ABSTRACT
This story emerges from a community-engagement agenda developed by a major employer in two remote mining towns in South Australia. The chapter is a study in three parts – presenting children’s perspectives, excerpts from educator interviews and Mel Kemenyvary’s reflections. As a university-qualified primary school teacher, Mel has moved into and out of a preschool and the first years of school, working alongside others in a small desert school. Her participation in three years of professional development projects (facilitated by Sydney-based project team member Alma Fleet and her local colleague Angela) has encouraged Mel to embed play-based pedagogies in her teaching. Having discovered some resistance from those around her, and wanting to understand more about her positioning in this landscape, Mel interviewed former students, friends and colleagues to explore both the highlights and complexities of prioritising play when teaching and learning alongside young children. Analysis throughout identifies key elements in the data.
