Fair Play: Play and Community in Inclusive Settings, Considered Through the Philosophies of John Dewey and Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Abstract

An inclusive education setting is one in which students with and without disabilities are able to learn and play in the same educational setting. Inclusion does not happen simply by placing students of varying ability levels in the same classroom; the community must be sculpted by the educators. Rousseau and Dewey lend us valuable perspective as well as pedagogical recommendations regarding the role play can take in an inclusive setting. I explore this complex issue through two texts, Democracy and Education and Emile. Both texts emphasize the importance of a student’s development of self, as well as argue that play is an important part of children’s educational experience. Rousseau and Dewey differ, however, in the extent social interaction should impact the education and development of children. As I explore these works and consider specific examples from my own experience at the Experimental Education Unit, I hope to discover how these philosophers’ arguments concerning pedagogical strategies for play can illuminate the importance of play in quality inclusive education.