Who
In order to collect data on play in the classroom, I created a survey for Kindergarten teachers that asked questions about what their typical school day looks like and how they feel about it. I was particularly interested to see how much play was present in the classrooms, and whether or not teachers valued play to a high degree. I shared this survey with my colleagues, as well as a Kindergarten teachers Facebook group that I am a part of.
My survey was taken by 10 Kindergarten teachers. 70% of those surveyed have plenty of experience in Kindergarten, having taught it for 10+ years (Figure 1). With such a large number of well-experienced Kindergarten teachers, I wonder if that impacts the data considering the shift from half day to full day Kindergarten over the last 20 years.
In order to collect data on play in the classroom, I created a survey for Kindergarten teachers that asked questions about what their typical school day looks like and how they feel about it. I was particularly interested to see how much play was present in the classrooms, and whether or not teachers valued play to a high degree. I shared this survey with my colleagues, as well as a Kindergarten teachers Facebook group that I am a part of.
My survey was taken by 10 Kindergarten teachers. 70% of those surveyed have plenty of experience in Kindergarten, having taught it for 10+ years (Figure 1). With such a large number of well-experienced Kindergarten teachers, I wonder if that impacts the data considering the shift from half day to full day Kindergarten over the last 20 years.
Figure 1
My sample size for data is small, considering that only 10 people responded. I had hoped for a larger sample size so I could really notice patterns emerge in Kindergarten classrooms across the country.
What
Part of my intention with the survey was to see what teachers think is the most valuable in their classroom. Do they value academics? Play? Classroom community?
Respondents were asked to rank the following classroom elements in order of importance, 1 being the most important and 8 being the least important (Figure 2). I noticed that classroom community ranked the highest for 50% of teachers, which seems to follow recent trends in education that focus on social-emotional learning and trauma-informed practices. The high ranking for phonics also makes sense, given that phonics and phonemic awareness are the base for beginning readers to build literacy skills, with reading also ranking high for most teachers.
Part of my intention with the survey was to see what teachers think is the most valuable in their classroom. Do they value academics? Play? Classroom community?
Respondents were asked to rank the following classroom elements in order of importance, 1 being the most important and 8 being the least important (Figure 2). I noticed that classroom community ranked the highest for 50% of teachers, which seems to follow recent trends in education that focus on social-emotional learning and trauma-informed practices. The high ranking for phonics also makes sense, given that phonics and phonemic awareness are the base for beginning readers to build literacy skills, with reading also ranking high for most teachers.
Figure 2
Respondents were also asked to identify their Top 3 Elements of Curriculum, if they were in charge. Figure 3 shows the elements listed, along with how many times they were mentioned in responses. This table does not show distinction if the element was listed 1st, 2nd, or 3rd.
I found it interesting that 50% of teachers ranked classroom community as most important element of their day, but only 1 teacher mentioned classroom community as a top 3 element of curriculum that they would design. It is also interesting that phonics was rated either 1, 2, or 3 by all teachers, but only mentioned by 2 as a top 3 element. On the other hand, play was mentioned by 6 teachers as a top 3 element, but was ranked 1, 2, or 3 by only 3 teachers. This makes me wonder if teachers ranked the elements in the previous question with their current schedule in mind, while they listed their own personal top 3 elements of curriculum. It could be the case that their responses were reflective of what their school district or administration finds the most important, not what they personally find the most important.
The fact that play was listed as a top 3 element by 60% of teachers tells me that play should be receiving higher priority in the classroom, and Kindergarten teachers know that and share the desire.
I found it interesting that 50% of teachers ranked classroom community as most important element of their day, but only 1 teacher mentioned classroom community as a top 3 element of curriculum that they would design. It is also interesting that phonics was rated either 1, 2, or 3 by all teachers, but only mentioned by 2 as a top 3 element. On the other hand, play was mentioned by 6 teachers as a top 3 element, but was ranked 1, 2, or 3 by only 3 teachers. This makes me wonder if teachers ranked the elements in the previous question with their current schedule in mind, while they listed their own personal top 3 elements of curriculum. It could be the case that their responses were reflective of what their school district or administration finds the most important, not what they personally find the most important.
The fact that play was listed as a top 3 element by 60% of teachers tells me that play should be receiving higher priority in the classroom, and Kindergarten teachers know that and share the desire.
Figure 3
How much play?
Before I worked towards a solution, I wanted to see how much play was present in classrooms compared to academic subjects. When asked about math, 50% of teachers said play received the same number of minutes in their day as math and 50% said play received less (Figure 4). In regards to reading, 25% of teachers said play received the same number of minutes in their day as reading, 62.5% said play received less, and 12.5% said play received more time (Figure 5). Compared to writing, 25% of teachers said play received the same number of minutes in their day as writing, 37.5% said play received less, and 37.5% said play received more time (Figure 6). In comparison to phonics, 50% of teachers said play received the more minutes of their day than phonics and 50% said play received less (Figure 7).
Before I worked towards a solution, I wanted to see how much play was present in classrooms compared to academic subjects. When asked about math, 50% of teachers said play received the same number of minutes in their day as math and 50% said play received less (Figure 4). In regards to reading, 25% of teachers said play received the same number of minutes in their day as reading, 62.5% said play received less, and 12.5% said play received more time (Figure 5). Compared to writing, 25% of teachers said play received the same number of minutes in their day as writing, 37.5% said play received less, and 37.5% said play received more time (Figure 6). In comparison to phonics, 50% of teachers said play received the more minutes of their day than phonics and 50% said play received less (Figure 7).
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7
These comparisons show that the current scheduling does not match the teachers' desires for their classrooms. Even though play is receiving more time than individual subjects for some teachers, the majority of the time it is receiving less or the same amount of time. Given that play was mentioned the most as a top 3 element for teachers if they were in charge of curriculum, it would be ideal for play to be receiving more time than all of these academic subjects.