Angela Pyle

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at University of Toronto

The benefits of play to children’s development and academic learning are often discussed in the research. However, inconsistencies in definitions of play and dif- fering perspectives concerning the purpose of play in educational settings make it challenging for teachers to determine how to productively integrate play-based peda- gogies into their c...

Kindergarten has become increasingly academic in nature. One of the primary dilemmas arising from this shift is the tension between the use of developmentally appropriate practices and the obligation to teach academic standards. To gain a deeper understanding of how kindergarten is enacted in the evolving curricular landscape, we look beyond these...

Embracing the new sociology of childhood, this paper describes a participatory research method built on a belief in the competency of young children. The paper begins with a critical review of the photo elicitation literature exploring the varied levels of children's participation. Drawing on the strengths of the previous research, a multi-step pho...

Within the current accountability framework of public education, kindergarten teachers face the challenge of balancing traditional developmental programing and current academically oriented curriculum. Central to this challenge is teachers’ uses of assessment to measure and communicate student learning in relation to their curricular stance. The pu...

As efforts to use learning through play (LtP) expand globally, it is important to explore how children's perspectives impact the efficacy and experience of this pedagogical approach. LtP has been conceptualized as a spectrum from free play to guided play to teacher‐directed play. This spectrum describes different ways in which play happens—with var...

Open Access is available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tine.2024.100225 Abstract Background - Evidence from the science of learning suggests that playful learning pedagogical approaches exist along a spectrum and can support student learning. Leveraging active engagement, iterative, socially interactive, meaningful, and joyful interactions with co...

The early years of education are a crucial time to develop a strong foundation of critical mathematical skills. A growing body of research continues to demonstrate that this foundational knowledge can be successfully built through teacher-facilitated, or guided, approaches to play. Despite its benefits, the implementation of guided play is relative...

Playful learning has seen a resurgence of interest in the past decade, particularly in contexts where play is not traditionally part of a teacher’s repertoire. Teachers interested in exploring the integration of play in their classrooms need formative tools and resources that help them to reflect and assess their own practice and their ability to c...

Teacher-facilitation of play is proposed as an effective method for supporting early literacy learning, however, educators remain uncertain how to balance child-autonomy in play while also directing play toward explicit academic objectives. In response, this study sought to understand how kindergarten teachers can successfully facilitate play to su...

Play occupies a critical role in the kindergarten classroom, and the expansion of formal play-based learning programmes have brought connections between play and learning to the forefront. With respect to social and emotional learning (SEL), child-directed play has been viewed as critical, while teacher direction has been framed as a potential disr...

Background Teachers’ perspectives provide crucial insights into classroom practice in early childhood education settings. Although many kindergarten programmes emphasise play and assessment to support children’s learning and development, recent research suggests that there are some disparities between teachers’ articulated role of play and what the...

As school authorities strive toward inclusive models of education for children with neurodevelopmental delay and disability (NDD), many kindergarten curricula have mandated pedagogy centered on learning through play. Children with NDD tend to experience greater social isolation and lower rates of social play engagement compared to typically develop...

Teachers are the single most important in‐school factor affecting student learning outcomes. As a result, researchers and policy makers are particularly interested in the ways that teacher‐level factors influence the learning opportunities that teachers provide in their classrooms. A growing body of research suggests that the expectations a teacher...

Contemporary kindergarten policy mandates the use of assessment to monitor student learning alongside the growing popularity of play-based learning. However, research examining teacher perspectives on assessment in play has uncovered challenges. A two-phase qualitative approach was used to gather observational and interview data in 18 kindergarten...

Connections between play and young children's developing self-regulation have been emphasized in both research and practice. However, our knowledge of how to scaffold children's play to develop regulation in practice is limited. The current study examined strategies utilized by teachers to support self-regulation in play contexts. Observational and...

Policies related to the inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms have led to questions regarding how teachers can help cultivate inclusive learning communities where all children are supported and valued. In play-based kindergarten programs, teachers are tasked with ensuring goals for children’s learning and development are...

Children identified with developmental disabilities or delays (DD) are increasingly being educated in inclusive mainstream classroom environments. At the kindergarten level, there have been pedagogical shifts towards the promotion of play-based learning, with few resources addressing how teachers can support inclusion in play. Forty-two Ontario kin...

Resourcefulness and adaptability are essential to success in the modern economy; the motivation, metacognition, and cognitive skills required for self-regulated learning (SRL) have never been more important. Unfortunately, teacher-led SRL interventions rarely survive implementation, and teachers' general practices rarely reflect their intention to...

Policy makers around the world increasingly mandate play-based learning in kindergarten classrooms, a pedagogical approach backed by research espousing not only the developmental appropriateness of play-based learning for this age group but also the benefits to students’ academic achievement. Despite these mandates, researchers continue to see a di...

Kindergarten teachers face the challenge of integrating contemporary assessment practices with play-based pedagogy. The current study addresses this challenge by presenting a kindergarten assessment framework rooted in theory and current classroom practices, based on teacher interview and observational data collected in 20 kindergarten classrooms....

Currently, kindergarten education is shaped by two priorities: (1) the recognition that early learning must maintain a developmental orientation and support socio-personal growth; and (2) a growing emphasis on standards-based curriculum and the use of assessment to support children’s learning. While some researchers have argued these two priorities...

