| The purpose of this study was to investigate the ways in which 4-and 5-year-old children in a progressive public school on the lower east side of New York City constructed knowledge about the world through engaging in spontaneous conversations at lunchtime. In an observational case study the teacher-researcher examined the content and function of children's conversations as well as ways in which social relationships were negotiated. She also explored the ways in which children's conversations were linked to the "official" curriculum, as well as ways unofficial aspects of the early childhood curriculum were created by children through their conversations.; Data were collected in the researcher's pre-kindergarten/kindergarten classroom beginning in May of 2002 and ending on the second to last day of school in June. Multiple data collection techniques were employed, including (a) participant observation, (b) audiotaping, (c) descriptive and reflective fieldnotes, and (d) informal conversations with children.; The main finding of the study was that children, through their spontaneous conversations at lunchtime, were working to create a culture of groupness , which included the following elements: (1) creating rules of groupness; (2) building a bridge-recreating experiences; (3) engaging in collective contemplation; (4) creating a curriculum of play.; Each component was a piece of the work children engaged in to create parameters that helped to define what groupness meant in the context of the classroom and, more specifically, the context of the temporary peer group of which they were a part. This unofficial curriculum of groupness defined how children could and should participate in the social group---it was about rules and creating a structure that allowed for order, equity, and fostering a sense of respect among peers. It was about strengthening ties with one another through uncovering common ground. It was about shaping and reshaping understandings through sharing knowledge and perspectives. And finally, it was about children building upon their natural tendency to play and be playful as a way of amusing themselves and others, as well as working through their questions, conflicts, and wonderings, thus deepening their understandings about their world. |
