Play and dialogical reading
Stig Broström
Professor
Aarhus University, Department of Education
The Research Unit of Childhood, Learning and Curriculum Studies
Stbr@dpu.dk
Paper presented at International Council for Children’s Play, 26th World Play Conference. Tallin,
Estonia on the 17 and 19 June 2012
Introduction
Based on the hypothesis that dialogical reading followed by verbal dialogues, drawings and play
contributes to children’s language development, this study examines following problem: Will the
soul of play (e.g. voluntary and independence) be spoiled when children’s play is organized by the
preschool teacher in order to adapt and rewrite the story?
The paper contains three parts. The first part: “Dialogic reading” introduce the concept
dialogical reading and research on the effect of dialogical reading, and also the increasing effect
when dialogical reading is followed by play. Part two: “Play” deals with theories on play and play
related to dialogical reading. Part three: “Dialogical reading and play” presents different forms of
play, which might be useful for dialogical reading. Part four “An example from practice” reports
extract from a course of events with dialogical reading and play. Finally in the conclusion I reflect on
the proposed question: Will the soul of play be destroyed?
Dialogical reading1
In 1988 the American psychologist Grover Whitehurst and colleague described a specific form for
reading for children, which at that time was named ‘interactive reading of picture book’. Parallel
with reading aloud the reader also put questions to the children, and too the children comment the
book and they also ask questions.
During the next decade the method was developed, and Whitehurst tried out the evidence for
this method.
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This part is based on Kristine Jensen de Lopez and Jette Løntoft, a book in progress Broström, de Lopez, Løntoft (in
press) Dialogisk Læsning [Dialogical Reading].
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Whitehurst has not explicit described the theoretical foundation. However, there is a mixture
of a number of developmental psychology theories consisting of behaviourism, Bandura’a theory of
social learning (Whitehurst & Vasta, 1975), and also Vygotsky’s (1978) idea of zone of proximal
development.
The reason for to develop the method of dialogical reading was the fact, that in the 1990’
about 35% of American children had not achieved vocabulary and sentence structure corresponding
to their ages. In other words they were described as not ready for school.
Doing dialogical reading, the children are challenged not only to listen at the story but they
also are invited to speak about the story, which gives opportunity to make use of the words and
sentence from the book. They imitate sentences from the book, and early research from the 1960’
shows that children not only imitate but they do selective imitation (Slobin & Welsh, 1967;
Whitehurst & Vasta, 1975). If children for example are asked to repeat a sentence, which is more
difficult than they are able to manage, in order to make sense, they will integrate what they have
heard and adjust the sentence at they own level. Based on this knowledge Whitehurst and
colleagues set up a hypothesis consisting of same steps children go through when they develop
communicative competences. The hypothesis is named Comprehension, Imitation and Production
and expresses the idea: first the child is able to understand the word without being able to produce
the word or sentence; next step the child is able to imitate the word or sentence via a selective
imitation (that is not an exact reproduction); and finally independently the child manages the word
or sentence, and he/she is able to ‘play’ with the word or sentence in new contexts.
Dialogical reading is based on the assumption of children’s language acquisition is affected
by three techniques, namely practice, feed-back and scaffolding. And a little more elaborated
(Jensen de Lopez, in press) following four factors can be expressed:
1) The child practice using language – imitation
2) The child offers feed-back which elaborates its language
3) The child is involved in child-adult interaction – communicative activities
4) In general the child gets positive feed-back – reinforcement or recognition
In addition the preschool teacher challenges the child during the reading session, using Vygotky’s
concept (1978) the child and preschool teacher construct a zone of proximal development.
Above understanding is expressed in a more advanced matter by Michael Tomasello (1999),
who shows the fact, that children’s communicative competences is embedded in cultural learning.
Via general socio-cultural skills like imitation, shared attention, categorize, symbolic thinking and
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understanding of other people as intentional persons, the child becomes able to appropriate cultural
tools and symbols, which is used in the child’s specific world. This understanding is in accordance
with Vygotsky’s (1978) socio-cultural theory, where language is seen as a tool similar to physical
tools (e.g. an axe, a computer). Thus a mental tool can be used like other tools. The child can use
the language tool to affect other persons, to get their attention and also to express own ideas.
However, first of all the child uses his language to make up new cognitive representations, which
transform the child’s understanding and perspectives (Jensen de Lopez, in press).
