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The study defines playful teaching via teacher–student roles, the design of learning processes, children’s creativity, and joy.",{"@graph":14,"@context":72},[15,34,55],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/play-in-the-school-context-the-perspectives-of-finnish-teachers/594437/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/play-in-the-school-context-the-perspectives-of-finnish-teachers/594437.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Aldword","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-22","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":30},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",{"@type":56,"mainEntity":57},"FAQPage",[58,64,68],{"name":59,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":61},"What is the main purpose of this study?","Question",{"text":62,"@type":63},"To identify play types practiced in the school context at kindergarten and elementary levels in Finland, analyze teachers’ roles related to those play types, and characterize “playful teaching.”","Answer",{"name":65,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":66},"How was the data collected and analysed?",{"text":67,"@type":63},"Fourteen teachers were interviewed, and the interview data were analyzed using the grounded theory approach.",{"name":69,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":70},"What role categories did teachers take in play situations?",{"text":71,"@type":63},"Teachers were found to take the roles of leader, allower, and afforder in different play situations.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":74,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":76,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":78,"site_id":7},594437,1792160942,{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":82},"success",[83,87,91,95,100,105,110,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":84,"show_sort_weight":85,"slug":86},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":88,"show_sort_weight":89,"slug":90},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":92,"show_sort_weight":93,"slug":94},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":96,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":97,"show_sort_weight":98,"slug":99},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":101,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":102,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":104},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":106,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":107,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":131},{"doc_id":78,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":111,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":30,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":127,"language":139,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144},2336478940917,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_6f874abed73319feea01a86fa6f0fab8","Australian Journal of Teacher Education  \nPlay in the School Context? The Perspectives of Finnish Teachers  \nPirkko Tellervo Hyvonen  \nUniversity of Oulu  \nFinland  \n[pirkko.hyvonen@oulu.fi](pirkko.hyvonen@oulu.fi)  \nAbstract: Playful learning environments (PLEs) have been constructed in  \nschoolyards in Finland with the aim of increasing learning through play in curriculum-based education. In order to better understand and inform this development, the Hyvönen sets out to ascertain how teachers view and use  \nplay in kindergarten and elementary education. Fourteen teachers were  \ninterviewed, and the data obtained were analyzed using the grounded theory approach. Eight play types were distinguished, with the teacher having the  \nroles of leader, allower, and afforder. Play types were found to be either  \ncurriculum-driven, or seen as facilitating friendship or integrating play and learning as a process. ‘Playful teaching’ was characterized in terms of the  \nroles assumed by teachers and students in different play situations, the  \ndesign of playful learning processes, the emphasis on developing and using  \nchildren’s creativity, and the importance of fun and enjoyment. The  \nHyvönen concludes that teacher education should develop teachers’  \npedagogical thinking through the theoretical understanding of play and  \nlearning, as well as through discussions and the modeling of play and  \nplayful teaching within teacher education programs.  \nIntroduction  \nDespite an extensive body of research on play and games, few studies have been conducted on teachers’ views of play in daily practices within formal kindergarten and elementary education settings. Scholarly discussion of play in teacher education is even more unusual. Increased interest regarding play in education, as well as demand for this research, came from recent developments in Finland, where outdoor technology-enhanced playful learning environments (PLEs) were designed and implemented in schoolyards. PLEs are playground-type constructions designed to offer possibilities for play and learning through the use of the entire body. The basic idea behind playful learning environments and related technologies is to broaden the conception of learning environments and learning activities (such as play) in the school context. One purpose of outdoor learning environments is to increase the amount of play in children’s daily routines, since nowadays children stop playing at a much younger age than they previously did (Oksanen, 2005; Sandberg & Pramling-Samuelsson, 2003), and playful methods and learning have almost disappeared from schools (Bergen, 2009; Pui-Wah, 2010) .  \nIn an attempt to revitalize play and playful teaching in schools, there is a need for better empirical and theoretical understandings. An important first step is to listen to those in the field to understand how teachers generally consider and use play in their daily practices. The purpose of this study is to identify what play types are practiced in the school context at kindergarten and elementary levels in Finland, to analyse teachers’ roles in relation to those play types, and finally to characterise and define ‘playful teaching’. Finally, the implications of these findings for teacher education are discussed.  \nVol 36, 8, August 2011 65  \nAustralian Journal of Teacher Education  \nDefinition of Play  \nFor the purpose of this study, the definition of play is a broad one, covering a wide category of social games, pretending games, games involving playing with objects, and indoor and outdoor play (Pellegrini, 2005; Wood & Attfield, 2005). Play is generally comprehended as an important and valuable activity, and mature, high-level play is regarded as both fun and developmentally valuable (Bodrova & Leong, 2003a; 2003b) . However, play can also appear as an unimportant or even harmful practice (Johnson, Christie & Wardle, 2005; Scarlett, Naudeau, Salonius-Pasternak & Ponte, 2005; Sutton-Smith, 2001), if teachers lack","cbCaiiHaMOexZv7J","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiiHaMOexZv7J","pdf",167252,"English","# Introduction\n## Definition of Play\n## Teachers’ Views of Play in Practice","[{\"question\":\"What is the main purpose of this study?\",\"answer\":\"To identify play types practiced in the school context at kindergarten and elementary levels in Finland, analyze teachers’ roles related to those play types, and characterize “playful teaching.”\"},{\"question\":\"How was the data collected and analysed?\",\"answer\":\"Fourteen teachers were interviewed, and the interview data were analyzed using the grounded theory approach.\"},{\"question\":\"What role categories did teachers take in play situations?\",\"answer\":\"Teachers were found to take the roles of leader, allower, and afforder in different play situations.\"}]","Play in the School Context? The Perspectives of Finnish Teachers | PDF",1792079162,48]