Intentionality and Expertise: Learning from Observations of Children at Play in Multilingual, Multicultural Contexts

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-2007

Publication Title

Anthropology & Education Quarterly

Abstract

This article draws from three ethnographic studies of children playing sociodramatically in multilingual, multicultural contexts. Countering a deficit perspective that focuses on what children from nondominant cultures do not know, we use the concept of syncretism to illuminate children's expertise and intentionality as they blend knowledge from multiple worlds to reinvent cultural practices and create new spaces for learning. Findings encourage educators to learn from the syncretic nature of children's teaching and learning through play.

First Page

239

DOI

doi:10.1525/aeq.2007.38.3.239

Volume

38

Issue

3

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