How to do dialogical reading
Dialogical reading is reading of good quality child literature, fiction. In short the preschool teacher
reads the selected book in small groups with maximum five children. The preschool teacher reads
the book three times during one week, and afterwards each reading the preschool teacher and
children have dialogues about the book. Whitehurst gives thorough descriptions of how to organize
the dialogue with the children and he also describes five different types of questions the preschool
teacher can make use of:
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Questions where the child has to complete a word or sentence, e.g. “he walks uphill and…
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Open questions like “what happens here?”
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What, when, who- questions, e.g. “what is this?” pointing at something from an illustration
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Question which helps the child to relate the story to own life, e.g. “have you ever had
toothache”?
The three reading aloud sessions are different. First of all gradually the children are involved more
and more, and the dialogues on languages, content and illustrations are extended. The first reading
is done without interruptions, and afterwards the preschool teacher and children reflect on the
language, content and illustrations based on children’s questions, and the preschool teacher has to
get all children motivated and interesting and to take active part. In second reading the children are
invited to comment and to start dialogues. Often the preschool teacher has prepared ten selected
words to speak about, and to dramatize. After the reading inspired of Chambers (1994) the
individual child are also meet by a literature conversation expressed by four questions:
- Did you find elements in the story which you liked?
- Did you find something which you disliked?
- Did you find something which concerned you?
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- Did you find patterns in the story which you recognised and reminds you of other
stories?
After each reading, the preschool teacher and children make use of different forms of aesthetical
activities, e.g. drawings and play. In a Danish version (Broström, Frandsen & Vilhelmsen, 2008) we
made use of six different forms of reflections: conversation, retell the story, re-writing, drawing,
play and dramatization.
Research on effect of dialogical reading
Traditional reading
The general hypothesis that reading aloud has a positive effect on children’s language acquisition
has been supported by several studies. A big numbers of research show a coherence between adult’s
reading aloud and development of children’s language and also later reading skills (e.g. Robbins &
Ehri, 1994; Sénéchal & LeFebre, 2002; Silvén et al., 2003).
More specific a study by Crain-Thoreson & Dale (1992) shows that children between one and
three years, who were used to listen to reading and also speaks with their parents, achieved a more
extend vocabulary expressed in preschool; more in the age of seven they also had an extended
verbal skills and better text comprehension compared with children of the same age, who do not
meet reading.
Further The Bristol Study of Language Development shows a correspondence between how
often children in preschool participated in reading sessions and their knowledge on literacy at
school start plus general academic knowledge five years later (Wells, 1983; Aukrust, 2005).
Among several research (e.g. Heath, 1982), a new review made by Vibeke Grøver Aukrust
(2005) about early language activities in preschool shows an effect on children’s literacy
competences, among other things a relation between children’s oral language in preschool and later
reading abilities. However, this is contradict by the Danish reading researcher Carsten Elbro (1997),
who refers to a review on 31 published investigations (Scarborough & Dobrich, 1994) saying there
is shown an effect on children’s general language development but not reading abilities. Probably
the controversy is about how to define the term ‘reading’, how narrow this is defined. But no doubt
children achieve and reading interest and pleasure.
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Dialogical reading and play
When it comes to reading of literature followed by dialogues research the effect seems to be rather
evident. Whitehurst and colleagues have shown that dialogical reading not only has an effect on
children’s vocabulary but also on their narrative competences (Whitehurst et al., 1994; Lever &
Sénéchal, 2011).
Also a new research done by Lever & Sénéchal, 2011) investigating 40 children aged five and
six shows am improvement of their abilities to structure a narrative and also their spontaneous use
of mental words.
Dialogical reading seems to have an effect on children’s language development in general,
both the increase of vocabulary, language comprehension plus communicative competence. The
effect seems to be increased when reading of the story not only is followed by different forms of
verbal dialogues but also followed by a variation of aesthetic activities. Thus dialogical reading
followed by role playing and drawing has an effect (Anning, 2003; Pellegrini and Galda, 1998,
Silvén et al. 2003; Pellegrini and Galda, 1993; Baumer, Ferholt & Lecusay, 2005); Andresen,
2005).
Inspired of Gunilla Lindqvist and Vygotsky an American study (Baumer, Ferholt & Lecusay,
2005) made op a so-called Play World based on a story, which they preschool teachers and children
captured once a week and played together in this fantasy world. Children’s were forced to reflect on
the relation between the Play World, fantasy world, their pretended world and the real world.
