Play, the Work of Children - Case Study Example

RuningHead: “PLAY, THE WORK OF CHILDREN” “Play, the work of children” Name Course Institution Date “Play, the work of children” Introduction Play is a fundamental tool through which children can learn about themselves, others and their environment. Play makes it possible for children to explore and experiment various aspect of life thus enabling children to experience a healthy development. Over time, play-based activities in early childhood education curriculum has gradually gained momentum. As a result, different arguments against and for this development have been expressed in an attempt to establish the significance of establishing play-based activities in the class-room (Clements &Fiorentino, 2004). Evidently, play has an invaluable role in the learning growth of children and therefore it is essential for play-based activities to be incorporated in the class-room so as to aid the holistic development of children with regards to education and other social aspects. According to Patterson (2004, p 111), play is a common phrase in early childhood education. Nevertheless, it is worth questioning, the significance of play in the children’s learning growth and what it means for educators to incorporate play when preparing and designing learning activities. This paper seeks to present an incisive and comprehensive outlook on play in early childhood education. This paper will explore the various issues revolving around play-based activities in the classroom. It will depict the significance of play in children’s learning growth. Moreover, this paper will examine what it means for educators to incorporate play when preparing and designing learning activities. Furthermore, this paper will explore different arguments against and for establishing play-based activities in the class-room. In order to fully comprehend the various issues revolving around play in early childhood education, this paper will depict a case study to justify the decision of educators in incorporating play-based activities in the class-room. Play in Early Childhood Education In reference to the sentiments expressed by Patterson (2004, p 111), the apparent issues revolve around the significance of establishing play-based activities in the class-room in early child hood education. Patterson has depicted issues with regards to what play means to children’s learning growth and educators as they incorporate play-based activities when preparing and designing learning activities in the classroom. Patterson’s sentiments are relevant to early childhood care and education since it fosters the need for more understanding on the role and significance of play to both the children and educators. Early childhood education present a platform for building a firm foundation for children and thus models used at this stage should be child oriented. It is at this stage that children, attain their values, attitudes and beliefs and build their self-worth. If children have a strong foundation they are bound to experience a healthy and successful development through out other stages of development in their lives. In order for early childhood education to provide children with a strong foundation for their future, this model of education should acknowledge the diversity and uniqueness of children and incorporate various methods of exploration and acquiring knowledge in the classroom. Play is one of the key models of child training that should be used in order to actualise the goals of early childhood education (Clements &Fiorentino 2004, p114). Effective education that promotes child development actively involves the verbal, physical, mental, emotional and social aspects of the child. Most child plays often incorporate these dimensions thus promoting the development (Dimidjian, 1992, p.13). Often, child play is considered as an informal and trivial matter thus it often not given the seriousness that it deserves. Dimidjian (1992, p13) observes that when children play they are working, play for children is therefore a necessary and serious business. Educators in the likes of Fred Rogers strongly believed in the positive impacts of play on children, previous research studies support Roger’s beliefs. For instance, Plato conveyed to educators not to employ compulsion rather they should let early education be a form of amusement (Armstrong, 1994, p. 49). Jean-Jacques Rousseau in his book, “Emile” accentuates that children do not learn through words, instead they learn through experience (Armstrong, 1994). The incorporation of play in the early childhood curriculum is an open-ended approach with motivating dimensions that enable children to be creative in problem solving situations. Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences provides philosophical ideas that accentuate on the significance of play in early childhood education. Gardner (1993), points out that the key aim of education should be to help individuals develop intelligence in order to actualise their goals through their different scales of intelligences. Gardner notes that each individual poses seven forms of intelligence namely; linguistic, logical, spatial, musical, interpersonal, bodily kinesthetic and intrapersonal intelligence (Gardner,1993).Based on these forms of intelligences, it is therefore imperative for educators to give children a platform whereby they can develop these areas of intelligences through a learning approach that is multidimensional (Kagan & Kagan, 1998). Children’s plays provide an elaborate model that can be exploited so as to enable children to develop the various areas of intelligences as illustrated by Gardner. Play is thus the basis of appropriate development programs for young children (Sawyers & Rogers, 1994, p.57). Play provides favorable learning experiences for young children. The significance of play in children’s learning growth For most young children, play based activities in the class-room are “fun” or “interesting”. Children derive a sense of enjoyment and excitements from play-based activities in the classroom. These activities enable them to identity, explore and create meaning. The cognitive and intellectual benefits of play have been analyzed and documented in different studies. Most studies have concluded that children who participate in quality play activities are more likely to show behaviour regulation, language development and memory skills that in turn enhance academic learning (Bodrova & Leong, 2005). Play in early childhood education has a significant role in the physical cognitive and social development of children. It is a fundamental means through which children can explore and experiment their environment. Play fosters creativity and enhances the ability of children to positively confront challenges. Currently, propositions to minimise playtime and increase organized academic learning have been made in early childhood school systems however, reducing playtime is a detrimental move to the healthy development of children. Children who are provided with sufficient time to engage in self-directed play benefit in various ways. Play-based curriculum in early childhood education enhances the cognitive growth and development of children. It is through play that children acquire necessary skills that can be used for effective learning. Children can learn sequencing, negotiating and problem solving skills through play. According to Singer, Golonkoff and Hirsh-Pasek (2006, p.7), play helps children to discover the rules of social interaction, it enables children to build social confidence and competence when it comes to relating with their peers, this is a very crucial life skill that is essential for cooperation within the school environment. Play is even more imperative for children with learning difficulties that come as a result of emotional abuse or developmental problems. Through play these children can construct meaning from their challenging experiences and relieve stress related factors that hinder learning. Furthermore, play helps children to overcome social limitations by enabling them to manage their emotions and behavior (Singer, Golonkoff & Hirsh-Pasek, 2006). In 1970, an Israeli psychologist Sara Smilansky carried out a ground breaking research study on the significance of sociodramatic play and dramatic play. Smilansky defined dramatic play as one that consists of four elements. These elements include make-believe roles, verbal descriptions, and actions and play scenarios. Smilansky developed a model for evaluating children’s play in the settings of a pre-school. Using this evaluation model Smilansky and other researchers observed and evaluated six children at play in several pre-schools in different social-economic settings in Israel and in the United States. Smilansky also evaluated the ability of the children to organize, communicate thoughts and take part in social interactions. Subsequently, children in second grade were tested on their numeracy and literacy. The study established that the ability of children to engage in sociodramatic play and dramatic play is directly linked to the skills that are important for academic success (Almon 2004). Through this study Smilansky established that sociodramatic play activates the resources that enhance intellectual, emotional and social growth in children. As a result, this affects the performance of children in school. Smilansky identified similarities between behavior pattern brought about by sociodramatic play experiences and behaviour patterns that are required for success in academics. For instance, most academic subjects involve problem solving activities. In most cases, in order for one to solve these problems, there’s need for visualization, make-believe and conceptual construction, socio dramatic plays help to develop these dimensions. The study conducted by Smilansky illustrates that imagination is an imperative medium for learning in early childhood school years as it later helps children to excel in organized academic learning. Children should therefore be allowed to engage in play so that their inner imagination can be developed in order to enhance their learning experience (Almon 2004). Educator’s perspective on play-based activities in the classroom Educators of young children have responsibility of preparing and designing learning activities in the classroom thus their perspective and role in implementing play-based activities in the classroom is paramount. For educators, play-based activities in the classroom act as a means of drawing the attention and interest of children to various learning activities. Early childhood education is built on the premise of educators understanding childhood pedagogy or instruction strategies. The instruction strategies used by educators is one