	17	(2)
Learning Through Dialogue	19	(2)
Tommy: Seeking Power in Play	21	(12)
Trappers	21	(2)
Zappers	23	(4)
Ticklers	27	(3)
A Different Kind of Trap	30	(3)
Dennis: Territoriality	33	(11)
Seeking Privacy	34	(3)
Including Others	37	(4)
Planning as Play	41	(3)
Sharon: Manageable Small Worlds	44	(12)
Creating Pleasing Patterns	44	(3)
Practicing Reciprocity	47	(2)
Taking Multiple Roles	49	(4)
Securing a Play Space	53	(3)
Luanda: Affiliation and Friendship	56	(10)
Watch This Sleeping Baby	57	(2)
A Women for Baby	59	(4)
The House Needs Fixing	63	(3)
Analyzing Master Play	66	(12)
Play and Cognitive Development	66	(3)
Play and Creativity	69	(1)
Mutuality in Social Interaction	70	(3)
Dialogue	73	(2)
Who Supports Play?	75	(3)
Becoming a Play Watcher	78	(7)
Teachers as Theory Builders	79	(1)
Intentionality	79	(1)
How Can I Watch Play? I'm Too Busy Teaching	80	(1)
What Shall I Look for?	81	(4)
Becoming a Master Teacher	85	(8)
To Intervene or Not to Intervene?	86	(1)
Intervention Strategies	87	(2)
Intervening to Change Play	89	(4)
Analyzing the Integrative Behavior of Master Teachers	93	(14)
Coding Teacher Integrative Behavior	93	(5)
Using the Code	98	(4)
Power with, Power for, Power on	102	(1)
The Politics of Observation	103	(2)
Stages of Teacher Development	105	(2)
Appendix: Teaching the Art of Observation	107	(6)
Elizabeth Prescott
References	113	(6)
Index	119	(4)
About the Authors	123