Compared with a control group the experimental group achieved a higher level of narrative
competences.
Based on a Vygotskian approach Bodrova & Leong ((2003) has made up a numbers of adult
guided play activities as for exampler socio-dramatic play in order to promote children’s literacy. In
the program Tools of Mind (Bannet et al., 2008) they describe 40 Vygosky inspired activities which
has shown effect on children’s development. Also a numbers of studies (Neeley et al., 2001) using
scripted play, where children have to carry through dialogues on visits on restaurant, hospital etc.
show an effect on children’s development. Corresponding a study (Klein et al., 2010) on children’s
involvement in both scripted play, free play and re-telling of a story contributes to children’s ability
to use complex sentences, which also Leung (2008) shows. In addition a numbers of play research
show the possibility to create a play-based curriculum. As an example van Oers established an
experimental group of 5 years old children doing a shoe shop in which they sold and bought shoes
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during a numbers of sessions. Compared with a control group, the children from the experimental
group achieved better grades in mathematics (van Oers, 2011).
To sum up there might be a basis for a combination of reading, dialogues and play. For that
reason the next part will give a description of how a classroom with five to six years old children
worked with reading of fiction, dialogues and play.
2. Play
With reference to above, dialogical reading followed by play seems to have a positive influence on
the development of children’s language and communicative competences. However, one might ask
which dimensions and dynamics in play contain such a transforming power.
Theory of play
From a cultural-historical understanding of play it is assumed that important changes take place in
the preschool child’s psyche through play. They pave the way for the child’s transition to a new level
of development (Leont’ev, 1981, p. 369). Play activity has a number of benefits. Through interaction
with peers and adults the child deals with signs and symbols in order to represent the culture. Signs and
symbols also influence the development of higher mental functions (Leont‘ev, 1978, p. 59; Vygotsky,
1978, pp. 54-57).
When children enter role-play (symbol-play, pretend play, make-believe-play, socio-dramaticplay) they make use of symbols. They replace persons and objects from reality with a symbolic
representation. A stick symbolizes a gun or a sword, and they themselves pretend to be a policeman, a
mother or a superhero from the outer space.
Vygotsky states that the play is characterized by the fact “that in play a child creates an
imaginary situation” (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 93). The child is able to symbolize the reality. According to
Vygotsky the reason for this is motivation. The child strives for to do what the adults are doing. The
child wants to drive Mums car or fly to the moon in a spacecraft. This is not possible, but the child can
fulfilment its desire through play. “[T]he preschool child enters in an imaginary, illusory world in
which the unrealizable desires can be realized, and this world is what we call play” (Vygotsky, 1978, p.
93).
In play, children are able to master ideas and to take more advanced actions than is possible
for them in non-play situations. The child raises the demand on itself and brings itself into the zone
of proximal development, which Vygotsky defined as:
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“the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem
solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under
adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers” (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 86).
This starts new processes of development. According to Vygotsky, not only will the independent
actions in the zone of proximal development support new developments, but the child’s imitations also
have a similar effect. The child is able to imitate actions which go beyond his or her possibilities, but
not without limits.
“In play a child always behaves beyond his average age, above his daily behaviour; in play it
is as though he were a head taller than himself. As in the focus of a magnifying glass, play
contains all developmental tendencies in a condensed form and is itself a major source of
development” (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 102).
However, the optimistic idea that play has a leading and developmental function (Leont‘ev, 1978) has
been over-interpreted, and the (often misunderstood) phrases ‘in play a child always behaves beyond
its average age’ and ‘play always leads to a more advanced level of development’ have been discussed
and criticized. For example, van der Veer and Valsiner (1991) argue that play does not in itself
contribute to the child’s development. From their point of view, play has a development potential only
when the play environment has the potential to challenge children to cross their zone of proximal
development. Furthermore, Wood and Attifeld (1996) define such an environment as interaction of
high quality in relation to the task, the playmates, and relations between children and adults.
It may be beneficial to differentiate between two kinds of play. On the one hand, there is a
‘romantic’ understanding, free flow play (Bruce, 1991), suggesting that any play has a developing
potential: just let children play and they will learn and develop automatically. On the other hand, there
is play as a social interaction where the child is challenged and forced to create new meanings and
understandings. Here the teacher plays an active role rather than just observing with a wait-and-see
attitude. This form of play goes beyond the traditional role-play and is called border play (Leont’ev,
1981).
