O brincar na creche: linguagem, desenvolvimento e prática social construída na interação

Abstract

Taking into account that it is through interaction that children become social beings and that playing is one of the ways they have for expressing themselves, for perceiving the world that surrounds them, and for them to become part of the world, the aim of this work is to investigate the process of appropriation by teachers of a Community Daycare of the act of playing by children from zero to three years of age. It also aims at investigating the senses and meanings ascribed to this phenomenon. It was necessary to analyze the teaching practices within the context of the Daycare, since together with the family, the State and the community, such an institution has the responsibility of the childrens upbringing. It was also important to understand the organization of the timing and spaces assigned to playing, as well as of the philosophy that underlies the practices of the institution. Yet, it was necessary to perceive, discuss and reflect upon the social construction of the childrens rights to education, to care, and to playing as a priority activity. And finally, to analyze how changes are occurring due to the new curriculum outlines, which indicate that childrens playing should be assured and understood as fundamental for their development as socio-historical and cultural subjects. In a methodological approach of a case study with an ethnographic perspective, which analyzes a Community Daycare in Belo Horizonte, this work focus on a group of kindergarten teachers. Seven teachers participated in this study: two of them were from nursery school, two from Maternal 1, one from Maternal 2, one from Maternal 3, and one from a Brinquedoteca(playroom). The seventy-eight children from the corresponding groups also took part in this study. The field research was developed during the year of 2002, from February to December. The procedures for the data collection were observation, semi-structured interviews, video recordings, and documental and micro genetic analysis. Within such a time period, twelve interviews with the teachers and the educational coordinator were made, by means of two visits per week, varying time and groups, and six 30 minute video recordings of situations selected after interview analysis. Through the analysis, an ambiguous dimension of playing was verified among children ages from zero to three, because, although aware of its importance, the institutional context is in certain points oppressed and unable to reorganization of physical spaces and pedagogical timing, things already perceived by teachers as needing changes. It also values and emphasizes the formative process of such professionals, based on the continuous reflection on the teaching practice.