ARTICLES
Play-based learning can set your child up for success at school and beyond (continued)
What can be gained through play-based
programs?
The inquiry-based nature of play is supported through the social
interactions of teachers and children. Teachers take an active
role in guiding children’s interactions in the play. Children are
supported in developing social skills such as cooperation, sharing
and responding to ideas, negotiating, and resolving conflicts.
As with traditional approaches, play-based early years programs
are focused on teaching and learning. In such programs, play
can be in the form of free play (activity that is spontaneous and
directed by the child), and guided play (also child-directed,
but the teacher is involved in the activity as a co-player) with
intentional teaching. Both have benefits for children’s learning.
To capitalise on these benefits, an optimum play-based program
will provide opportunities for both free play and guided play.
Teachers can also use children’s motivation and interest to
explore concepts and ideas. In this way, children acquire and
practice important academic skills and learning in a playful
context.
For example, research indicates the increased complexity of
language and learning processes used by children in play-based
programs is linked to important literacy skills. These include
understanding the structure of words and the meanings of words.
Involvement in play stimulates a child’s drive for exploration and
discovery. This motivates the child to gain mastery over their
environment, promoting focus and concentration. It also enables
the child to engage in the flexible and higher-level thinking
processes deemed essential for the 21st century learner.
These include inquiry processes of problem solving, analysing,
evaluating, applying knowledge and creativity.
Another study found children’s vocabulary and ability to tell a
story was higher in a play-based classroom than a traditional
classroom.
Teacher-led learning and direct instruction methods have their
place in educational contexts. But the evidence also points to
the benefits of quality play-based programs for our youngest
learners. In play-based programs, time spent in play is seen as
important for learning, not as a reward for good behaviour. In
such classrooms, children have greater, more active input into
what and how they learn.
Play also supports positive attitudes to learning. These include
imagination, curiosity, enthusiasm, and persistence. The type
of learning processes and skills fostered in play cannot be
replicated through rote learning, where there is an emphasis on
remembering facts.
Research shows play-based programs for young children can
provide a strong basis for later success at school. They support
the development of socially competent learners, able to face
challenges and create solutions.
This article was first published in ‘The Conversation’ on 22nd
February, 2018. Once again SEN is most grateful to ‘The
Conversation’ for its generous policy of encouraging republishing
of articles, and also to the authors, Natalie Robertson, Anne-Marie
Morrissey and Elizabeth Rouse, who wrote this interesting article.
Natalie is a Lecturer in Early Childhood Education, Anne-Marie is
a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education and Elizabeth is
also a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education, all at Deakin
University.
Learning in guided play: teachers help children with educational
tasks during play.
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