Play embedded in dialogical reading
In my understanding play connected to dialogical reading can be seen as a form of border play. In
dialogical reading the children influence both the content of the dialogues, the drawing and play.
However, also the preschool teacher has an active role. She lead the conservation on the book, she puts
forward questions, organizes both the drawing and play sessions. In some play sessions the children
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themselves set up play episodes related to the reading, in others the preschool teacher organizes the
frame and the children fill out the frame, and sometimes she acts as play leader and organizes some in
advanced defined play scenes.
However, regardless of forms of play organization, the preschool teacher has to be very attentive
and sensitive on both children and the play process. She has to be aware of the characterization of play
and not to neglect the soul of play. First of all following four dimensions, which according to Lillemyr
(2009) and based on Levy (1978), seems to characterize play:
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Play is intrinsically motivated, feelings of enjoyment, motivations is a strong dimension.
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Play put reality aside, suspension of reality – freedom to imagination, use of creative
abilities. The child knows it is make-believe play. The child cannot fail.
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The child himself has control of what happens. He can take initiatives, chose his role; the
child can decide himself.
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Play is characterized by interactions and communication. The child understands the signal
that “this is play”.
Many play researchers interpret above dimensions like play must be a matter for children without
adult influence, and this has been the general understanding among preschool teachers. Thus freeflow play has been a hallmark and with reference to Lillemyr (2009), “it has long been normal to
warn against an extended play-directed pedagogy” (Berg, 1992; Steinsholt, 1999), which especially
is emphasized by Heinsohn and Knieper (1975). However during the last decade researchers and
also practitioners argue for preschool teacher’s involvement in play (Broström, 1999; Lillemyr,
2003; Smilansky and Shefatya, 1995; Vedeler, 1997, 1999; Åm, 1984; Lindqvist, 1978; Olofsson,
1990; Singer et al., 2006; Dockett and Fleer, 1999; Wood and Attfield, 2005).
Above researchers argue for the possibility to play together with children without just to push
children towards the educational goal. The point is to play with children not as a “teacher” but as a
play partner. Although adults never can play as a child, he/she can act playful based on knowledge
both of children’s development and the essence of play. According to Leont’ev (1981) the
preschool teacher has to understand and respect the dynamic and legality of the play. Like this
Lillemyr (2009, p. 152-153) states:
“However it is possible to do this with proper respect for both children and play. Many
have also noted that it is possible to find a good balance between safeguarding the unique
value of play for children and at the same time working towards educational goals that
include children’s play, even as free play. For example adult’s involvement in play and the
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development of children’s independence need not to be mutually exclusive, as it has been
pointed out.“
Based on reading session and dialogues on the story it is possible to create play sessions, which on the
one hand relate to the story and on the other hand go beyond. In play children must be involved in
dynamic and challenging interactions. For example inspired from the reading the preschool teacher
raises new dimensions. This gives opportunities for what Holzman (1997) call creative imitation. This
happens when a child is doing something en a new way beyond its actual development. This is seen in
play where the child imitates a role or sequence from the story and transforms and expands this in new
ways. This is not not merely reproduction of roles and actions, this is creation of quite new dimensions
- and, with that, new moments of learning can appear. In such interactions children not only play
according to a certain theme, but they also expand on that theme. According to Engeström (1987), new
knowledge, skills and actions often emerge through such activities. Engeström names this kind of
learning activity ‘learning by expanding’. However, for this kind of learning to occur, children need to
be provided with the raw materials; for example, participating in field trips, reading quality literature,
and engaging in interesting dialogues with adults. This is exactly what dialogical reading provides.
Using different kinds of play, ‘border play’ or ‘expansive play’ (frame-play, aesthetic theme
play, drama-play) the boundaries of traditional role-play will be crossed. Such kinds of play can be
seen as an activity situated between play and learning. Thus it can be described as a transitory activity
which may have the potential to enrich the individual child, to support the development towards a
learning motive (Leont’ev, 1981).
The child’s transition between the two systems can be facilitated by developing a ‘transitory
activity system’ which mediates between the two systems, ensuring that the result of one system
serves as tool in the next (Baumer, 2003).
