Risk and Our Pedagogical Relation to Children: On the Playground and Beyond - Paperback

by Stephen J. Smith (Author)

Shows that "risk" is a valuable and pedagogical experience for children on the playground (and for the adults that share that experience with them) in preparation for the precarious world which children find beyond the playground.

In this thoughtful book, Stephen Smith shows how parents and educators can become aware of the positive value of risk in children's lives and how they can be challenged to take risks that are worth their while. This text is a "how so" much more than a "how to" book. It shows by evocative example and provocative questions how adults can help children mature with confidence and a strong sense of physical competence.

The analysis shows the place, silence, atmosphere, challenge, encounter, practice and possibility of risk-taking. It consistently and conscientiously draws attention to a careful, solicitous manner of being with children.

Back Jacket

In this book, Stephen Smith shows how parents and educators can become aware of the positive value of risk in children's lives and how they can be challenged to take risks that are worth their while. This text is a "how so" much more than a "how to" book. It shows by evocative example and provocative questions how adults can help children mature with confidence and a strong sense of physical competence. The analysis shows the place, silence, atmosphere, challenge, encounter, practice, and possibility of risk taking. It consistently and conscientiously draws the reader's attention to a careful, solicitous manner of being with children.

Author Biography

Stephen J. Smith is Associate Professor at Simon Fraser University.