Playwork Practice at the Margins: Research Perspectives from Diverse Settings - Paperback

by Jennifer Cartmel (Editor), Rick Worch (Editor)

Playwork Practice at the Margins explores the circumstances where playwork practice intersects with practice from diverse contexts and settings, encompassing disciplines such as health, education, early intervention and community development.

Each chapter focuses on a research project situated in a unique setting or space such as zoos, hospitals, refuges and rainforests. In these settings, the authors reflect on Playwork Principles and consider these in relation to the theory, research, design and findings of their project. By presenting research from settings at the margins of traditional playwork, the authors use shared values and principles to consider the significance of playwork when embedded in transdisciplinary work. The book is underpinned by a model of reflective thinking that is used to examine how playwork practice is intertwined with knowledge from other disciplines.

With a range of international contributions from both researchers and practitioners, this is the ideal text for academics and researchers in the fields of early childhood education, allied health, community development and social work disciplines as well as human geographers and practitioners in children's services worldwide.

Author Biography

Jennifer Cartmel focuses on children's social and emotional learning and the workforce in children's services. Her research interests include the role of critical reflection in the development of professional competencies, the interaction between educators and children in group settings, intergenerational practice and the many facets of outside-school-hours care services.

Rick Worch specialises in early childhood science education at Bowling Green State University, USA. His research focuses on the socioecology and play of wild monkeys and children's engagement, play and learning in natural and educational settings. He is a past-president of The Association for the Study of Play.