Such a transitory activity system contains different elements, and I propose different kinds of
‘border play’. Driven by the use of children’s storytelling (Broström, 2002b), the concept of frameplay (Broström, 1999), play-drama (Baumer, Ferholt & Lecusay, 2005) and aesthetic theme play
(Lindqvist, 1995) form the basis for the development of a new play concept that combines reading,
literature dialogues, drawing, play, drama and philosophical dialogues.
3. Dialogical reading and play
Any role-play entails the exercise of shared imagination and shared development of the theme (Garvey,
1976). For that reason, older children become more conscious of the imaginary play situation (Elkonin,
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1980), the concrete situation they imagine. This makes it possible to introduce more advanced forms of
play which go beyond children’s free flow play (Bruce, 1991). In frame-play, aesthetic theme play and
drama-play, children and the teacher plan and play together, and the teacher takes an active and
challenging role called ‘teacher in role’ (Lindqvist, 1995). On the basis of common experiences - for
example, a field trip and of course a story - they decide a general theme (e.g. ‘What happens in the
witch’s forest?’) or they invite loved characters from children’s literature into their play; for example,
Pippi Longstocking (Lindqvist, 1995).
The concept frame is used with reference to the importance of the imaginary play situation
(Elkonin, 1980). In role-play the imaginary play situation often refers to a situation with only narrow
limits. But creating a frame-play with older preschool children makes it possible to generate an
extended and common imaginary play situation - a shared frame the children can use for a long time.
When the children make plans for the play, and also during the play, the content is expressed, or, in
Bateson’s (1972) words, the text. Simultaneously, the children give signals about how to interpret the
message, the context. These signals help the play participants to understand each other. According to
Bateson (1972), the establishment of the context is a psychological frame. In play with older preschool
children the psychological frame is usually clear. Its function is to include certain messages and actions
and to exclude others. A psychological frame has the same function as a picture frame: it tells the
viewer what he or she should notice. The frame defines the context.
In this new form of play, the children’s consciousness of the psychological frame is strengthened
through the establishment of a real frame. For example they have read a book about a child on hospital,
and then they construct the frame together: they turn the classroom into a hospital with a casualty ward
and operating theatre.
Supported by this physical frame, children and adults imagine themes, roles and actions. In other
words: ‘they share a fantasy, which they collectively construct and modify’ (Fine, 1983, p. 12).
The frame-play contains several elements decided in advance by the children and the adults. Because
of the time interval between the formulation of the plan and realization of the play, the roles, rules and
actions are prepared thoroughly. Often children produce lots of accessories for the play. For instance,
in a frame-play involving ships, the children created an engine, a bridge, a wheel and an anchor, and
also money for shopping in the store and restaurant. In this way, the frame-play is more organized and
more purposeful than role-play. As well, the motives of the two kinds of play are different.
In a form similar to frame-play, Gunilla Lindqvist has created ‘aesthetic theme play’. With
reference to Vygotsky’s book The Psychology of Art (Vygotsky, 1971), Lindqvist (1995) argues for an
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open and dynamic approach to play, where children’s imagination and creativity are stressed. She
quotes Vygotsky, saying: ‘Art is the organization of our future behaviour. Without art there can be no
new man’ (Vygotsky, 1971, pp. 253, 259). The art dimension is expressed through an aesthetic attitude
and also by combining play and drama. Referring to Vygotsky, Lindqvist argues that drama is linked to
play more directly than is any other form of art. ‘Children can compose the text, improvise the roles
and prepare the scenic accessories: scenery and costumes, which they can paint, stick on, cut out and
joint together’ (Lindqvist, 1995, p. 53).
Together with a group of children, Lindqvist creates a play-world. She introduces children to
specific child literature and sets up a theme; for example, ‘Alone in the big, wide world’. Loneliness is
one of the most important existential questions, especially for small children who have to leave their
parents to go to preschool every day (Lindqvist, 1995, p. 73). In another story taken from Nordic
literature, The Dangerous Journey by Finnish author Tove Jansson, the children cope with the concept
‘fear’.
“One dark chilly morning in February, Fear is lying under the bed. The teacher Karin has put
on her pyjamas and a night cap. She is now Rasmus, a boy about to go to bed. ‘What if there
is something under my bed? I am scared. Why is it so dark’, Rasmus asked. The children
huddle closely together. Rasmus whispers: ‘Who are you? What are you doing under my
bed?’ ‘I am Fear and I am frightened’ he says a thin voice” (Lindqvist, 1995, p. 78).
