Examining Rhetorics of Play in Curricula in Five Provinces: Is Play at Risk in Canadian Kindergartens?

Authors

  • Shelley Stagg Peterson OISE/University of Toronto
  • Jim Anderson University of British Columbia
  • Maureen Kendrick University of British Columbia
  • Marianne McTavish University of British Columbia
  • Kathy Budd Peace River School Division
  • Debra Mayer Manitoba Ministry of Education
  • Laureen J McIntyre University of Saskatchewan
  • Burcu Yaman Ntelioglou Brandon University
  • Dianne Riehl Toronto District School Board

Abstract

In this article, school division and Ministry of Education–based early childhood consultants and university researchers respond to the question of whether play is at risk in kindergartens in five Canadian provinces by analyzing current and previous kindergarten curricula using Sutton-Smith’s framework of rhetorics of play. We find that play is integral to kindergarten curricula in Saskatchewan and Ontario, but only implicitly mentioned in the Alberta, British Columbia, and Manitoba curricula where support documents provide more support for play. The rhetoric of play as progress is the dominant discourse of current kindergarten curricula.

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Author Biographies

Shelley Stagg Peterson, OISE/University of Toronto

Shelley Stagg Peterson is a Professor in the Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning at OISE/University of Toronto.

Jim Anderson, University of British Columbia

Jim Anderson is a professor in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of British Columbia.

Maureen Kendrick, University of British Columbia

Maureen Kendrick is a professor in the Department of Languages and Literacy Education at the University of British Columbia.

Marianne McTavish, University of British Columbia

Marianne McTavish is an associate professor iin the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of British Columbia.

Kathy Budd, Peace River School Division

Kathy Budd is an early childhood consultant with the Peace River School Division.

Debra Mayer, Manitoba Ministry of Education

Debra Mayer is a consultant with the Manitoba Ministry of Education

Laureen J McIntyre, University of Saskatchewan

Associate Professor, Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education, Universtiy of Saskatchewan

Burcu Yaman Ntelioglou, Brandon University

Burcu Yaman Ntelioglou is an assistant professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Brandon University.

Dianne Riehl, Toronto District School Board

Dianne Riehl is a vice-principal in the Toronto District School Board and curriculum co-author of the Ontario Kindergarten curriculum.

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Published

2016-09-14

How to Cite

Stagg Peterson, S., Anderson, J., Kendrick, M., McTavish, M., Budd, K., Mayer, D., … Riehl, D. (2016). Examining Rhetorics of Play in Curricula in Five Provinces: Is Play at Risk in Canadian Kindergartens?. Canadian Journal of Education Revue Canadienne De l’éducation, 39(3), 1–26. Retrieved from https://cje-rce.ca/index.php/cje-rce/article/view/2075

Issue

Vol. 39 No. 3 (2016)

Section

Special Capsule on Children's Play

License

The Canadian Journal of Education follows Creative Commons Licencing CC BY-NC-ND.