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The power of play
January 30, 2013, Wednesday
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STUDYING ABCs and 123s means young children are getting an education, right? Not without quality play experiences, says leading educator Elizabeth Randall: the learning that takes place during play offers deeper, broader educational development.
In a classroom of three-year-olds, a young boy sends his toy car whizzing up a ramp. A little girl shapes dough balls to make cookies. A small group dresses up as firefighters, ballerinas and doctors, and a child puts a baby doll "down for a nap." It's playtime, but in this classroom, it's also learning time.
"Young children make sense of their world through play and discovery," says Elizabeth Randall, superintendent of Early Childhood Education (ECE) at Yew Chung International School (YCIS).
"At a very young age, they already have theories about physics, maths and science because they've had experiences that have given them the opportunity to think about how things work. The boy playing with his car had a theory about how he might make it go up the ramp, and was thinking about aspects of power, speed and motion. Children build up little theories on their journey of learning, and every experience helps them make sense of the world around them."
Randall continues: "If aparent wondered about learning through play, 'Where are the academics? Why are they 'playing' at school? Shouldn't they be learning?' I would explain that they are learning in a very meaningful way, and that children who learn through play are active learners who are problem solvers and thinkers, not passive receivers of information. What's really important for effective learning and development is the ability to wonder, to be curious, to handle materials, to experiment, to be social, to have opportunities to learn. We want students to learn in an enabling environment that is filled with appropriate material and resources that help them learn, grow and develop."
Randall is quick to point out that it's crucial for teachers to be constantly listening, observing and interacting with their students, to support the children's learning. At YCIS, where each ECE classroom has Co-Teachers, both teachers guide the children with thought-provoking questions and comments in English and Chinese.
"It was only when the little boy, who was racing his car up the ramp, finally succeeded that his teacher asked him why he had taken away the final block, knowing it would give him the opportunity to share what he now knew and understood through his play," explains Randall. "We need to know what the child is thinking. You can see their actions or drawings, but when you hear and understand their words you know what they are thinking."
The process of enquiry is at the heart of early childhood education at YCIS, where education is seen as a journey that encourages discovery, rather than passive learning. Instead of Co-Teachers giving students the answers, children are encouraged to construct knowledge, with the support of teachers, about various topics of interest using a number of resources. Over time, children become comfortable with the process of enquiry and begin this process naturally.
As enquiries about different topics emerge from the children's play, teachers listen for interests that lend themselves to in-depth explorations.
Randall recounts a visit to an ECE classroom where students were building a tall tower from blocks. One student exclaimed that he wanted to build the tower to Mars, while another student responded that this was impossible. The Co-Teachers saw this interchange as an opportunity to initiate a more in-depth study, and from this play experience, the class then went on to explore and research buildings, architecture and the solar system.
Co-Teachers work together to plan how to help the class move forward with these topics based on their interactions and observations of the students, and they need to plan and anticipate where each topic might go in order to prepare the classroom environment to provoke more learning. Once the resources are in place, and they have spent time actively engaging the children, they work together to document each child's progress carefully, so they can prepare activities which help every child's further development.
Children are thirsty for knowledge and they are passionately curious about the world around them and how it works. With Co-Teachers supporting them as they play, they make meaningful discoveries, as they learn in a deep and lasting way.
"At YCIS, we focus on children's learning and strategies that enable children to succeed," says Randall. "In our world today, meaningful learning through play is important - it will prepare children for a lifetime of successful learning."
Learning at home
For young children, the support of the home in the learning experience is key. Elizabeth Randall offers her top tips for supporting your child's learning at home:
Read with your child as frequently as you can. Choose books that are of high interest to your child.
Model for your child the use of listening, speaking, reading and writing in the home, and involve your child so he sees the importance and real purpose of these skills.
Listen to your child, and have conversations that enable him to share his opinions and thoughts about how and why things happen.
