Vivian Paley
Encyclopedia
Vivian Gussin Paley is an American pre-school and kindergarten teacher and early childhood education researcher. Now retired, she taught and did most of her research at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools
. She was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship (Genius Grant) and the author of numerous books.
in 1947, she began her teaching career in New Orleans in the 1950s, and later in Great Neck, New York. It was during her time teaching in New Orleans that she began to reflect on some of the ways in which childhood learning at the time was being choked by an overemphasis on strict learning boundaries (e.g., that children could only be allowed to learn how to write in capital letters, not lower-case) and perfunctory memorization.
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. 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. Despite her status today, however, she has described the first 13 years of her teaching career as being an "uninspired and uninspiring teacher."
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. 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. 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.
Many educators believe that Paley’s biggest legacy is in the area of storytelling
and fantasy play, which she directly addresses in her books A Child’s Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play, The Boy Who Would Be a Helicopter, Bad Guys Don’t Have Birthdays: Fantasy Play at Four. Paley argues in these and other works that storytelling and fantasy play can significantly impact a child’s academic and social growth. They help young children make sense of the world around them, adapt to the classroom, develop language, and collaborate with peers. Some critics of the federal No Child Left Behind Act
point to Paley’s research as evidence that learning and developing can take place using storytelling and other means, which should be used in lieu of, or in addition to, the NCLB-mandated direct instruction
and teacher-led activities.
Boys and Girls: Superheroes in the Doll Corner (1984) ISBN 9780226644929
Mollie is Three: Growing Up in School (1988) ISBN 9780226644943
Bad Guys Don't Have Birthdays: Fantasy Play at Four (1988) ISBN 9780226644967
White Teacher (1989)
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. Tulley's Room: A Child-Care Portrait (2001)
A Child's Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play (2004) ISBN 9780226644899
The Boy on the Beach: Building Community through Play (2010) ISBN 9780226645032
Award for Service to Children in 1987, the American Book Award
for Lifetime Achievement from the Before Columbus Foundation
in 1998, and the John Dewey Society
's Outstanding Achievement Award in 2000.
In 1997, Paley's book, The Girl With the Brown Crayon was awarded the Harvard University Press
Virginia and Warren Stone Prize for the outstanding book about education and Society. In 1999, the National Council of Teachers of English
awarded her the David H. Russell Award for Distinguished Teaching in English, also for The Girl With the Brown Crayon.
In 2004, Paley was named Outstanding Educator by the National Council of Teachers of English
.
University of Chicago Laboratory Schools
The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools is a private, co-educational day school in Chicago, Illinois. It is affiliated with the University of Chicago...
. She was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship (Genius Grant) and the author of numerous books.
Early career
Vivan Paley was born in Chicago, Illinois. After receiving her Ph.B. from the University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1947, she began her teaching career in New Orleans in the 1950s, and later in Great Neck, New York. It was during her time teaching in New Orleans that she began to reflect on some of the ways in which childhood learning at the time was being choked by an overemphasis on strict learning boundaries (e.g., that children could only be allowed to learn how to write in capital letters, not lower-case) and perfunctory memorization.
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. Many of her insights during this time laid the foundation for her later writings.
After receiving her M.A. from Hofstra University
Hofstra University
Hofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...
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. Despite her status today, however, she has described the first 13 years of her teaching career as being an "uninspired and uninspiring teacher."
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 SchoolsUniversity of Chicago Laboratory Schools
The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools is a private, co-educational day school in Chicago, Illinois. It is affiliated with the University of Chicago...
where she taught pre-school and kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
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. 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. In her books White Teacher and Kwanzaa and Me, Paley explores issues of multiculturalism
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
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.
Many educators believe that Paley’s biggest legacy is in the area of storytelling
Storytelling
Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and in order to instill moral values...
and fantasy play, which she directly addresses in her books A Child’s Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play, The Boy Who Would Be a Helicopter, Bad Guys Don’t Have Birthdays: Fantasy Play at Four. Paley argues in these and other works that storytelling and fantasy play can significantly impact a child’s academic and social growth. They help young children make sense of the world around them, adapt to the classroom, develop language, and collaborate with peers. Some critics of the federal No Child Left Behind Act
No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a United States Act of Congress concerning the education of children in public schools.NCLB was originally proposed by the administration of George W. Bush immediately after he took office...
point to Paley’s research as evidence that learning and developing can take place using storytelling and other means, which should be used in lieu of, or in addition to, the NCLB-mandated direct instruction
Direct instruction
Direct Instruction is an instructional method that is focused on systematic curriculum design and skillful implementation of a prescribed behavioral script....
and teacher-led activities.
Published works
Wally's Stories (1981)Boys and Girls: Superheroes in the Doll Corner (1984) ISBN 9780226644929
Mollie is Three: Growing Up in School (1988) ISBN 9780226644943
Bad Guys Don't Have Birthdays: Fantasy Play at Four (1988) ISBN 9780226644967
White Teacher (1989)
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. Tulley's Room: A Child-Care Portrait (2001)
A Child's Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play (2004) ISBN 9780226644899
The Boy on the Beach: Building Community through Play (2010) ISBN 9780226645032
Awards
Vivian Paley received a MacArthur Fellowship (Genius Grant) in 1989 in recognition of her books about young children, the Erikson InstituteErikson Institute
Erikson Institute is a graduate school in child development located in downtown Chicago, Illinois. It is named for the noted psychoanalyst and developmental psychologist, Erik Erikson.-History and mission:...
Award for Service to Children in 1987, the American Book Award
American Book Award
The American Book Award was established in 1978 by the Before Columbus Foundation. It seeks to recognize outstanding literary achievement by contemporary American authors, without restriction to race, sex, ethnic background, or genre...
for Lifetime Achievement from the Before Columbus Foundation
Before Columbus Foundation
The Before Columbus Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1976 by Ishmael Reed, Victor Hernández Cruz, Shawn Wong and Rudolfo Anaya to be "a multi-ethnic organizing dedicated to promoting a pan-cultural view of America," especially through the promotion of multicultural writers.One of...
in 1998, and the John Dewey Society
John Dewey Society
The John Dewey Society was founded in 1935, and was the first organization focused on philosophy of education. Its goal is to "keep alive John Dewey's commitment to the use of critical and reflective intelligence in the search for solutions to crucial problems in education and culture." The Society...
's Outstanding Achievement Award in 2000.
In 1997, Paley's book, The Girl With the Brown Crayon was awarded the Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. In 2005, it published 220 new titles. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. Its current director is William P...
Virginia and Warren Stone Prize for the outstanding book about education and Society. In 1999, the National Council of Teachers of English
National Council of Teachers of English
The National Council of Teachers of English is an American professional organization dedicated to "improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education...
awarded her the David H. Russell Award for Distinguished Teaching in English, also for The Girl With the Brown Crayon.
In 2004, Paley was named Outstanding Educator by the National Council of Teachers of English
National Council of Teachers of English
The National Council of Teachers of English is an American professional organization dedicated to "improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education...
.