Serious Players in the Primary Classroom: Empowering Children Through Active Learning Experiences

I've been a kindergarten teacher for thirteen years. I pride myself on teaching with research-based methods which, above all, honor the developmental levels of children and their amazing ability to construct knowledge through play. I believe a teacher's job is to facilitate this natural learning through carefully structured, inviting exploratory play experiences. This book was one of the most influential when I was studying to be a teacher...in fact, I still refer to it occasionally and lend it to new teachers. It is based on the idea that all people need personal empowerment, and that with it, conflicts and the need to control others diminish (children and adults alike). It also suggests that the creative force minimizes the destructive one, and offers many practical ways, across the curriculum and including classroom management, to teach with these concepts in mind. It deals with concerns such as, "Won't it be too noisy?" and "How will I cover the curriculum?" It utilizes the research of Dewey and Piaget and for each activity, lists Concepts, Learning Goals, Thinking Operations and Materials. There are suggestions for helping children to reflect on their observations and for challenging their thinking. We are encouraged to remember that children who cultivate the art of play are likely to develop self-initiating behaviors, capacity for risk-taking, and inventiveness which will serve them all their lives. A teacher is more than someone who follows a lesson plan. Learn the art of teaching with this fabulous book!

Now in an revised, updated, and expanded second edition, Serious Players In The Primary Classroom: Empowering Children Through Active Learning Experiences offers insight into the Selma Wassermann (Professor Emerita in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada) ideas for instructional approach: "Play-Debrief-Replay". This is a method for structuring curriculum experiences so as to promote children's active learning in cooperative groups and fostering independent thinking. A theoretical framework for implementing teaching for thinking in primary classrooms is provided, along with updated references and a new chapter on moral dilemmas. Serious Players In The Primary Classroom is an impressive, "user friendly" contribution to primary classroom curriculum development and teaching strategies.