Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-hfldf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-01T08:21:39.469Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Navigating proxy failures in education: Learning from human and animal play

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 May 2024

Robin Samuelsson*
Affiliation:
Department of Scandinavian Languages, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden robin.o.samuelsson@nordiska.uu.se

Abstract

The notion of proxy failure provides considerable insight into educational processes, and in childhood education has the potential to elucidate known problems stemming from the early implementation of overly regulated educational regimes. This commentary expands on play and how its relation to learning provides a useful perspective on how activities based on nongoal-oriented interactions can lead to desired outcomes.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bjorklund, D. F. (2022). Children's evolved learning abilities and their implications for education. Educational Psychology Review, 34, 22432273. doi:10.1007/s10648-022-09688-zCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burghardt, G. M. (2005). The genesis of animal play: Testing the limits. MIT Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chu, J., & Schulz, L. (2020). Play, curiosity, and cognition. Annual Review of Developmental Psychology 2, 317343. doi:10.1146/annurev-devpsych-070120-014806CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Durkin, K., Lipsey, M. W., Farran, D. C., & Wiesen, S. E. (2022). Effects of a statewide pre-kindergarten program on children's achievement and behavior through sixth grade. Developmental Psychology, 58(3), 470484. doi:10.1037/dev0001301CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Koretz, D. M. (2008). Measuring up: What educational testing really tells us. Harvard University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nesbitt, K. T., Blinkoff, E., Golinkoff, R. M., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2023). Making schools work: An equation for active playful learning. Theory Into Practice, 62(2), 141154. doi:10.1080/00405841.2023.2202136CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pellegrini, A. D. (2009). The role of play in human development. Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Samuelsson, R. (2023). Leveraging play for learning and development: Incorporating cultural-evolutionary insights into early educational practices. Mind, Brain, and Education, 17(2), 7585. doi:10.1111/mbe.12347CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Samuelsson, R., Price, S., & Jewitt, C. (2022). How young children's play is shaped through common iPad applications: A study of 2 and 4–5 year-olds. Learning, Media and Technology, 119. doi:10.1080/17439884.2022.2141252CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spinka, M., Newberry, R. C., & Bekoff, M. (2001). Mammalian play: Training for the unexpected. The Quarterly Review of Biology, 76(2), 141168. doi:10.1086/393866CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Toub, T. S., Hassinger-Das, B., Nesbitt, K. T., Ilgaz, H., Weisberg, D. S., Hirsh-Pasek, K., … Dickinson, D. K. (2018). The language of play: Developing preschool vocabulary through play following shared book-reading. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 45, 117. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.01.010CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weisberg, D. S., Hirsh-Pasek, K., Golinkoff, R. M., Kittredge, A. K., & Klahr, D. (2016). Guided play: Principles and practices. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 25(3), 177182. doi:10.1177/0963721416645512CrossRefGoogle Scholar