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Building collaborative competencies through play with outdoor loose parts materials in primary school
Mackley, Honor Edwards, Susan McLean, Karen Cinelli, Renata
Mackley, Honor
Edwards, Susan
McLean, Karen
Cinelli, Renata
Abstract
This paper reports on the findings from a study investigating the provision of outdoor loose parts materials for upper primary school aged children. Conducted in Queensland, Australia, the study focused on loose parts materials as cultural tools, following the sociocultural argument that tools mediate activity and outcomes. The findings suggest that loose parts materials are used by children in the formation of sociodramatic play, including episodes of trading, bartering and advertising that support their shared understandings. Shared understandings precede collaborative competencies, including engagements with others, working towards and achieving common goals. With collaboration recognised as an important learning disposition for children in twenty-first-century societies, the findings suggest loose parts materials may be pedagogically appropriate for supporting these competencies in primary school settings.
Keywords
loose parts materials, play, collaboration, primary school
Date
2022
Type
Journal article
Journal
Cambridge Journal of Education
Book
Volume
52
Issue
4
Page Range
431-451
Article Number
ACU Department
Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education (ILSTE)
Faculty of Education and Arts
School of Education
Faculty of Education and Arts
School of Education
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Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
All rights reserved
File Access
Controlled