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| Image courtesy of clipartof.com To fully understand the concept of play-based learning I feel we must develop our own understanding of what play means to us. I see play as any activity that is controlled by children which provides orientated and intrinsically motivated engagement of people, mostly children, using objects within their surroundings. It is the action of creating using their imagination, play is pretending. To me play-based learning is simply the providing of experiences for children to promote interactions with different people, equipment, resources and perspectives that will promote them to individually develop an understanding of their world through integrating with people. Kennedy and Barblett provided a more scholarly definition when they state, “The Early Years Learning Framework defines play-based learning as: ‘A context for learning through which children organise and make sense of their social worlds, as they engage actively with people, objects and representations’,” (2010. p.3). However simply it can be worded, the act of providing play-based learning is not in itself a simple task. This does not mean that we should not consider its merits simply because it is hard work. The following quote by personal development mentor Steve Pavlina (n.d) is an interesting thought that puts purpose and hard work into perspective, “When you live for a strong purpose, then hard work isn’t an option. It’s a necessity”. This level of work involved in the representation, construction and assessment of knowledge through the incorporation of play-based learning will be discussed in my blog at a later date. Play-based learning provides children today with skills that are not only invaluable for our current society but also for the unknowns of their future. Advancements of technology within our society and our every changing economy demand our education system must be such that it provides all students with the skills that are vital to ensure the growth and survival of humanity. Our students must be independent thinkers, problems solvers, have resilience and strive to be lifelong learners that are futures orientated. These capabilities are the real life skills needed by the citizens in our society which, I feel, will develop independently in children provided with a play-based learning education. Downey and Garzoli (2007) tell us that play provides children with, enjoyment, building of social skills and roles, exploration, making sense of themselves and the world, adaptation, learning, creativity, experimentation, expression, survival, exercise power, dealing with emotions, release of stress, testing of limits, risk-taking, development of the “whole” child, as well as bonding and making friends. As educators, we can see the benefits for students to master the real-life application of these cognitive skills in promoting resilient, future orientated lifelong learners. When looking to the theorists to help understand the importance of play in early education I find myself agreeing with Vygotsky’s contemporary concept that play is a social action that allows children to incorporate rules into their imaginary games. Vygotsky’s explains that children, in their play, incorporate social rules they have seen into imaginary situations, highlighting how play leads cognitive development through their inclusion of social concepts, manipulatives and actions. Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development (ZPD) theory shows how a child’s social interactions impact upon their acquisition of knowledge and understanding by assessing what is achievable independently and what they will require assistance with, allows me to understand the importance of incorporating scaffolding into planning learning experiences (Dockett & Fleer. 2002).  Image courtesy of clipartof.com andrebertel.blogspot.com As a tactile or kinaesthetic learner myself, I can fully understand the importance of a hands on way of learning that has relevance to real life and is motivated by enjoyment and engagement. During this course we have read may article stressing the importance of using play to promote learning in children. The complexity of some of these articles has often caused me some confusion when trying to understanding how theorists have arrived at their conclusion of play-based early education. Through my own research on this topic I have come across an organisation based in America, The National Network for Child Care (2006), which incorporates information and research from universities, parents, other professionals, practitioners, and the general public in a simplistic way, highlighting the reasoning behind play-based learning and the perception of all our societies’ stakeholders. I found the following statement demonstrated how some children may view the chalk and talk method of education that we have been using. The National Network for Child Care (1996) writes, We need only try to read a page of words in a foreign language to realize that words alone do not have meanings. Someone once said that words are like empty cups. It is only through varied, first-person real life experience that words are filled with meaning for the young child. Website Links Pertaining To This Topic Newspaper Article Links Pertaining To This Topic References Barblett, L. & Kennedy, A. (2010). Learning and teaching through play Supporting the Early Years Learning Framework. Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/eylfplp/pdf/RIP1003%20EYLF_sample.pdf Dockett, S. & Fleer, M. (2002). Play and Pedagogy in Early Childhood Bending the Rules. Southbank, VIC: THOMAS LEARNING Downey, J. & Garzoli, E. (2007). The Effectiveness of a Play-Based Curriculum in Early Childhood Education. Retrieved from http://teachplaybasedlearning.com/8.html Finest Quotes. (n.d.) Hard work Quotes. http://www.finestquotes.com/select_quote-category-Hard%20Work-page-0.htm National Network for Child Care. (1996). BETTER KID CARE: PLAY IS THE BUSINESS OF KIDS. Retrieved from http://www.nncc.org/Curriculum/better.play.html |
Sunday, January 1, 2012
What is play based learning and why use it?
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After posting this comment I realised that I feel that to fully understand the concept of play-based learning I feel we must develop our own understanding of what play means to us. I see play as any activity that is controlled by children which provides orientated and intrinsically motivated engagement of people, mostly children, using objects within their surroundings. It is the action of creating using their imagination, play is pretending.
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