"I USED A TECHNIQUE TO BEAT HIM!"

EDUCATIONAL PROCESSES AMONG PEERS IN THE PLAYFUL EPISODES OF INFORMAL LEARNING DURING RECESS

Abstract

This article aims to portray educational processes generated by children during playful episodes of informal learning. For this purpose, in the context of recess at a public municipal elementary school, we investigated the experiences of peer-to-peer games/play during 'small playful societies,' based on 'encounters with children' as a method of observation and listening. The episodes recorded in the field diary in narrative form were analyzed inductively using Content Analysis, which resulted in three categories: episodes of collective games/play; episodes of gymnastic games/play; and episodes of competitive games/play. In each episode, the children developed their own ways of structuring the games/play through the sharing of playful knowledge, appropriation, negotiation, and creative reinterpretation of rules, environments, and materials. The results highlight the children's ability to create their own cultures, knowledge, and ways of constructing them with peers in a meaningful and contextualized manner. Finally, we emphasize the importance of informal contexts, such as recess, in fostering encounters and child-centered practices that drive knowledge, repertoires, and inventive ways of acting among children.