Play's Place in Public Education for Young Children

Book excerpt: The first part of this two-part book on play in public education, contains chapters authored by 23 educators, most of whom had been colleagues or students of Professor Margaret B. McFarland to whose memory the book is dedicated, addresses the need to integrate child development research with classroom practice in order to provide developmentally appropriate play and learning opportunities. Topics addressed in this section include: the importance of play in child development; the role of children's play for three age groups; and the role of play in a second grade classroom. The second section examines the early childhood curriculum and the use of play as a vehicle of children's learning. Chapters in this section address: (1) the efficacy of activity-based learning in mathematics, multicultural education, and literature; (2) a checklist procedure for determining the capacity of students in a primary class to use play in the learning process; (3) intervention techniques that help young children adjust to school; (4) a play intervention case study; and (5) the broad implications of play in public education and in early childhood teacher education programs. Most chapters in the book contain a list of references relevant to the topic discussed. A 16- item bibliography of resources relating to play in public education is provided, and a brief description of the professional affiliations of the contributors is appended. (BC)