Disrupting the Aistear hour: working towards a play-based curriculum in early childhood classrooms in Irish primary schools

In a climate of pandemic recovery and taking this opportunity to be reflective and reflexive in our practice we set out to examine how we can make a change to the playful experiences of children aged 4-6 years old in Irish infant primary classrooms. As teacher educators in play and play-based learning, in higher education, we are confronted by pedagogical cultures and classroom experiences within early primary settings that turn play on and off for a period during the day. This is a practice commonly referred to as the 'Aistear hour'. The aim of this project was to explore our own current understandings and to improve our professional approaches to teaching student teachers about play-based pedagogy and practices. Participants (n = 9) in this small-scale survey research study were tutor colleagues involved in the teaching of elements of Early Childhood and Professional Practice Placement modules. The results indicate a serious need for a professional collective discussion on the adult 'hijacking' of play and the need for a rights-based approach to ensure very young children have control and voice in their play experiences in early primary classrooms.