From this starting point, children and the teachers create a play-world which can last for weeks and
month. The idea is to move between reality and imagination and to establish a creative and playful
atmosphere and at the same time become familiar with the chosen theme ‘fear’, which they express
through monsters, ghosts, spiders and snakes.
Such play not only deals with children’s daily experiences but also supports the production of
aesthetic quality.
Very close to Lindqvist’s aesthetic theme play, Baumer, Ferholt & Lecusay, (2005) describe a
form of play named drama-play. Here three elements are integrated:
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Explorative play experimenting with roles, actions and dressing-up.
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Dramatization involving the preschool teachers and focused on creating a product, a story.
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‘Reflection via dialogue’, a kind of philosophical conversation with children.
An example of how these elements of drama-play can be integrated is when the Russian folktale Baba
Yaga was read aloud by the teacher and children were shown scenes of the film based upon the tale.
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Inspired by class discussion of the story, the children re-create the witch’s house and are visited by the
character of Baba Yaga, who shows them how to perform a conjuring trick.
When children are involved in the above forms of play, they not only have fun, but are also
challenged to reflect on their play and to discuss what and how they play. Such play might pave the
way to the development of a learning motive. Achieving a learning motive enables the child to go
beyond passive learning and to become an active learner in school.
5. An example from practice
The aforementioned kinds of play, frame-play, aesthetic theme play, and drama-play, have the
potential to create an educational play model which is an alternative (but not a replacement) to freeflow-play (Bruce, 1991) and also to traditional teaching. More I propose, this forms of play to be
one by many ways to rewrite the shared reading. Following an extract from a Danish developmental
research (Broström, Frandsen & Vilhelmsen, 2004; Broström, 2011):
In a classroom with 25 six-year-old students, over a three-month period, a preschool teacher, a
teacher and a researcher worked weekly with the children, divided in three groups, with different forms
of play. The project experimented with activities combining literature, play, drama and dialogues. The
aim was to devise a new educational method which could support children’s consciousness of their
own activity and their ability to reflect on their actions, and, with that, reach an awareness of why, what
and how to learn. The project was not designed to demonstrate whether these children actually
achieved this. The following points characterize play which could serve as a transitory activity system:
1. Reading aloud a short story of high literary quality.
2. Based on the story, teacher and children carry engage in a structured conversation, socalled literature dialogue (Chambers, 1994).
3. After the dialogue they make drawings to illustrate their understanding of the text.
4. Then the children, in formal groups, are challenged to turn their literature experiences
into play. The teacher has an observer role and also participates as ‘teacher-in-role’.
5. Sometimes the teacher asks the children to present their version of the play/story for their
classmates and teachers.
6. After the presentation, the teachers and each play group hold a structured conversation
called a learning dialogue.
7. During all phases, the teacher and the children have philosophical dialogues reflecting
their ideas.
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The following aspects of the developmental project illustrate some of the elements.
Reading aloud
With the children in small groups, the teacher read aloud five short books in the series Miss Ignora in
the Water Tower. All five books display strong emotions which all children experience (friendship,
anger, happiness, sorrow, shyness, disappointment and love) and inspire children to participate in
philosophical dialogues which may support the development of children’s meta-cognitive thinking.
The books make up a series with a recognizable structure and a permanent gallery of characters. The
series differs from most traditional series for young children in that the main character develops during
the books. Each book has 21 pages dominated by vigorous and expressive illustrations which support
and expand on the text.
The Miss Ignora books are of a high literary quality. The stories are told in simple, rhythmical
and unsentimental language, and the reader can identify with Ignora. The titles reflect Miss Ignora’s
development: Miss Ignora Explodes; Miss Ignora in the Schoolyard; Miss Ignora and the Starry Sky;
Miss Ignora Falls in Love; Miss Ignora and George Influence their World.
In the first two books, Miss Ignora and her universe are presented. When she loses her temper in
front of her teacher, her best friend Nina becomes afraid and Ignora is sorry. Ignora sometimes speaks
with her neighbour, a fish dealer, from whom she also occasionally steals fish. In the third book Ignora
is alone: her mother has left her, and her father has died in a traffic accident. However, during the
night, sitting on the top of the water tower, she speaks with him. The book also contains an episode in
the schoolyard where a boy, George, scolds her. However, the fourth book focuses on the friendship
with George, and the fifth book tells how Ignora and George come to the assistance of a dog in
distress, and they reflect on the theme of being a person who makes a difference in the world.
