Vivian Paley
Vivian Paley | |
---|---|
Born | Vivian Gussin Paley January 25, 1929 Chicago, Illinois |
Died | July 26, 2019 | (aged 90)
Occupations |
|
Awards | 1989 Newcomb College |
Academic work | |
Discipline | Early childhood learning |
Institutions | University of Chicago Laboratory Schools |
Vivian Gussin Paley (January 25, 1929 – July 26, 2019) was an American pre-school and kindergarten teacher and early childhood education researcher. She taught and did most of her research at the
Early career
Vivan Paley was born in Chicago, Illinois. After receiving her Ph.B. from the
While teaching in Great Neck, she began to reflect on how play can be the "most usable context" for interaction and intellectual growth among kindergartners. This view, however, flew in the face of what many early education teachers thought at the time, that with the rise of television's easily accessible portrayals of violence, children were becoming too intense and restless, and if anything, needed more vigilant limits on playtime.[3] Many of her insights during this time laid the foundation for her later writings.
After receiving her M.A. from Hofstra University in 1962, she returned to Chicago, where she dedicated the rest of her teaching career. It was during the 1970s that she began writing the books on early childhood learning (see below) which have made her so well regarded in early education circles.[4] Despite her status today, however, she described the first 13 years of her teaching career as being an "uninspired and uninspiring teacher."[5]
Research
Throughout her career, Paley wrote numerous books containing her observations of and reflections about her classroom and students, primarily those at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools where she taught pre-school and kindergarten for many years. To collect her data, Paley made audio-recordings of her classrooms so that she could listen to and analyze the interactions that occurred.[6] In so doing, she would often hear private conversations between children that would help her think about the unique way young children communicate with other young children.
Generally, each of her books contains one driving theme. For example, You Can’t Say You Can’t Play focuses on the desire of some students to exclude others during classroom playtime. Paley imposed a rule that children could not exclude other children from play, and discusses the importance of fairness in the classroom.[7] In her books White Teacher and Kwanzaa and Me, Paley explores issues of multiculturalism within the classroom. In particular, she reflects on her own experiences as a white teacher of children of color and analyzes how she can best support and promote a racially diverse classroom.[8]
Many educators believe that Paley's biggest legacy is in the area of
Vivian Gussin Paley was patron to MakeBelieve Arts. MakeBelieve Arts have an Early Years strand which is dedicated to Paleys work called Helicopter Stories: Letting Imagination Fly. This grew out of Vivian Gussin Paley's book The Boy Who Would Be a Helicopter (published 1990 Harvard University Press). After studying Vivian's work and visiting her in America, artistic director, Trisha Lee began pioneering the approach in the UK.[12]
Published works
- White Teacher (1979). 2009, Second Edition, with a New Preface, ISBN 0674041798
- Wally's Stories (1981)
- Mollie is Three: Growing Up in School (1988) ISBN 978-0-226-64494-3
- Bad Guys Don't Have Birthdays: Fantasy Play at Four (1988) ISBN 978-0-226-64496-7
- The Boy Who Would Be A Helicopter (1991)
- You Can't Say You Can't Play (1993)
- Kwanzaa and Me: A Teacher's Story (1995)
- The Girl With the Brown Crayon (1997)
- The Kindness of Children (1999)
- In Mrs. Tully's Room: A Child-Care Portrait (2001)
- A Child's Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play (2004) ISBN 978-0-226-64489-9
- The Boy on the Beach: Building Community through Play (2010) ISBN 978-0-226-64503-2
- Boys and Girls: Superheroes in the Doll Corner (New Edition, 2014) ISBN 978-0-226-13010-1
Awards
Vivian Paley received a
References
- ^ "Alumni Directory".[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Newcomb College Archives". Archived from the original on 2011-11-05. Retrieved 2011-12-06.
- ^ "A Child's Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play (excerpt)".
- ^ "Profile of Vivan Gussin Paley". Archived from the original on 2012-12-28.
- ^ "Education Week: Savor the Slump". Education Week. 28 December 2022.
- ^ Listening to Children’s Stories: An Interview with Vivian Gussin Paley, in Active Learner: A Firefox Journal for Teachers, v3 n1 p12-16, Win 1998
- ^ "Child Care Collection: Vivian Paley".
- ^ David K. Shipler (February 19, 1995). "Are White Schools Bad for Black Children?". New York Times.
- ^ Vivian Gussin Paley (Dec 2001). "Doing Stories". Literacy Today No. 29. Archived from the original on 2009-03-16. Retrieved 2009-04-18.
- ^ "University of Chicago Press Summary". Archived from the original on 2009-04-26. Retrieved 2009-04-18.
- S2CID 143528773.
- ^ "MakeBelieve Arts". Archived from the original on 2013-09-21. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
- ^ Google Book Search: Books by Vivian Gussin Paley.
- ^ "Amazon.com: Books by Vivian Gussin Paley". Amazon.
- ^ a b "Browse Subjects - Harvard University Press". www.hup.harvard.edu.