Panorama general de la base de datos “Relaciones de comedias en la Nueva España, siglos XVI y XVII”

This paper aims to present to desing of the database: “Relación de comedias en la Nueva España, siglos XVI y XVII”. This digital tool aims to deepen the studies of narrative discurse known as relación; in adition, it itends to serve as a repository that will bring together integral relaciones from various Golden plays that have or haven´t a modern edition. On one hand, the paper points out the dramatic strategy’s importance in the Golden theatre; on the other hand, aims to familiarize future users whith the information provided by this digital tool so that they can use it as a potencial instrument for future research. The interest of the article lies in showing that the relación is a dramatic strategy that can be studied as a discursive genre inseparable from the dramatic play to wich is belongs, whose function goes beyond the limits that have been indicated so far.

Teacher-report of where preschool-aged children play and are physically active in indoor and outdoor learning centers

The childcare environment impacts physical activity participation, but little descriptive information is available in different types of programs. Most studies focus on the schoolyard despite children spending more time indoors. This study identified which learning centers were available, used by children, and promoted physical activity, both inside and on the schoolyard. Teachers ( N = 139; licensed centers, n = 59; home-based programs, n = 80) identified available learning centers and ranked locations where children spent free-choice time and participated in physical activity. Indoors, blocks, books, and dramatic play were frequently available, and dramatic play was ranked as an area where children spent time (87%) and were active (63%). Outdoors, open/grassy areas, fixed equipment, sandbox, and seating were available, and open/grassy areas and paved areas for balls/objects were locations where children spent time (73%–100%) and were active (87%–100%). Addition of learning centers that were unavailable but promoted physical activity (e.g. lofts) may be a point of intervention.

Dramatic play as a means to explore and support preschool children’s thinking about thermal insulation

Research in young children’s ideas, representations, and pre-conceptions about the natural and technical world has a long history. Most of the studies in the field have used individual, semi-structured interviews as a methodological technique to generate and collect empirical data. However, less is known about how tracing procedures can come in line and be incorporated into everyday educational reality in early childhood settings in a way that reflects young children’s interests and needs. The present study uses dramatic play to trace young children’s thinking in science and advance their science learning experiences. The study focuses on a science concept young children are familiar with in everyday life though has not been thoroughly studied in the literature yet: thermal insulation. Empirical data from 6 preschoolers in Greece are presented. Qualitative data were collected through recordings of children’s dialogues, children’s drawings, field notes from the early childhood teachers, and photographs. The findings revealed that during their dramatic play children a) developed basic argumentation to express their thinking about the phenomenon; b) related the phenomenon with the thermal condition and changes in temperature; c) identified materials and objects with insulating properties and distinguish them from others with non-insulating properties, and d) came to the conclusion that the use of amplified insulation materials can lead to better insulation results. The outcomes of the study add to the research methodology in early childhood science education and inform practice providing a pedagogical framework that balances between play-based pedagogies and advanced learning outcomes in science for young learners.

Reading Aloud as a Leading Activity With Preschool Students

We examine a teacher’s read-aloud activity with her preschool students in India. Three vignettes show how this leading activity helps young children take part in socio-dramatic play, fostering their cultural-historical development. Collaborating as teacher and researcher, we consider students’ use of words, instances of object substitution, and exploration of social roles in the story being read aloud, to demonstrate the development of their higher psychological activity. Moreover, we contend that read-aloud activities in preschool are crucial for developing student learning during middle childhood.

Older people, dementia and neuro-dramatic-play: A personal and theoretical drama therapy perspective

This conceptual article will consider Sue Jennings’ neuro-dramatic-play (NDP) as an overall theoretical framework for working with older people with dementia. NDP was developed over a number of years by pioneering UK drama therapist Sue Jennings. It is a culmination of attachment-based play, drama, movement and storytelling, and arts-based approaches that are used within drama therapy and other play and creative-based work with children. The author will consider from a personal and reflective perspective how NDP approaches can be adapted by drama therapists to work with older people with memory loss based on almost 30-years history of being involved in the field of drama therapy as a student and practioner, and his work with older people, at both the beginning of his career and his current reflections many years later.