Working Together at Mat Time: Politics of Participation

Abstract

Learning as part of a group on the mat is a common experience in children’s early education and socialisation. Indeed, many classrooms world have a mat, to which the children are called in addition to chairs and tables (Poveda, 2001). Nonetheless, very little research exists about activity using the mat in junior classrooms either locally or internationally, particularly in relation to children’s perspectives. This paper reports recent findings from a doctoral study that investigated children’s experiences of working together on the mat in three year-two classrooms. Data were gathered through video-observations of teacher-facilitated activity on the mat and semi-structured interviews with children and teachers. The findings suggested that participation on the mat was affected by children’s relationships with each other. Specifically, social dynamics within the children’s peer group appeared to enable or block active participation for particular individuals. Teachers utilised inclusive strategies to ameliorate the affect of the peer group and to enhance participation for children who struggled to secure an active role.