Early Childhood Education - Play and Pedagogy - Essay Example

Running Head: EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION: PLAY AND PEDAGOGY. Play in Children Insert Name Institution Play in Children Introduction Play is any activity that children engage in; that which is pleasurable and enjoyable. The play themes can be serious such as an accident but at the end of the day they generate a strong sense of satisfaction, discovery and fulfillment derived from meaningful engagement in the activity. Play is also intricately motivated in that children are not forced on what to do but carry it on voluntary without being imposed on every process they undertake. However in the cases of learning plays, children need to be guided while being made to feel that they have a sense of control of whatever they are engaged in. Due to internal motivation and control that is directed towards their interests, children often get the impetus to sustain the activity as they satisfy their curiosity (Ap E. and Talay O. A, 2005). Play is also meaningful in that it is always based on children’s real life experiences such as cooking. Thus play gives children a chance to express themselves, explore, expound and experiment thereby proving them with a platform to develop new skills, knowledge and ideas. Still there is also the aspect of interacting which brings about sharing of cultural diversity. Thus, play is episodic in that children draw a connection of their understanding of the environment and the world around them as well as their peers and adults in their play themes. To ensure smooth flow of any play, there are unspoken rules that govern it. For example a child is meant to behave, talk, and have facial expressions of a person he or she is acting like (Brooker L. and Edwaerd S., 2010). Consequently, play is symbolic as it reveals the perception that the children have of the world and their experience concerning it. Some of the benefits of play are (Child Development Institute, 2010). Stimulates cognitive development. Play makes a child as the child is actively involved in problem solving scenarios that are challenging. Consequently, the child would have to relate concrete knowledge to abstract situations in order to come up with solutions, ideas and skills. games, play, construction and exploration should facilitate learning Contributes to emotional development as the children learn to expresses her underlying feelings as well as to interpret and to respond to the feelings of his / her play partners. Contributes to social development as he or she interacts with peers and adults from different socio cultural backgrounds. This brings about appreciation of cultural diversity. Facilitates language and literacy skills as the communication skills are polished as the child expresses herself and interprets others both verbally and non-verbally. Facilitates early mathematical concepts and skills due to making some simple arithmetic relationships of her play materials. Play also promotes a child’s self esteem as he or she learns to express to express in the midst of his peers and adults. Role play makes a child gain self confidence in expressing him/ herself. Play is not always a frivolous or light-hearted activity. Nonetheless, sometimes it may contain these elements within itself yet still play has a very real and serious functional role in learning processes. Young children learn from everything they do through the use of their senses and manipulation. Since, they are naturally curious, they have to integrate exploration and discovery methods in their day to day learning. Play learning activities provide such a rich ground. Children desire to learn more when their learning activities are enjoyable. Explorations bring pleasure or success as they discover and learn on their own (Huitt, W., & Hummel, J., 2003). From historical perspective, play has been viewed as a channel of advancing learning, problem solving in children through experiments, developing their ability to take complex social roles and providing a platform to practice on newly acquired skills. This included occupations like painting, social roles like acting as a mother, nurse and explore objects such as balls, mathematical shapes. Subsequently, this leads to better grasp of the physical and aesthetic features of their surrounding (Ap E. and Talay O. A., 2005). The contemporary educational facilitators have also assimilated the implementation of play by making sure that it is intertwined in pre- school and early childhood learning curriculums. This is done by planning and resourcing challenging learning environments, supporting learning of children through play activities as well as ensuring its continuity and progression, evaluating their learning through play and broadening children’s language and communication advancement in play (Wood, Elizabeth, 2004). Research shows that play activities in the 21st century are more individual centered than the traditional play activities. This could be linked to advancement in technology as well as society becoming more of individualized than community centered whereby every person is concerned about his personal pursuit in the society. Nevertheless, children seem to prefer social plays that involve their friends and peers than individual play activities (Penn, Helen, 2004). Again, a research carried out in Sweden was found that the contemporary children seem to have lost a sense of creativity and imagination unlike the older generations due to ready made toys for every play they get involved in. Still, they seem to have a deficit of initiating play due to adults’ interruption such as being given work after school. Additionally, there are limited outdoor activities compared to earlier generations due to risks involved like presence of numerous vehicles and women’s entry in the job market (Kevlynn Annandale, 2004). Education is what the child does