of the key aspects of evaluating the quality of children’s learning in the classroom. It is therefore essential for educators to take into account the instructional strategies used in the classroom when they prepare and design learning activities in the classroom. When incorporating play based activities in the classroom educators need to understand that underlying practice principles. Play-based activities in the classroom provide a learning context in which young children can organize, visualize and make sense of their social settings while they actively engage representations of objects and people. Early childhood educators should be articulate on play based activities in the classroom; they should clearly be able to justify and give evidence and assert the benefits of play-based learning (DEEWR, 2009, p.46). In order for educators to realize the full benefits of play based activities in the class-room, they should capitalize on incorporating appropriate play based activities in the classroom when preparing and designing learning activities. The play based activities incorporated in the classroom should involve self-regulated games that help children to explore and imagine relevant factors necessary for problem solving. Moreover, these activities should give each child an opportunity to participate and utilize their creativity. While children are playing the educator should support, observe and extend their activity by asking the children open-ended question that will cause them to reflect the lesson that they are learning by engaging in the alleged play. In the course of preparing and designing classroom learning activities, educators should plan specific play activities that relate to the different domains of learning such as mathematics, literacy and language among many other units (Hoisington, 2008). For example in a building play, an educator may introduce an activity that involves children measuring towers by counting the blocks that are contained in each tower or using other known measurement methods. The participation of children in this play may provide a teachable moment whereby the educator can impart knowledge to the children. In the course of play-based activities in the classroom educators should act as the primary documenters of the children’s experiences, successes and challenges. Subsequently, educators should use the documentation to remind the children on their previous experiences and the lessons that can be drawn out of these experiences. Furthermore, educators should use this documentation to assess the progress or developmental level of the children in the various learning units. At this stage it is essential for educators to individualize the experiences of the children in the classroom since they experiences of children during play vary. Educators should also give suggestions to children how they can extend their plays or create new plays that suit different learning objectives (Hoisington, 2008). Evidence on the Outcomes of Implementing Play Based Activities in the Classroom Howes and Smith (1995) present the findings of a study conducted on 840 children to establish whether variations in children’s cognitive activities could be explained or predicted by a number of factors including child care quality, positive social interactions or attachments with their educators and children’s play activities. The study found that there was a positive association between creative children’s play activities in preschool infants and toddlers and their levels of cognitive activities. The results were statistically significant for infants and toddlers in eight different groups - subsidized and non subsidized European American and African American infants and toddlers and preschoolers. The study also conducted tests for other categories of play activities such as language, gross motor and manipulative activities but found either a negative correlation or insignificant results (Howes and Smith 1995). This demonstrates that creative play activities when introduced in an educational setting have the effect of increasing the cognitive activity levels of children from a young age. The evidence by Howes and Smith (1995) reinforces the findings of a study by Israeli Psychologist Sara Smilansky. Smilanksy conducted research into the role of dramatic and socio dramatic play in children’s cognitive and socio-emotional development (Almon 2004). The findings of the research indicated that sociodramatic and dramatic play had various cognitive benefits for preschool children in both the US and Israel. She demonstrates that children who have engaged in creative play activities increase their chances of being success in later education stages. This can be attributed to the effects of creative play which stimulate emotional social and intellectual growth in a child. One of the gains in creative cognitive activities is higher intellectual competence exemplified by better language comprehension and problem solving strategies. Other benefits in socio-emotional activities included better abilities to engage with and relate to peers, longer attention spans and better emotional and social adjustment (Almon 2004). Further evidence of the benefits of implementation of child based play can be gleaned from the results of studies conducted on early childhood programs in Ypsilanti, Michigan (Almon 2004). By placing children with high risk of