Literature dialogue
In order to influence and enrich children’s play we first introduced the Miss Ignora stories in class,
and then arranged a structured conversation around the stories. Some changes to the literary
conversation method used with older children (Chambers, 1994) made it a useful tool to help young
appreciate complex children’s literature and also to observe and document children’s reactions. The
earlier four fundamental questions were included in our literature dialogue (Did you find elements in
the story which you liked? Did you find something which you disliked? Did you find something which
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concerned you? Did you find patterns in the story which you recognised, and which remind you of
other stories?).
The first day story we read aloud was Miss Ignora Explodes, in which Ignora loses her temper becoming ‘crazy’ and ‘exploding’, which upset her friend Nina. The children were also introduced
to Miss Ignora’s neighbour, the fish dealer. Many cats live around his shop.
After the reading session the children were invited to discuss the book. They were asked the
four questions mentioned earlier. In answer to the first question: Did you find elements in the story
which you liked? Several boys said they thought it ‘was cool when Miss Ignora exploded’, while the
girls liked ‘when Miss Ignora apologised to the teacher’ (because of her explosion), and ‘she was nice
to the cats’. In answer to the second question: Did you find something which you disliked? Many girls
mentioned the explosion as a problem. A few other girls also disliked Ignora stealing from the fish
dealer. Some boys also expressed reservations about stealing fish and also about Miss Ignora’s
explosion. But a number of boys said: ‘There was nothing we disliked’.
Children make drawings
After the reading session and the dialogues, the children were invited to write and draw their
reflections related to the two first questions and the debate about what they liked from the book. Some
children made collective drawings in small groups, while other made individual drawings. A typical
drawing was an isolated episode from the story, for example Miss Ignora feeds the cats (narrative
number 1 with the text: I liked Miss Ignora feeding the cats) and Miss Ignora’s explosion in front of the
teacher (narrative number 2 with the text: I did not like when she exploded). Besides these individual
drawings, which make use of the content pattern (Kress and Leeuwen, 1996) there were also examples
of drawings, where more than one episode was situated in the picture, where the narrative pattern
became more visible. And especially in the collective drawings children managed to express the
narrative dimension clearly.
14
Narrative number 1
I like
Narrative number 2
I dislike
When they had finished their drawings, the teachers invite them to tell a story based on their
drawing, and she displayed the results on two bulletin boards, placing similar ideas side-by-side. This
enabled the children to view their own answers and reflections in line with similar answers. This
session led to a new dialogue, and the third question was asked: Did you find something which
surprised you? Common wonders were:
When they had finished their drawings, the children were invited to write and draw their answers to the
two questions the teachers displayed the results on two bulletin boards, placing similar ideas side-byside. This enabled the children to view their own answers in line with similar answers.
This session led to new dialogues, and the third question was asked: Did you find something,
which concerned you? Common concerns were:
-
Why does she not have a mother?
-
Why does she come to that point that she explodes?
-
Why does she live in that strange house?
-
Why does she not ask for help from the fish dealer?
-
Why Miss Ignora’s father died in a traffic accident: ‘They do not use to die in books’, one girl
said.
The children’s comments formed a basis for rich conversations. Most of the children had reached a
high level of attention by the time they replied to the fourth question: Did you find patterns in the
story which you recognised and which remind you of other stories?
15
Some children were able to compare the stories of Miss Ignora with other well-known books for
children. For example, one boy said: ‘Pippi Longstocking, both Pippi and Miss Ignora do not have a
father and mother’. Another boy said: ‘It reminds me of Superman. That story starts with he has no
father and mother’. A number of boys and girls referred to the story of Sleeping Beauty.
Play
In continuation of the children’s interest in the first three books, the teacher read the last Miss Ignora
book: Miss Ignora and George Influence their World. The plot deals with Ignora and George becoming
friends and freeing a dog which is wedged in a door. Then they talk about how, in doing so, they had
influenced their world.
After the reading session the children were invited to establish their own play events, and they
quickly set up different groups to discuss the play theme, roles and actions. . One group of boys and
girls was inspired by the incident involving the wedged dog, and they spent some time planning a play
with many details.