There has been a rapid increase in the integration of new technologies in early education. While research has examined how technology can benefit classroom instruction, few studies have looked specifically at how technology is used by early educators to enhance their classroom assessment practices. The current study examined educators’ approaches t...

Increasing opportunities for children’s outdoor play is emerging as a priority for multiple sectors given the associated developmental benefits. This study examined the commonalities of multi-sector leaders’ perspectives on outdoor play in Canada. Despite using diverse terminology to describe play, and controversy about risky play, participants art...

Guided play, a balanced approach to involvement in play that includes child- and adult-direction in learning activities, holds great promise for children’s effective and engaged learning in education. Recent studies in laboratory settings show benefits for academic and socio-emotional outcomes, while retaining a focus on child-centred exploration....

There is rising concern in research and practice to improve early years mathematics education as initial mathematical mastery sets the foundation for future academic success. In response to these concerns, this study used observational data from 20 kindergarten classrooms to understand current pedagogies teachers use for mathematics. In particular,...

Context The standards-based movement in U.S. public education has reached as far as kindergarten. Early primary teachers are increasingly required to teach academic standards in core subject areas, while engaging in increased levels of student assessment. In kindergarten, this growing emphasis on academic standards and student assessment is expecte...

This white paper presents emerging evidence that playful practices can support a variety of learning outcomes, and that educators and caregivers have a critical role in facilitating young children’s learning through play. It offers key insights around realising playful practices in early learning settings serving children aged three to six – what w...

Six kindergarten teachers in the Greater Toronto Area were interviewed on their understandings of and approaches to culturally responsive education (CRE) in their classrooms. Teachers generally reported believing that CRE is important in kindergarten, and the practices they implemented fell into two categories: structured components of their classr...

Practitioners in play-based learning contexts face the challenge of developing developmentally appropriate practices while meeting rigorous academic curriculum standards. To date, play and academic learning have been predominantly conceptualized from an adult perspective. Considering that children are key agents in classroom play contexts, it is im...

Kindergarten teachers face the challenge of balancing traditional developmental programming and contemporary academic standards. In classrooms following a play-based learning framework, academic content such as literacy is to be taught within children’s play. However, educators have reported conceptual and practical challenges with integrating play...

The increasing accountability framework in Kindergarten education has put pressure on teachers to ensure that students reach certain literacy milestones before proceeding to the subsequent grade. One result of this shift is a tension between an emphasis on academic learning and the use of developmentally appropriate practices, such as play. However...

Research has highlighted the importance of early literacy development. In light of this, there has been a growing concern around boys’ underachievement on language and literacy assessments. Given the recent mandate for play-based learning in Ontario kindergartens, this paper examines children's literacy integration during play from a gender perspec...

Across a number of countries, play-based learning is the mandated pedagogy in early years’ curricula. However, a lack of consensus remains both in research and practice regarding the value and role of play in children’s learning. This scoping review analyses 168 articles addressing play-based learning for 4–5 year old children divided into three ca...

This guide accompanies the following article: Pyle, A., DeLuca, C., & Danniels, E. (2017) A scoping review of research on play-based pedagogies in kindergarten education. Review of Education, https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3097

Kindergarten education is changing. Current reforms have increased accountability structures requiring teachers to integrate assessments throughout their instruction to support academic learning while retaining developmentally appropriate pedagogies such as play-based learning. Despite these reforms, comparatively little research has been conducted...

Research Findings: Research has demonstrated the developmental and educational benefits of play. Despite these benefits, teacher-directed academic instruction is prominent in kindergarten. There is increasing acknowledgment in curricula and policies of the challenges presented by a lack of play in classrooms and the need to support academic learnin...

This study sought to gain insight into how Ontario teachers define play-based learning, and how their perspectives affect its implementation in kindergarten classrooms. Using survey data from kindergarten teachers from around the province of Ontario, two definitions of play were developed: one focused on social development through play and the othe...

There has been a shift in perspective from viewing children as adults-in-the-making to individual agents, possessing the right and the competence to meaningfully participate in research. Many researchers are striving to obtain informed assent from young children prior to their participation in research. Methodological concerns have been presented w...

This mixed-methods study reports on the perspectives of 208 teacher candidates on teaching children with developmental disabilities and delays (DD) in inclusive classrooms from Kindergarten to Grade 6. The questionnaire included items on demographics, experience, knowledge, and feelings of competence, advocacy, and sense of efficacy. Open-ended que...

Research has shown the benefits of parent involvement for student participation in education. Parent advocacy is a critical form of involvement by parents for children who are young, have disabilities, and are making transitions. Studies have classified forms of parent advocacy but have not illuminated the components necessary for effective parent...

In 2005, the Ontario Ministry of Education introduced Responsiveness to Inter-vention (RTI) to the Ontario school system. RTI is a tiered approach involving increasing levels of support for students who are at risk for later learning difficul-ties. However, the introduction of this different support structure was not accompanied by a substantial sh...

Teachers play a vital role in the implementation of new programs. This article discusses how best to support teachers in the face of such change. Specifically, we describe the perspectives of teachers who participated in a pilot project of the responsiveness to intervention model. Through focus group data, the researchers explored the barriers that...

ABSTRACT Education for All (2005) offers a developmentally appropriate plan based on responsiveness to intervention (RTI) research. The model, termed the tiered approach,