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2018 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

Blocks as Symbolic Tools for Children’s Playful Collaboration

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Authors: Cristina Sylla, Eva Brooks, Lisa Tümmler

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Published in: Interactivity, Game Creation, Design, Learning, and Innovation

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Abstract

This paper reports on two intervention studies conducted in two Danish kindergartens where a Digital Manipulative (DM) was investigated in relation to children’s interactions, experiences and playful processes. The DM, in the form of physical blocks was developed following a user-centred design approach. Research indicated how children’s interaction with the physical blocks generated a democratic collaboration between their peers, which triggered engagement and sustained children’s attention for a long time. Children’s play with the blocks unfolded two levels of articulation; one level where they used the blocks to create visual narratives and a second level where they used the blocks as construction material. This double function was analysed as fostering playful learning processes indicating that the design conveyed potentials to function as a pedagogical resource.

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Title

Blocks as Symbolic Tools for Children’s Playful Collaboration

Book

Interactivity, Game Creation, Design, Learning, and Innovation

Print ISBN: 978-3-319-76907-3

Electronic ISBN: 978-3-319-76908-0

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76908-0

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76908-0_40

Authors:

Cristina Sylla
Eva Brooks
Lisa Tümmler

Publisher

Springer International Publishing

Sequence number

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