Children's Play as a form of Resistance in the Classroom

Abstract

This study explores the resistance embodied in children's classroom play and the responses teachers make to such resistance. Children's definitions of work and play in elementary school reveal three varieties of classroom play: instrumental play, recreation, and illicit play. Each variety includes elements of both accommodation and resistance. Teachers respond to children's play in four ways: they ignore it, incorporate it, contain it, or suppress it. Each of these reactions serves to maintain their control of classroom events without banning play entirely from the elementary curriculum.

Play in the School Context? The Perspectives of Finnish Teachers

“…These three types of play: educational, cheering and physical play, are closely related to King's (1982;1986) instrumental play. A typical aspect of this type of play is that the activities take place in the classroom or gym, and that the teachers are active in both planning and execution (and are thus active in pursuing curricular goals).…”

“…Many of these activities involve conflicts, disputes, and even teasing (Corsaro, 2003;Dunn, 2004). The following four play types afford social relationships, and they are also correlated to real play introduced by King (1982;1986).…”

Disqualifying the Official: An Exploration of Social Resistance through the Subculture of Skateboarding

“…Popular culture is a site in which both hegemonic and counterhegemonic interests are expressed and lived simultaneously, and although resistance behaviors have the potential to transform dominant social relations into more equitable social relations, resistance does not automatically lead to wide-scale social change. Many resistance theorists note that the behavior they study may ostensibly oppose or challenge dominant social relations, but that does not guarantee that social change will take place (Aggelton, 1987;King, 1982;Lesko, 1988;Scott, 1990;Stevenson, 1991;Willis, 1977;Young, 1983). In fact, oppositional behavior is often full of contradictions that can lead to the reproduction of dominant social relations.…”

‘Playing makes it fun’ in out-of-school activities: Children’s organised leisure

“…Play functions also as an arena for children in exploring their power and agency (Kane et al, 2013), for instance, in a form of minor political activity in their everyday worlds (cf. Karlsson, 2018; King, 1982; Lester, 2013; Salo, 2010). In activities organised by adults, however, children’s play is rarely just pure fun, as frequent interruptions and fragmented time cause loss of joy (Pieper, 2009) due to institutional practices and orders, for example (cf.…”

“…Karlsson, 2018; Smith and Barker, 2000). Furthermore, when play is integrated with learning (see Kane et al, 2013; Lager, 2016), it can lose its freedom and spontaneity and become an obligatory activity (Stebbins, 2005; see also Haglund and Anderson, 2009; King, 1982). However, even if an activity entails obligations, such as in organised leisure, it can still provide pleasure and fulfilment (Stebbins, 2005).…”