Learn about the world together through real, shared experiences. Your child will have many questions which are best answered by finding out the answers together.
Observe your child during play time together – you might see and hear things that start a great conversation.
In a classroom of three-year-olds, a young boy sends his toy car whizzing up a ramp. A little girl shapes dough balls to make cookies. A small group dresses up as firefighters, ballerinas and doctors, and a child puts a baby doll "down for a nap." It's playtime, but in this classroom, it's also learning time.
"Young children make sense of their world through play and discovery," says Elizabeth Randall, superintendent of Early Childhood Education (ECE) at Yew Chung International School (YCIS).
"At a very young age, they already have theories about physics, maths and science because they've had experiences that have given them the opportunity to think about how things work. The boy playing with his car had a theory about how he might make it go up the ramp, and was thinking about aspects of power, speed and motion. Children build up little theories on their journey of learning, and every experience helps them make sense of the world around them."
Randall continues: "If aparent wondered about learning through play, 'Where are the academics? Why are they 'playing' at school? Shouldn't they be learning?' I would explain that they are learning in a very meaningful way, and that children who learn through play are active learners who are problem solvers and thinkers, not passive receivers of information. What's really important for effective learning and development is the ability to wonder, to be curious, to handle materials, to experiment, to be social, to have opportunities to learn. We want students to learn in an enabling environment that is filled with appropriate material and resources that help them learn, grow and develop."
Randall is quick to point out that it's crucial for teachers to be constantly listening, observing and interacting with their students, to support the children's learning. At YCIS, where each ECE classroom has Co-Teachers, both teachers guide the children with thought-provoking questions and comments in English and Chinese.
"It was only when the little boy, who was racing his car up the ramp, finally succeeded that his teacher asked him why he had taken away the final block, knowing it would give him the opportunity to share what he now knew and understood through his play," explains Randall. "We need to know what the child is thinking. You can see their actions or drawings, but when you hear and understand their words you know what they are thinking."
The process of enquiry is at the heart of early childhood education at YCIS, where education is seen as a journey that encourages discovery, rather than passive learning. Instead of Co-Teachers giving students the answers, children are encouraged to construct knowledge, with the support of teachers, about various topics of interest using a number of resources. Over time, children become comfortable with the process of enquiry and begin this process naturally.
As enquiries about different topics emerge from the children's play, teachers listen for interests that lend themselves to in-depth explorations.
Randall recounts a visit to an ECE classroom where students were building a tall tower from blocks. One student exclaimed that he wanted to build the tower to Mars, while another student responded that this was impossible. The Co-Teachers saw this interchange as an opportunity to initiate a more in-depth study, and from this play experience, the class then went on to explore and research buildings, architecture and the solar system.
Co-Teachers work together to plan how to help the class move forward with these topics based on their interactions and observations of the students, and they need to plan and anticipate where each topic might go in order to prepare the classroom environment to provoke more learning. Once the resources are in place, and they have spent time actively engaging the children, they work together to document each child's progress carefully, so they can prepare activities which help every child's further development.
Children are thirsty for knowledge and they are passionately curious about the world around them and how it works. With Co-Teachers supporting them as they play, they make meaningful discoveries, as they learn in a deep and lasting way.
"At YCIS, we focus on children's learning and strategies that enable children to succeed," says Randall. "In our world today, meaningful learning through play is important - it will prepare children for a lifetime of successful learning."
Learning at home
For young children, the support of the home in the learning experience is key. Elizabeth Randall offers her top tips for supporting your child's learning at home:
Read with your child as frequently as you can. Choose books that are of high interest to your child.
Model for your child the use of listening, speaking, reading and writing in the home, and involve your child so he sees the importance and real purpose of these skills.
Listen to your child, and have conversations that enable him to share his opinions and thoughts about how and why things happen.
Learn about the world together through real, shared experiences. Your child will have many questions which are best answered by finding out the answers together.
Observe your child during play time together – you might see and hear things that start a great conversation.
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