Play in elementary school and its resonances for teacher education

Abstract

This study analyzes a formative experience grounded in a sensitive approach, aimed at training teachers in the early years of elementary education, positioning itself as a promising path for the construction and enhancement of teacher professionalism. It is a qualitative research derived from the first author’s doctoral dissertation, based on phenomenology and focused on understanding the lived experiences of the participants. The investigation was conducted using the research-training methodology combined with the (auto)biographical method, employing the “Catadoras do Brincar” Atelier (Cardoso, 2018) as a formative ethnomethod grounded in “playful-sensitive didactics” (D’Ávila, 2018). Narratives, diaries, poetry, and photographs were used to foster reflections and produce knowledge at both individual and collective levels. The results revealed the construction of new knowledge and meanings by the participating teachers, highlighting transformations in teacher professionalism, positive reverberations in professional development, a redefinition of the concept of children’s free play, and the experience of feelings of joy and sharing within the formative context. This experience proved to be a promising path to strengthen pedagogical practice and broaden the understanding of the relevance of free play in the educational process.