academic failure in three different programs, the study reveals that children placed under programs which encouraged child initiated and creative play activities recorded comparatively higher IQ scores than their counterparts who were placed in direct instruction programs. This implies that children under programs which encourage creative or self initiated play activities are more likely to excel academically than those in didactic or direct instruction programs. The evidence shows that implementation of child based play activities in the education system is directly associated with outcomes such as higher IQ and increased levels of cognitive activity. Arguments against Implementation of Child Based Play Activities in the Classroom The fundamental basis for the arguments against implementing child based play activities in the education system is that academics are the most important part of the learning process (Chang, Johnson &Lin 2000). In Taiwan, prevailing culture is predisposed towards the idea that completion of and excelling in academic tasks such as homework is the most important determinant of a child’s future prospects. The existing cultural beliefs place a higher premium on values such as education and hard work. This is described as the core of a narrow definition of success where children are expected to excel academically first and as a result, an exam oriented system determines parent’s perceptions of schooling and schooling practices. Parents judge their children’s success by their performance in exams with the mantra that failure in school exams directly translates to failure in life and thus instill the idea of attaining a diploma as the ultimate outcome of the education process. The early childhood education programs in most private kindergartens in Taiwan emphasise on learning the 3Rs: Reading, Writing and Arithmetic (Chang, Johnson &Lin 2000). This denies the children in such education systems the cognitive benefits associated with creative play activities. Ohanian (2002) has also critiqued the advent of the pro standards movement in the United States. The pro standards movement is presented as a series of emerging education reforms with an obsession for determining children’s success through a series of rigorous standardized tests. The implication of such educational practices is that little time is left for self directed or creative play activities which would typically be accommodated during recess periods. Public education policy is driven by political and business interests that have imposed standardized testing that merely evaluates children (Ohanian 2002). School teachers are faced with the demands of ensuring that children simply pass the tests and schools have continuously sacrificed leisure hours such as recess in favor of more academic hours. In addition, schools are even deliberately designed without playgrounds. Ohanian demonstrates that this obsession with academics at the expense of play also places heavy demands on children and denies them the potential cognitive benefits of creative play activities. These two instances show that the arguments against implementation of child based play activities in the classroom are founded on cultural and political interests. In the example of Taiwan, cultural beliefs underline or emphasise the value of academic success. In the US, on the other hand, Ohanian shows that early childhood programs in schools are under increasing pressure to develop competencies among children through standardized testing to prepare them for the global marketplace (Ohanian 2002). Improving quality of play The “United Nations Conventions on Children” Rights depicts provisions of the right of children to play. Nevertheless, parents and educators have the responsibility of ensuring that the rights of children to play are upheld. It cannot be assumed that every time that children are playing they are learning. There are various forms of play and each play serves different purposes such as relaxation enjoyment, fun, subversion or anarchy. In order for educators to realise the full benefits of play based activities in the classroom in promoting learning outcomes, there is need to improve the quality of play. When incorporating play-based activities in the classroom educators should establish the goals that each play activity serves. Claims on the developmental and educational benefits of play should be substantiated with sound evidence to parents and other related parties (Wood & Attfield, 2005). So as to enhance quality of play educators should monitor play activities in the classroom so as to make interventions when necessary. In some instances children may get upset or over-excited during play activities. In such cases educators should intervene promptly before chaos emerges or the children hurt themselves. The direct intervention of the educator is necessary especially in cases whereby there is a divergence of learning (Wood & Attfield, 2005). Education policies for early childhood education provide a framework for the general entitlements that are geared towards creating a balanced curriculum. However, the objectives of this framework are yet to be fully realised. The enactment of education policies has not effectively improved the quality of educational outcomes and experiences for children with regards to the implementation of play based curriculum. Improving the quality of play