EDUC 4: Play Based Learning
Creating Play Based Learning Environments:
Inquiry and Play
Austin White
Values and Beliefs
Based on your interpretation of the article “Your Image of the Child” and your understanding of the Unique Features of Play (Dietze & Kashin, 2012), Motivation, Active Engagement and Process rather
than Product, describe what you believe and value around how children learn.
Provide information about what your image of the child is or how do you see children’s capacity for learning? Your answer should be reflective of both of these resources and not just a personal opinion. (Playing and Learning in Early Childhood Education pg. 36-42)
Motivation
I wholeheartedly believe that children learn best when they are motivated and enjoy what they are doing. As educators, we can create activities that may peak a child’s curiosity. We can “make changes to the environment so that the child explores and makes new connections.” (Dietze & Kashin, pg. 40, 2012) When children become invested in an event or experience, new learning events can be created. For example: Jimmy’s has been in love with the sand table and seems to want to learn more about sand. The educator can take this opportunity to involve Jimmy in researching what you might find near sand, and what else you might do with it.
Another event that can motivate a child is having an adult observe them. “When the child is observed, the child is happy – it’s almost an honor that he is observed by an adult.” (Malaguzzi, pg. 54, 1994) By having somebody else view what you’re doing and be content with what you’re doing, can be a great motivator to continue.
Active Engagement
I believe children should always be given opportunities for active play. When children have the space and freedom to explore, they grow as individuals; developing strong skills in “problem solving, sharing, cooperation, and expansion of curiosity.” (Dietze & Kashin, pg. 41, 2012) Children also learn a great deal from co-playing with adults. “The Children control the play, thus determining the role that the adult will have.” (Dietze & Kashin, pg. 64, 2012) I personally believe children learn a lot when there is an adult (preferably one with a good relationship with the children) nearby to play alongside them. I believe that an adult should be more than a transmitter of information, but “a creator of relationships”
(Malaguzzi, pg. 55, 1994) as well.
Process Rather Than Product
“Process rather than product” - truly a quote to remember. When working with children, I’d rather observe what they did to get to that end goal, not just the goal itself. If a child is given a topic, and all they have to do is create something based around that topic, it allows them to “try new ideas, combine new ideas with current knowledge, and rethink.” (Dietze & Kashin, pg. 41, 2012)
When children engage themselves in activities; for true creativity, “children need to be in control of their play by being given the freedom to engage in play, explore, and make mistakes.” (Dietze & Kashin, pg. 42, 2012) This quotation follows my beliefs quite closely, because children need freedom to further their learning. The subject of ‘loose parts’ goes along quite well with this, because you can provide children
Play
After reviewing 4- 6 video’s in the “Seeing Children’s Ideas” video list, students are asked to offer rich reflection on what you saw and how these observations connect to the four Characteristics of play outlined in Chapter 2. For each characteristic provide connecting evidence showing your understanding of play through a reflective lens. Pg. 46)
Stacking Tires (Age 4) Play is active
Jensen, the main focus of the video, was stacking tires on each other in order to create towers. The activity Jensen was participating in required vigorous movement and forethought, as she had to know how many tires went on each tower, and how many tires she’d have to drag or roll over to her towers. Jensen had the ability to recognize “the awareness of spatial relationships is the ability to see and understand two or more objects in relation to each other and to oneself.” (Eckersley, 2012) Jensen understood her environment and where objects needed to go and how they utilized.
Play is child-initiated and focused
Not once did the educator who was recording Jensen, ask her to do anything in a specific order or certain way. Jensen had the complete freedom to choose to work with tires. The experience that unfolded may not have went as beautifully as it did, if the educator intervened to assist Jensen with the tires that were too heavy. If the educator simply did it herself, Jensen wouldn’t have had the opportunity to try for herself; never gaining the opportunity gain strategies. Therefore, when an educator takes over, or fully leads, the play “would not have had the same richness as what the child brought forth.” (Dietze & Kashin, pg. 47, 2012)
Play is process-oriented
As Jensen played with her tire towers, she constantly displayed a serious, focused look; she was completely focused on completing her tower no matter what may have gotten in her way. “When children engage in play experiences that allow them to play for the true pleasure of the experience rather than to achieve a finished product at the end of the play episode, the play is richer.”
(Dietze & Kashin, pg. 47, 2012) Jensen was essentially the boss of her project, and nobody could tell her what she could build, and what she couldn’t.
Play is symbolic and transformational
On many occasions throughout Jensen’s building, she had to “think outside the box”. When she was building her towers, she ended up building one of them too high and needed to construct a way to place another tire on her tower. When she realized she needed to acquire another tire, she decided to lean the tire she was currently using right on her tower. This way she won’t need to lift it all the way up, just lightly turn it upright.
Just before getting her leaning tire ready for lifting, Jensen had to go out and grab another tire – a larger one this time. She used her previous strategies of acquiring the larger tire by rolling it over. Jensen then used the larger tire as a stepstool, thus giving her enough height to place her tire she had in reserve on top of the tower. Overall, Jensen had to be “creative and spontaneous” (Dietze & Kashin, pg. 48, 2012) in order to finish her towers.
Co-Constructing Stories (Age 4) Play is active
The two children in this video were utilizing the materials in their environment to create a story. The young boy was using some dinosaurs to enact a scene where a few dinosaurs were superheroes and another was a supervillain. The young girl had her character hide while the boy had the superheroes defeating the villain. They both were taking turns in their play in order to tell their story.
