Play-based Learning Activities

Pathway into Play Conference delivered by Longworth- The Nitty Gritty of Play at CASS(Central Auckland Special School)

I attended a Play-based conference during the school holidays
(15 and 16th of July,2020). During this conference, I was impressed
and filled by the knowledge and skills shared by the educators and
teachers from other schools. Caroline(a colleague) and I came back
and rearranged the set up of our classrooms to give our learners an
opportunity to play during the day.

Here is a clip of what happened to our students when we
set up our classrooms.

My hypothesis is:
IF I ...use what motivates my students to learn THEN...my students will engage longer.
IF I….give lots of opportunities for my students to practise the skills in a play-based learning approach THEN my students will be happier to take part in a group situation.
IF I …..slow down and work on smaller and achievable steps THEN...my students are likely to engage and achieve the bigger goal.
Images of students playing  inside the classroom

    

What have I noticed?

• Learners were attracted to the activities set up.
• All learners had something to play with.
• Learners were engaged.
• The classroom was quieter and more relaxed.
• Learners were very happy.
• Learners managed themselves.
• Less physical handling of students.

Continuing Inquiry into current teaching

Continuing Inquiry into current teaching…..

After Analysing the video with my colleague, we reflected on our practice and set our next steps. 
Step 2-work in a 1:1 situation with 2 students (student and student) but staff still support.

These 2 learners are my target students. Their  level of social communication
and play interaction suggested by “The Hanen Program” are at OWN AGENDA and
REQUESTER”

These students are pretty much at the Solitary play. They play alone and are only
interested in their own activity and not interested in what others are doing.

Reflection on step 1 and 2 procedures approach.

Step 1-reflection

My 2 target students have achieved step 1 approach (working with a staff in
a 1:1 situation). They were able to engage in this marble run activity for up
to 5 minutes and they loved this activity. This is a big achievement!!

Step 2-reflection-

These 2 students managed to sit at the table with me and engage in the marble run
activity. They were able to engage for up to 3 minutes. The goal of this activity was
to keep them engaged and for staff to support them.  

During this session, I was not confident that they would be engaged as well
as working on their Maths Goal (Find the number card, count the marbles and drop
the marbles through the cardboard tube). My intention was to keep them engaged
as well as working on their Maths learning goal. However, because I focused more
on keeping them engaged I was not able to balance both.

Next step

I will give my two target students more time on step 2. Providing them with more
time to work on step 2 will give me comfort and confidence that they will remain
engaged while working towards their learning targets.

Reference: Stages of play Retrieved from
https://pathways.org/kids-learn-play-6-stages-play-development/

Stages of Play

Unoccupied Play (Birth-3 Months)

At this stage, babies are just making a lot of movements with their arms, legs,
hands, feet, etc. They are learning about and discovering how their body
moves.

Solitary Play (Birth-2 Years)

This is the stage when a child plays alone. They are not interested in playing
with others quite yet.

Spectator/Onlooker Behavior (2 Years)

During this stage, a child begins to watch other children playing but does not
play with them.

Parallel Play (2+ Years)

When a child plays alongside or near others but does not play with them this
stage is referred to as parallel play.

Associate Play (3-4 Years)

When a child starts to interact with others during play, but there is not a large
amount of interaction at this stage. A child might be doing an activity related
to the kids around him, but might not actually be interacting with another child.
For example, kids might all be playing on the same piece of playground
equipment but all doing different things like climbing, swinging, etc.

Cooperative Play (4+ years)

When a child plays together with others and has an interest in both the
activity and other children involved in playing they are participating in
cooperative play.

 Reference-Piaget Cognitive Stages of Development

Retrieved from ttps://www.kidzapp.in/piaget-cognitive-stages-of-development/