in the pre-school setting is a major concern. The expansion of provisions revolving around pre-school has resulted to an unprecedented focus on the incorporation of play based activities in the pre-school curriculum. Parents and educators have been subjected to tremendous pressure from corporate advertisers and government agencies to stimulate and promote the intellectual development of their children. It is therefore essential for both parents and educators to find the right balance that enables the growth and development of children without stress. In order to actualise this, children should be given ample time to play. Moreover parents and educators should show a deep appreciation to the play of children by simple observation so as to communicate that play is good (Almon, 2004). Conclusion Patterson (2004, p 111), has expressed that play is a common phrase in early childhood education. With reference to his sentiments, it is worth questioning, the significance of play in the children’s learning growth and what it means for educators to incorporate play when preparing and designing learning activities in the classroom. Owing to the fact that early childhood education presents a platform for building a firm foundation for children, since it is the stage that children, attain their values, attitudes and beliefs and build their self-worth. Play is one of the key models of child training that should be used so as to realise the objectives of early childhood education (Clements &Fiorentino 2004, p114). Play has a vital role in the physical social and cognitive development of children. It is a fundamental way through which children can explore and experiment their environment. Moreover, play fosters creativity and improves the ability of children to positively confront challenges. Early childhood educators should be coherent on play-based activities in the classroom; they should undoubtedly be able to justify and give evidence and assert the significance of play-based in learning (DEEWR, 2009, p.46). Basically, educators have the responsibility of preparing and designing learning activities in the classroom therefore their perspective and role in implementing play-based activities in the classroom is vital. On the other hand, propositions have been made to minimise playtime and increase organized academic learning in early childhood school systems. The fundamental basis for these arguments is that academics are the most important part of the learning process (Chang, Johnson &Lin 2000). It is therefore necessary for further research studies to be conducted in order to bridge the existing gaps of knowledge on the outcomes of implementing play based activities in the classroom.   References Armstrong, T. (1994). Multiple Intelligence in the Classroom. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Almon, J. (2004). The vital role of play in early childhood education. Retrieved on January 26, 2011 from Bodrova, E. & Leong, J. (2005). Uniquely preschool: What research tells us about the ways young children learn. Educational Leadership, 63(1), 44–47. Chang, P., Johnson, J., & Lin, M., (2000), “Studies on play and toys in Taiwan: Images of toys created by kindergarten contexts and teacher and parent beliefs about play”. International Council for Children’s Play, Erfurt Proceedings. Clements, R. & Fiorentino, L. (2004). “The child’s right to play: a global approach”. Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. \ Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). (2009). “Belonging, being & becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia”. Canberra: DEEWR. Dimidjian, J. (1992). Play’s plays in public education for young children. Washington, DC: NEA Early Childhood Education Series. Gardner, H.(1993). Multiple Intelligences: The theory in practice. New York: Basic Books. Kagan, S. & Kagan, M. (1998). Multiple intelligences: The complete MI Book. Washington, DC: Kagan Cooperative Learning. Hoisington, C. (2008). Let’s play!” Using Play-Based curriculum to support children’s learning throughout the domains”. Retrieved on January 26, 2011 from Howes, C. & Smith, E.W., (1995). Relations among Child Care Quality, Teacher Behavior, Children’s Play Activities, Emotional Security, and Cognitive Activity in Child Care, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 10, 381-404 McFadden, L. (2010). The importance of play in Early Childhood Development. Retrieved on January 26, 2011 from< http://www.suite101.com/content/the-importance-of-play-in- early-childhood-development-a225507> Ohanian, S., 2002, “What Happened to Recess and Why Are Our Children Struggling in Kindergarten”? New York: Mc Graw Hill. Patterson, C. (2004).Play-based Curriculum: A Strong Foundation for Future Learning in “The Child’s Rights to Play: A Global Approach”, Rhonda Clements & Leah Fiorentino (editors). Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group.p, 111. Sawyers, J. & Rogers, C. (1994). Helping young people develop through play: A practical guide to parents, caregivers and teachers. Washington, DC: NAEYC. Singer, D., Golonkoff, R. & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2006). Play=Learning: How play motivates and enhances children’s cognitive and social-emotional growth. New York: Oxford University Press. Wood, E. & Attfield, J. (2005). Play, learning and the early childhood curriculum. London: SAGE. Read More