The characters were Ignora, George, a sour man, Ignora’s friend Nina, a dog and some cats. An
extract from a transcript follows:
Miss Ignora said: ‘Hey, do you like to be my boyfriend’?
George answered: ‘Yes’.
Miss Ignora said: ‘Then we take a promenade in the park’. Miss Ignora and George danced
around.
George: ‘Oh, see an old shack, it’s ugly’, and then he continued: ‘Something is whining’.
Miss Ignora: ‘Yes, it is from over there, inside’.
George looked around and then he said: ‘Oh, it is a nice little dog’.
‘Come here’ Miss Ignora said and then she kissed the dog at the nose.
Suddenly a man showed up from the old shack. He scolded the children and cried: ‘Get out,
now’!
Miss Ignora said: ‘Sorry, we will …’ then she whispered to George: ‘What a sour man’.
The sour man cried: ‘This is my place; buzz off, stupid children’
The two children disappeared quickly, and went away from the place.
Then George said: ‘Oh, I am so hungry; let’s eat’.
George and Miss Ignora established a place to eat. They sat up a table and some chairs
illustrating a restaurant where they placed themselves.
16
They sat in front of each other and ate their food. Suddenly Miss Ignora burst out: ‘Oh, I
forgot an appointment with Nina’.
She left the table and ran over to her best friend Nina who was loudly snuffling. Then she
sobbed: ‘You forgot our appointment’.
‘Sorry Nina’, Miss Ignora said, ‘I was out eating with George. Sorry, should we not play all
together’?
Then they started to skip. George and Nina swung the jump rope.
A bit later Nina said: ‘I do not like this anymore’ and Miss Ignora said: ‘I agree’.
‘Hey’, George said, ‘look at that nice dog’.
Miss Ignora said: ‘It is the sour man’s dog. Let’s return the dog to him’.
George said: ‘I really don’t like to do it, but we have to’.
The three children went to the sour man’s house and they knocked at his door. Then he
opened and snapped: ‘Pooh… you again, toddlers’.
Nina timidly said: ‘We just want to return…’, but here the sour man interrupted her with an
angry ‘Buzz off’.
He closed the door, and when the three children were alone with the dog, Nina said: ‘Ugh
how sour he was’.
‘Right’ Miss Ignora complimented, ‘he was old, big and fat’.
While the children talked together the sour man arrived and said: ‘I just want to apologize
because I was so sour. I would like to give you my dog as a present’.
With this remark the children decided to return to their house with the dog and eat soft rolls
and drink cocoa.
The above extract seems to show that the children had established a relation with the characters, the
action and some of the themes in the five Miss Ignora books. They managed to set up a story line, or
what Markova and Zaporozhetz (1983) calls plot: Children’s ‘reflections of certain actions, events, and
interrelationships from surrounding life’. In other words, they made up a script.
They focused on some specific existential themes, some mentioned in the books and some
they created themselves. Thus their play displayed productive and creative dimensions close to the
concept of expanding learning (Engeström, 1987) and expanding play (Broström, 1999).
17
Conclusion
Based on the hypothesis that dialogical reading followed by verbal dialogues, drawings and play
might contribute to children’s language development. However, the present does not investigate
children’s possible language development. The idea was to create a theoretical foundation for a play
approach and also an educational methodological sketch. However in advance it also problematizes
the idea of using play as educational means and asked if too much adult leading will disturb the soul
of play and with that both spoil play and the development dimension. In other words will the soul of
play be spoiled when children’s play is organized by the preschool teacher in order to adapt and
rewrite the story? Now, does my presentation give any answers?
Analysis of the observed play sessions seems to show that, both in form and content, children
reached a more advanced level than what could be expected via free-flow play. Many of the
observed play sessions displayed creative imitations rather than mere reproduction of roles and actions.
Thus they play through some themes from the book, but they also created some themes themselves.
As an example the sequence where Miss Ignora realized she has forgot the appointment with
George and subsequent solved the problem. From my point of view the study does not give any
ready-made solutions, but it opens for the need of more experiments.
It is highly relevant to investigate in which extent it is possible to combine play and learning.
The phrase ‘play and learning’ is inscribed in early childhood education and care curricula and
theoretical programs in all Nordic countries. However still there is a need to define and describe the
relation between the concepts.
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