[Xmca-l] Re: Play and symbolic thought --

[larry smolucha]

Message from Francine Smolucha:
Beth,
I would not hesitate to say that play is essential for development(cognitive, social, emotional,and neurological). 
Elena Bodrova and Deborah Leong's Tools of the Mind Preschool Curriculumhas also provided supporting evidence that spans these four domains.They have an ongoing study with the University of Chicago.While their focus is on self-regulation which itself courses all four domains,they also teach the preschool teachers how to teach the children to use object substitutions in pretend play. There is much potential here for a systematic study of the role of object substitutions in learning to use symbol systems.
> Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2013 10:34:28 +0200
> From: bferholt@gmail.com
> To: xmca-l@mailman.ucsd.edu
> Subject: [Xmca-l] Re: Play and symbolic thought --
> 
> We will look at your dissertation, from 1991, this is helpful.  And yes,
> this is what we are thinking about.  Your response makes me think more
> broadly about the challenge the teachers we are working with are posing to
> our conception of the importance of play in child development ... I think
> we must be more clear about this before we can answer my question, above.
>  I don't think we want to say play is essential, so then we need to ask why
> we want to say it is hard to replace, or particularly efficient at what it
> does -- The response will not be found in one experiment. Thank you!  Beth
> 
> 
> On Thu, Sep 19, 2013 at 3:01 AM, larry smolucha <lsmolucha@hotmail.com>wrote:
> 
> > Message from Francine Smolucha:
> > Beth,
> > According to Vygotsky, object substitutions in pretend play (such as
> > riding on a stick as if it were a  horse) are the pivot for separating
> > meaning from object. The ability to make the gesture with a non-replica
> > object leads to more abstract symbols such as using pictorial
> > representation (such as stick people and stick animals in drawings, i. e.,
> > line drawings) to words made out of alphabet letters and numerical
> > notations. I do not know of any one longitudinal study that documented this
> > progression, but there are certainly studies thatfocused on specific
> > components. My doctoral dissertation University of Chicago 1991documented
> > how objects changed their names and functions in pretend play (a
> > longitudinal study of toddlers aged 14- to 28- months.) Isn't that the
> > basic definition of a symbol - that one object can stand for another
> > (re-present another)???
> > Are you thinking of something along these lines?
> > > Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2013 12:31:41 +0200
> > > From: bferholt@gmail.com
> > > To: xmca-l@mailman.ucsd.edu
> > > Subject: [Xmca-l] Re: Play and symbolic thought --
> > >
> > > We are wondering if there is anything actually showing that play allows
> > for
> > > the development of symbolic thought ... we do not have an idea what this
> > > experiment could look like : ) ... anytime it was done is fine! Beth
> > >
> > >
> > > On Tue, Sep 17, 2013 at 7:18 PM, Hansen, Monica <
> > > monica.hansen@vandals.uidaho.edu> wrote:
> > >
> > > > Beth,
> > > > What specifically about Vygotsky's claims and the relationship between
> > > > play and symbolic thought are you looking for research to
> > substantiate? Are
> > > > you looking for contemporary research? What kind of research? The path
> > is
> > > > not always easy or direct because Vygotsky's thoughts encompassed
> > larger
> > > > ideas within which a myriad of approaches to research on this topic
> > can be
> > > > framed and approached. At least this has been my experience in hunting
> > it
> > > > down :)
> > > > --The other Monica
> > > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu [mailto:
> > > > xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu] On Behalf Of Beth Ferholt
> > > > Sent: Tuesday, September 17, 2013 10:06 AM
> > > > To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
> > > > Cc: xmca-l@ucsd.edu
> > > > Subject: [Xmca-l] Play and symbolic thought --
> > > >
> > > > Monica and I have been talking about Vygotsky's work on the
> > relationship
> > > > between play and symbolic thought and been being challenged by Swedish
> > > > preschool teachers.  Is there an experiment that shows Vygotsky was
> > correct
> > > > in his claims about this relationship?  We can't find any!
> > > > Tanks,
> > > > Beth
> > > > --
> > > > Beth Ferholt
> > > > Assistant Professor
> > > > School of Education
> > > > Brooklyn College, City University of New York
> > > > 2900 Bedford Avenue
> > > > Brooklyn, NY 11210-2889
> > > >
> > > > Email: bferholt@brooklyn.cuny.edu
> > > > Phone: (718) 951-5205
> > > > Fax: (718) 951-4816
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Beth Ferholt
> > > Assistant Professor
> > > School of Education
> > > Brooklyn College, City University of New York
> > > 2900 Bedford Avenue
> > > Brooklyn, NY 11210-2889
> > >
> > > Email: bferholt@brooklyn.cuny.edu
> > > Phone: (718) 951-5205
> > > Fax: (718) 951-4816
> >
> >
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Beth Ferholt
> Assistant Professor
> School of Education
> Brooklyn College, City University of New York
> 2900 Bedford Avenue
> Brooklyn, NY 11210-2889
> 
> Email: bferholt@brooklyn.cuny.edu
> Phone: (718) 951-5205
> Fax: (718) 951-4816