“To merge his play with the girl’s play, the boy pretends each of his animals gives the child a blanket. He then puts his animals aside, which ends his story line and allows him to move more directly into the girl’s play.” (Videatives, Co-Constructing Stories, 2013)
Play is child-initiated and focused
As the two children were playing, the educator never guided the children’s idea’s or decisions. The two kids were clearly focused on creating their own story, and had no need for an educator’s intervention. The young boy was focused on creating his part of the story, while taking suggestions from the girl he was playing with. After he finished his story, he quickly integrated himself into her story.
Play is process-oriented
While creating their story, the educator never provided them with an initiator. The children seemed to have decided they should create a story by suggesting ideas with each other. As the two children “exchanged ideas and materials during play” (Excerpts; pg. 47, Social, 1.6 Co-operating) they either agreed on certain ideas and went through with them; adding them to the final product, or suggesting other options.
Play is symbolic and transformational
An event that stands out for the young boy is how he tries to work with the young girl by adding in his idea’s to her story. “The boy takes some initiative to rearrange the scarves but the girl says, “No, no, no, no, no” (Videatives, Co-Constructing Stories, 2013) When this happens, he seems to struggle with the situation and walks away from the girl, and only seems to get reconnected with her when she asks him for further help. This experience for the young boy would be “learning about life through play”
(Dietze & Kashin, pg. 48, 2012). By further experiences, he’d learn that, not every person may agree with his ideas.
A Universal Game for Toddlers (Age 2) Play is active
Scarlett and Jack are two younger children who’re discovering parallel play. At first, Scarlett notices Jack but runs away. Though, something seemed to interest Scarlett and she returned back over to Jack. They are separated by a wall with slits in between, so they’re able to see each other’s eyes when peeking through; because of this, a spontaneous game of peek-a-boo begins. The two children were having a social interest by “observing and imitating peers” (Excerpts; pg. 29, Social, 1.1 Social Interest)
Play is child-initiated and focused
The entirety of this experience was sparked by the children’s curiosity. On a few occasions, Scarlett did leave Jack only to return to Jack who was patiently waiting back at the wall. Throughout the game, Scarlett was constantly switching up her position of showing herself. Right near the end, Scarlett says something along the lines of “I saw!” (Videatives, A Universal Game for Toddlers, 2013), and the educator
Play is process-oriented
As Jack and Scarlett were playing, they had “total concentration on the play.” (Dietze & Kashin, pg. 47, 2012) They were focused on each other’s reactions and nobody else’s (until the end with Scarlett). The process of viewing each other was constantly changing. Beginning by looking at each other through the slits of wood. Secondly, by Scarlett running away, but returning shortly right after to continue. Thirdly, Scarlett begins to peek out of the sides of the wall, all the while Jack waited for Scarlett’s eventual return.
Play is symbolic and transformational
On many occasions Scarlett stepped outside of the box in order to try to new approaches. Many times she was probably thinking “if I try this, I wonder if…” (Dietze & Kashin, pg. 48, 2012). Scarlett tried many different ways of approaching Jack. Maybe to get a different reaction? If so, this was a great use of “creativity, spontaneity, and exploration” (Dietze & Kashin, pg. 48, 2012) by Scarlett.
Role of the Educator in Play
What do you see as your role in supporting children’s play? What do you see as your strengths in this work as well as the challenges you may face?
I believe my role in supporting children’s play is to create welcoming and appropriate environments for children to explore. In almost every situation, I’d prefer the children be the initiators of an experience because “children are intrinsically motivated when they have the freedom to choose materials and play topics.” (Dietze & Kashin, pg. 47, 2012)
When supporting children while playing, adults should always avoid pressuring children into trying to do something “the correct way”; children learn better when given opportunities to learn on their own. The strengths I believe I have for this work is the ability to easily begin ‘co-playing’ with children. By playing alongside children, building strong relationships with children can begin. Secondly, I’m fully able to support children’s individuality as well as socialization, by creating exploration centers for children to socialize with educators or children. This allows children to choose where they want to explore and express their thoughts.
Challenges may include children being unwilling to participate in active play. They may be unwilling to engage in the current activities, or may have no attachments with the children and educators in their environment; ‘causing the child to feel like there’s no place for them to go.
(Dietze & Kashin, pg. 36-37, 2012)
Another challenge that supports children’s play may involve the learning environment itself. The learning environment can encourage or limit how a child is motivated. The environment can be a ladder of experiences or a wall, because “the more a child is driven by interest and curiosity, the more carefully she attends to her teachers.” (Dietze & Kashin, pg. 37, 2012)
References
Seeing Children's Ideas (D2L resource found in Inquiry and Play)
(Videatives, Co-Constructing Stories, 2013) (Videatives, A Universal Game for Toddlers, 2013) (Videatives, Stacking Tires, 2013)
Retrieved from: https://streaming.videatives.com/playlists/share/7f2e78f3999a9271411756a86268bc53
(Zian Eckersley, August 4, 2012)
Occupational Therapy for Children
Retrieved from: http://occupationaltherapyforchildren.over-blog.com/article-spatial-awareness-108726104.html
Excerpts from the Elect (OELF, 2014, Ontario’s Early Learning Framework)
Pages, skills, and domains used:
(Excerpts; pg. 29, Social, 1.1 Social Interest) (Excerpts; pg. 47, Social, 1.6 Co-operating)
