Play and Literacy in Children's Worlds.

McKenzie, Barbra

Play and Literacy in Children's Worlds Bronwyn Beecher and Leonie Arthur Primary English Teaching Association, Newtown, Australia. 2001, 111 pages, $20.00 PETA members, $27.00 non-members `Play provides a supportive environment in which children are able to purposefully integrate literacy and try out their understandings' (Beecher & Arthur, 2001, p. 7)

These are the beliefs that Beecher and Arthur so ably support in the text Play and Literacy in Children's Worlds. The reader is invited to enter the world of children, literacy and play and discover or perhaps re-discover how play and literacy can support each other. This text provides both Early Childhood and Primary educators with an opportunity to extend their knowledge of both literacy and play.

As the following six chapters are developed the reader is led from an understanding of the theory-base that supports the value of play in the lives of children and onto an exploration of the benefits of establishing open communication with families. The unique perspectives of a range of educators with respect to the value of literacy-enriched play are discussed. Finally both the early childhood and primary settings are explored and the perspectives of parents and educators in these settings discussed.

Chapter 1: `How children learn to be literate' Here the more contemporary viewpoint of literacy is explored with its focus more on what children will require to function in the twenty-first century are the tools to support processes such as critical thinking, meaning-making and creativity. (p. 9)

This chapter highlights the view of literacy as social practice, inextricably woven into the fabric of daily life, it also discusses the power and influence of community based texts and their use and value in a range of culturally specific situations. A range of traditional views on how children learn to be literate is also explored. Here Beecher and Arthur draw together the range of literacy theories upon which their book is based.

Chapter 2: `Literacy learning through play' provides an interesting, brief and easy to read background of both the formative and contemporary views of play.

The authors explore the qualities of play and how it assists learning. They also discuss curriculum, assessment and accountability, issues pertinent in both early childhood and primary settings.

Chapter 3: `Exploring literacy with families' discusses a range of important issues that impact on families, communities and schools. Here ways to create active home-school partnerships across a range of contemporary Australian communities are explored. A number of possible ways to share literacy experiences that involve a range of stakeholders are a highlight of this chapter.

Chapter 4: `The role of the educator in literacy-enriched play' provides access to a range of possible documentary systems to assist the educator to link play in real life contexts with a range of literacy experiences. A variety of practical examples are provided to demonstrated how this may be achieved, using a range of resources. There is no recipe for a play-based literacy program. Each educator needs to develop an approach and practices that are context specific. (p. 72)

Beecher and Arthur present the types of teaching strategies that involve educators in children's literacy-related play on a continuum, discuss these briefly and link them with the appropriate research base. Also discussed are the ways in which educators can organise learning environments to more actively support interaction, learning and sustained play. Environmental factors such as space, time, resources and grouping are also explored.

Chapter 5: `Play and literacy in birth-to-five settings' presents the authors' observations and staff and parent interviews. These provide a comprehensive snapshot of home and community contexts where parents discuss the diverse types of literacy experiences that have impacted on their children's learning.

Early childhood educators, too, discuss their views of literacy and learning and discuss the ways in which they integrate the literacy ex+periences of children both in planned and spontaneous ways. These interviews provide an insight into perceptions of the role educator's play in the literacy development of the children in their care. A range of issues are raised that include parental expectations, resources and safety. This chapter concludes with a range of examples of the ways in which various early childhood settings have provided experiences that enrich literacy learning through play.

Chapter 6: `Play and literacy in school settings'. This chapter contains parent interviews, which continue to support views that literacy learning at home and in the community is diverse, and includes many elements of popular culture. It explores how educators use their knowledge of children's home contexts to design appropriate literacy experiences that utilise elements of popular culture and technology. Here educators articulate their learning philosophies, link this to practice, discuss their views on how children learn literacy and how this may be integrated in a variety of ways. Educators also identified a range of issues that impact upon the creation of a play-enriched literacy environment. These include programming issues such as creating blocks of time and working towards the integration of experiences. Issues of conflict between colleagues in implementing literacy-related play and the `messier' style that this requires are also discussed. Assessment, time constraints and planning issues were all identified and discussed by educators. This chapter concludes with concrete ways in which primary teachers can organise play-enriched literacy experiences for children. Grouping, time, space and resources are discussed and a sample weekly program is included. A range of play-literacy experiences that have been observed in various schools are identified

This book provides both early childhood and primary educators with a rich theory base, a series of interesting classroom observations, interviews with parents and educators and practical, do-able classroom specific activities that will promote play-based literacy learning in children across a range of settings.

The book is organised in such a way that the reader can explore single chapters of specific interest, or read it from cover to cover. The language is reader-friendly and although written from an Australian perspective provides a valuable insight into the ways in which literacy development can be promoted through play.

A timely book, ably discussing the value of play as a medium for literacy learning. A `hands-on' resource that advocates the use of a wide range of community-based texts to extend children's' home-based literacy development into the classroom.

Barbra McKenzie, Faculty of Education, University of Wollongong