[Xmca-l] Re: On Vivian Paley -- Symbolic Dev and play

[Larry Purss <lpscholar2@gmail.com>]

Frank,
Not sure if I can generate [or encourage] a conversation which took a turn
with your attaching the article on Vivian Gussin Paley. You mentioned you
are now teaching a course which develops her ideas. I wonder if you could
expand on this theme.
The article mentions that at age age is when she notices the stratification
that emerges in classroom culture. Has she written about why age 8 is the
critical turning point [grade 3?]
I also wanted to explore her comment on page 67.
She wrote, "I imagine the existence of 3 F's in the lexicon of children's
lives [fantasy, friendship, and fairness] - then add a fourth F-fear. Yet,
it seems to me I give friendship a higher place than fairness and, in so
doing, I allow certain children to be made afraid when they are told they
can't play. You are not my friend, you can't play with me, certain children
are told again and again throughout their school lives.
    What would happen, I ask myself, if a rule existed that stated clearly,
'You can't say you can't play'? .... The new rule is deceptively simple. We
keep debating the loopholes:
Questions concerning the ever present FACT OF REJECTION are urgent and
many. And what is my story in all this? To end my ambivalence: Is fairness
a HIGHER GOOD than friendship? Can the principle of open access be
maintained in social choices? These are difficult concepts, played out
daily in EVERY classroom.
I wonder if there are different responses to her question. What I will add
is how deep I believe the theme of "trust/mistrust" within our ways of
orienting to the world, is a critical aspect of our well being. Paley's
approach generates a sense of trust within the world.

I also believe this conversation can speak to Jennifer's article we have
been discussing this month on social-emotional learning. It is the
composition of *cultural worlds* with principles such as *you can't say you
can't play* which is the arena where social-emotional learning *develops*
Larry

On Tue, Oct 22, 2013 at 8:47 PM, Larry Purss <lpscholar2@gmail.com> wrote:

>  Frank,
> Thank you for this fascinating *re-search*.
> I took your advice and went to the discussion section.
> I was struck by what Vivian wrote on page 77. [it converges with our
> recent discussion on the transformation from the graphic functional TO the
> formal systematic accounts.
> Listen to how Vivian re-turns FROM the formal towards the
> graphic-functional.
>
> "I notice as I go into the older classes to discuss the issue of FAIRNESS,
>  [formal] they first deal with it DISTANTLY, abstractly. As they get closer
> and closer to telling the stories in which they and the other students are
> PARTICIPATING, in scenes where rejection is taking place, as they can bring
> onto a stage, children will say, ' Well, all right, let's just pretend
> something. Pretend that I'm a worst friend; and on and on'"
>
> Seems to be the world of *as if*
>
> Interesting convergences
> Larry
>
>
>  On Tue, Oct 22, 2013 at 1:54 PM, Frank Kessel <fkessel@unm.edu> wrote:
>
>> MIKE & CO:  Once-upon-a-long-time-ago -- and as you may (or may not!)
>> remember -- we had a Vivian-P-inspired symposium at SRCD . . .
>> coincidentally the last time it was held in Seattle.  Another coincidence
>> -- I'm teaching a course on "Play" this semester where we're reading two of
>> her more recent books.  Which is why I had easy access to this -- the LCHC
>> Newsletter that emerged from that symposium.  One or more of you may find
>> at least the closing, audience-member comments/commentary interesting . . .
>> if only for historical reasons!  FRANK (KESSEL)
>>
>>
>>
>> ________________________________________
>> From: xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu <xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu>
>> on behalf of mike cole <lchcmike@gmail.com>
>> Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2013 5:38 AM
>> To: xmca-l@ucsd.edu
>> Subject: [Xmca-l]  Symbolic Dev and play
>>
>> I am still away from home, but near email. While musing in the woods I was
>> wondering where the query on recent research in cultural historical vein
>> had gotten to. All I saw before disappearing from the grid was references
>> to Vyg himself.
>>
>> Then I started to think about the work of Vivian Paley which I should
>> think
>> offers a plenitude of compelling examples relevant to this issue. Was this
>> work discussed and I missed it?
>>
>> Mike
>>
>>
>
Status: O