Exploring the Experiences of Preservice Early Childhood Teachers in the Play-oriented Teaching Materials Production Class

Abstract

This study explored the experiences that prechild teachers experienced while playing like infants by using the experience that appears in the process of producing teaching materials based on the Play-Oriented curriculum revised in 2019. As a result of the study, students learned the meaning of early childhood and play-oriented curriculum in the process of producing teaching materials, and the importance of cooperation. In addition, they feel more meaningful in the process of producing teaching materials than the results. Repeated trial and error gave them a sense of achievement and opportunity to solve the problem. The free and supportive atmosphere in class motivated students and gave them the pleasure of immersion. Students expanded to another play in the process of playing like infants with produced teaching aids, and they discovered problems with teaching aids in the process of playing, which became an opportunity to learn. Students felt that their competency was improved by using the knowledge they had learned so far, and they learned that the role of teachers was also important when teaching in the field. This study proposes to use the teaching materials produced by students to explore the actual appearance of infants playing and to supplement them to produce play-oriented teaching materials.