{"id":1569,"date":"2020-04-28T20:21:54","date_gmt":"2020-04-28T19:21:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.micreate.eu\/?p=1569"},"modified":"2020-04-29T04:08:26","modified_gmt":"2020-04-29T03:08:26","slug":"too-much-running-in-the-playground-some-considerations-on-observant-participation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.micreate.eu\/index.php\/2020\/04\/28\/too-much-running-in-the-playground-some-considerations-on-observant-participation\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Too much running in the playground!’ Some considerations on observant participation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Cosmin Popan<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pieter Bruegel the Elder – Children\u2019s Games (1560)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After each visit at the\nElk Creek Primary I sense a broad smile on my face which I carry for\nthe rest of the day. Unlike the secondary school pupils at Woodland\nAcademy, these primary school children have befriended me much\nquicker. But while becoming friends with some pupils could better\nfacilitate information about and access to their peers and\nenvironments, there is always an invisible risk, which I run upon\nmyself: becoming too friendly. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the very first visit at Elk Creek, the pupils in Year 4 were extremely enthusiastic about my presence. I started attending classes with one group in particular whose teacher, unlike another one teaching another group of the same year, was very keen to involve me in class activities and encouraged me to move around tables to see how different pupils are performing: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This generated a bit of a competition amongst pupils who wanted to get me to sit at their table, effectively begging me to join them. This was both flattering and puzzling since I didn’t want to upset any of them. I ended up moving from table to table during the class and assisting pupils with their reading skills, understanding the difference between past and present tenses and formulating subordinate clauses. All this time I had to make sure I do not come across as a second teacher who is guiding and evaluating them, but rather one of their peers, which they can trust and confide in.<\/p>Field notes, 21 January 2020<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Following Mayeza’s (2017)<\/a> advice to adopt ‘the least-adult role’ or the ‘least-teacher role’ seemed to yield results when I was dragged by the pupils to join them in the playground during break time. As soon as I arrived there I was almost assaulted by their curiosity, which literally took me by surprise. As this happened, I realised I have completely forgotten what’s it like to be their age:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was compelled to answer a broad range of personal questions, starting in the class and continuing soon after in the playground, which made me realise the complex positionality of my research: after all I am 30 years older than they are! Their questions were confusing, cheeky, impossible to answer, but, most importantly, a hopeful sign that I was accepted in their group: ‘What is your name? Are you Chinese? Do you speak Spanish? How old are you? Are you married? Do you have children? Are you on TikTok (a popular mobile application)? You don’t know “Dream it possible” (a popular song, it seems) ??? Can you do the floss dance?’ A significant challenge in this exercise was balancing out my role as a researcher and peer. I had to rebuff being called ‘sir’, resist signing autographs on their textbooks (!) and figure out how to interpret and keep cool while one girl was casually walking while holding my hand for five minutes in the playground.<\/p>Field notes, 21 January 2020<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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