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LANGUAGE IS WHAT KIDS NEED
For better or for worse , home
learning has given parents a front-row seat to their child ’ s school experience . For many parents , it ’ s a surprise to see how education has developed over the last few decades . It can be quite a lot to try to help your child with their home learning and at the same time adjust to today ’ s approach to education .
At Hong Kong International School ’ s Lower Primary School ( LPS ), students from ages four through seven learn through play . On the one hand , this makes sense : Kids love to play , and watching a child grow out of babyhood , parents can see how by playing their child starts to understand the world . On the other hand , at some point doesn ’ t a child have to start academic life and get into the structure of school ? Surely kids can play on their own time , and do schoolwork while at school ?
But this ignores a basic truth about childhood . Kids are playful ! They understand the world through play because it is the developmentallyappropriate way for them to access and synthesize new information . And schools must provide the environment for students to be able to thrive .
“ The number one thing you want to provide for any child is that love of
learning by creating a fun and engaging environment , through the programs , facilities , and community . The more opportunities for fun , the more they are going to be engaged , focused , and learn ,” says LPS principal Geoff Heney .
For many parents , nagging questions and uncertainties remain about what their child is actually learning through this play . At HKIS , we can see this through three big areas : Literacy , mathematics , and social-emotional learning ( SEL ).
Literacy Parents can get caught up in the surface of what their kids can do academically , and when they start at school , parents have a sense of urgency : My child needs to know how to write all the letters properly , and soon !
While it ’ s easy to see if a child is spelling a word correctly , or if they can read the words on a page , these aren ’ t strong indicators of how literate a child is . Writers have to be able to get their ideas and stories across : Is your child an idea generator ? Can they tell a good story ? Building a story comes naturally to children as they play with each other , or play alone with toys .
Adults can help children build on their strengths , by posing questions , rather than correcting . Do they understand the ideas in the book ? Do they have opinions about the text ? “ We want to build skilled readers and writers ; kids who love reading and writing and identify as readers and writers ,” explains Kristina Kyle , the LPS ’ s literacy coach .
Mathematics In the same way that teachers at HKIS help students see themselves as writers , we want them to see themselves as mathematicians , too . Math isn ’ t only about sums , it ’ s about thinking creatively , taking risks , problem solving , and using language effectively . We work with students to explain their thinking , and keep it playful . For example , what can a student tell us about how to get to 34 ? It ’ s three tens and four ones ! It ’ s two twelves and a ten ! Students are showing their flexibility as thinkers and have a stronger sense of how our number system works . Just like with a story , they are visualizing the “ problem ”, understanding it , and working it out .
Guided play is one way we encourage students to see math as part of everyday life , with adults asking questions to deepen learning . LPS Math coach Quynh Nguyen