Levels of social role play and pedagogical implications from the Cultural-Historical perspective

Abstract

This article presents an excerpt from a master's thesis and is grounded in Historical-Cultural Theory according to which the expansion on the assumptions of classical authors makes it possible to reflect on the theory and its pedagogical implications. The focus is on pedagogical practices in Early Childhood Education. From this, the central problem is: how can pedagogical practices contribute to the development of role-playing, considering the levels of complexity? To generate data, observations were conducted at a Municipal Early Childhood Education Center in a city in Paraná. Based on these observations, it was possible to elaborate four episodes that contextualize and allow discussion about the levels of role-playing—third guiding activity of human development—articulating the teacher's role in creating conditions for role-playing to develop. It is concluded that when the teacher intentionally plans and organizes her practice, aiming at learning and development based on the guiding activity of the period, she can create concrete possibilities for this play to develop. Thus, by expanding and promoting children's relationships with more elaborate culture, the teacher provides a foundation for the development of imaginative play. The teacher's active and authorial role, in dialogue with the equally active role of the children, creates conditions for role-playing.