Social competence at the playground: Preschoolers during recess

Social interactions at the playground have been represented as a rich learning opportunity to hone and master social skills at pre- school years. Specifically, all forms of social play (fantasy, role, ex- ercise or rough-and-tumble) have been related to children’s social competence. The main goal of this study was to examine whether it is a certain kind of social play which facilitates the development of social competence, or if it is just the opportunity for interacting during recess that provides children with an optimal environment for social learning. A total of 73 preschoolers (4–6 years old) were videotaped at the school’s playground. Teachers provided assess- ments of children’s social competence. Children’s interactions at the playground were assessed through an innovative measuring method, based on radio-frequency identification devices. The results showed a positive association between exercise play and children’s social competence. In contrast with the literature, both forms of pretend play, fantasy and role play were unrelated to children’s social competence. Smaller peer groups and longer interactions also demonstrated a positive association with these preschoolers’ social competence. The study shows the importance of outdoor physical play for preschoolers’ social success. More- over, the study suggests that the environment in which children play has an important effect on the adaptive nature of their play.

Social competence at the playground: Preschoolers during recess

Social interactions at the playground have been represented as a rich learning opportunity to hone and master social skills at preschool years. Specifically, all forms of social play (fantasy, role, exercise or rough-and-tumble) have been related to children’s social competence. The main goal of this study was to examine whether it is a certain kind of social play which facilitates the development of social competence, or if it is just the opportunity for interacting during recess that provides children with an optimal environment for social learning. A total of 73 preschoolers (4–6 years old) were videotaped at the school’s playground. Teachers provided assessments of children’s social competence. Children’s interactions at the playground were assessed through an innovative measuring method, based on radio-frequency identification devices. The results showed a positive association between exercise play and children’s social competence. In contrast with the literature, both forms of pretend play, fantasy and role play were unrelated to children’s social competence. Smaller peer groups and longer interactions also demonstrated a positive association with these preschoolers’ social competence. The study shows the importance of outdoor physical play for preschoolers’ social success. Moreover, the study suggests that the environment in which children play has an important effect on the adaptive nature of their play.

Prática de ensino supervisionada em educação pré-escolar: estimular o pensamento criativo-expressão dramática

O presente relatório de estágio que se enquadra no âmbito das unidades curriculares da Prática de Ensino Supervisionada I e II em Creche e Jardim de Infância, descreve e analisa todo o trabalho realizado em torno do desenvolvimento da criatividade na expressão dramática, tendo sido elaborado nas instalações do colégio Nossa Senhora da Piedade ao longo do Mestrado em Educação Pré-Escolar. Ao longo do relatório, é feita referência a uma investigação relativa à importância do desenvolvimento da criatividade e da expressão dramática, bem como o papel do educador e da sua ação no desenvolvimento, tendo por base os fundamentos teóricos como a Carta de Princípios para uma Ética Profissional da Associação de Profissionais de Educação de Infância (APEI) e o Perfil Profissional da Associação de Profissionais de Educação de Infância. O presente relatório retrata a prática e investigação em torno da temática, procurando realçar a importância da expressão dramática e mais aprofundadamente da criatividade no desenvolvimento da criança e por sua vez o impulso que esta pode ter no desenvolvimento da ação educativa, que sempre foi tido em conta ao longo da prática; Supervised Teaching practice on Pre-school education: The Stimulate creative thinking - drama expression Abstract: The present internship report, whose context falls on Day Care Centre and Kindergarten of the Supervise Teaching Practice curricular units I and II, describes and analyse all the work about the development of the creativity in the dramatic expression. It was developed in the facilities of the institution Nossa Senhora da Piedade during the master’s degree in Preschool Education. Throughout the report, it’s made a reference to an investigation on the value of the creativity in the dramatic expression development, as well as the educator’s role and his action on the development, based on the theoretical foundations as the Letter of Principles to a Professional Ethics from the Preschool Professional Association (APEI) and Preschool Teacher Professional Profile. The present report shows the practice and investigation around this issue, seeking to highlight the importance of the dramatic expression and deeper the importance of the creativity in the child development and also the impulse that this may have in the development of the educational action, which has always been taken in mind throughout the practice.

Tornar-se pai/mãe de uma criança com transtornos graves do desenvolvimento

The interest in research on parents of children with severe developmental disorders has known different focuses of interest over time, from a more psychopathological approach, interested in describing the negative aspects of the impact of having a child with disabilities, to the study of coping strategies used to deal with the situation, and the study of the strength and resilience mobilized by these parents. The big change, however, is that the concern about parents is not only because of the child, but also for what happens in their own development processes. This developmental perspective is addressed here to the construction of the fundamental attachment between mother/father and the baby, how this bond is broken, and how it can be reconstructed when the child has a severe disability diagnosis. Only the resumption of parents’ developmental process will enable them to perform their parenting in an emotionally appropriate and consistent manner, based on adequate responsiveness in everyday life situations. This view allows to open new interdisciplinary challenges about how to work on early intervention in child development and to a comprehensive understanding of the family centered intervention.

A psicologia aplicada no treino de crianças em risco

This paper presents the answers of Psychology to three urgent tasks related to children at risk, namely, a theoretical comprehension on the origins of disorders, diagnosis procedures and treatment procedures for children with disorders. To attain these goals, the paper explains the concept of deviated development and the contributions of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) for diagnosis and training of children at risk, as well as the work made by the author with slum children; some cases are shown. It is concluded that ABA techniques can be applied in the rehabilitation, training and special education of children with intellectual, sensorial or motor disabilities; these techniques are efficient and can be applied successfully by non professional persons. Finally, the paper proposes a model to teach Psychology in the special conditions of developing countries, uniting teaching, research and community service.