The heart and voice of a playful early childhood teacher

A qualitative case study that revealed the heart and voice of a playful early childhood teacher was completed. The purpose of this study was to understand how one Title I teacher implemented a play-based curriculum with young children with special needs. Special needs included low socioeconomic status or developmental delay. Data collection included observation, interview, and document review. Qualitative analysis was utilized to identify consistent themes from the data.

The classroom environment was child directed and included traditional learning centers as well as a sociodramatic center that was frequently changed. The play-based curriculum was primarily guided by theories of Piaget and Vygotsky. The teacher integrated several traditional principles into her constructivist practice.

The teacher viewed children as capable, and she respected their desire to learn. The teacher listened to the children and then scaffolded their learning. She took on a parental role with the children. The teacher’s playfulness, perfectionism, autonomous learning style, and spirituality were applied to her practice. She struggled to find her voice and to receive validation. The three identified themes were interrelated. These themes combined to form an almost seamless practice that this teacher demonstrated within the boundaries of Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) for early childhood programs.