in order to discover; it is not about enlightening a child with new concepts and ideas with an ultimate goal of helping him or her assimilate and apply the gained ideas and concepts into their daily living. Children develop their self-concept through demonstrating competence. In their play they enjoy imagining, creating, constructing, building and having control on what they do (Broadhead Pat, et al, 2010). In Australia there is also an educational policy to interweave play in learning whereby it ensures that there is interaction of the children and the adults through provision of both creative and imaginative plays that ensures language simulation. Mothers are also seen to be involved as they encourage their children to play by providing a condusive environment at home (Gibbons Andrew, 2005). Children learn best when all areas of an integrated, carefully planned curriculum are implemented informally using methodologies that are interactive, practical and enjoyable. Children should have opportunities to experience much of their learning through well planned and challenging play (Brooker L. and Edwaerd S., 2010). Children develop progressively hence they are not little adults who can reason intellectually like adults. Their stages of cognitive development integrate and overlap but do not solely graduate from one stage to another as one matures biologically. A child in early and childhood stage learns through seeing dominated by concrete objects. As one progresses he/ she is able to make judgment based on abstract, incorporating the principles of formal logic (Child Development Institute, 2010). Research has found out that learn more and enjoy outdoor activities such as nature walk whereby they engage in exploration, discovery of different features and cater for their curiosity. These outdoor activities are also attributed to children articulate speech. This is because of the interaction among children both at home and school environment (Gee, 2006). Children have been observed to having low concentration span. This has been observed whereby children could be told to repeat what the teacher had just told while learning in a formal classroom set up. The children are found to being unable to do so. This limitation gets well countered by use of active short learning plays in the school environment. This included rhythm and repetition play activities which are the pillars on which early learning is based in kindergarten thereby providing on the importance of play in child learning, growth and development. Similarly, play activities are enjoyable and ensures that the child does not lose concentration (Kevlynn Annandale, 2005). On the other side outdoor activities give children a chance to interact with the environment. They learn different features in the environment. Thus they become familiar with the natural as well as man made elements in the environment. As a result they learn to respect and enjoy the environment as they appreciate and to take care of it (Wood, Elizabeth, 2004). Play improves on the physical growth of the children. This is because of the active engagement of the muscles that contract rhythmical due to physical exercise. This may involve play learning activities that incorporates rope skipping, running. At the same time, play makes children to develop morally acceptable behaviors like sharing of play materials. This helps them shed off unpalatable selfish behaviors ((Dewey, J., 1997). Teachers should also be engaged in children’s play activities such as life drawing objects that enhances the children’s observation as well as inference skills. The teacher for example would ask the class to describe the object such as a flower for the children to develop language, observation skills and cognitive development. When given a drawing to observe, explained, answer questions the child asks and lastly ask him or her to draw what is seeing was the best teaching methodology rather than telling the learner to draw first before observation. This is because children learning are reinforced most through observation whereby they internalize what they see. There is also scaffolding of the teacher by probing a child to speaking by use of open ended questions to ensure that the child keeps track on what he or she is narrating so as to increase creativity, imagination and child’s remembrance faculties. As a result the child’s cognitive domain is enhanced (Kevlynn Annandale, 2004). The use of short repetitive songs and poems that are commensurate with the children’s developing memories in terms of word vocabulary help improve on their language and communication skills. On the other hand, use of songs enhances and reinforces cultural values. In addition, when there is the class involvement in rotary role play whereby everyone is given a chance to perform and still abide to the rules of the game boost children’s confidence and self esteem. As a result their listening and speaking skills were sharpened. Still, when children are well showered with encouraging complements from the school as well as home environment like praise, clapping for an improvement or otherwise in their play encourages their openness. This served as a motivation mechanism as reflected by Australian early years learning framework (Edwards Suzy, 2003). The match of effective play and learning of the children is of vital importance. This includes seeking to know the children learning through play by observing and questioning their experiences as compared to a formal learning. There should be sharing of information with educators to ensure that planning for the child’s learning is tailored to individual, group interests and abilities. This is because different cultures view play differently depending on their experiences (Gibbons Andrew, 2005). However regardless of cultural differences, children tend to view play depending on the level of freedom and relaxed atmosphere, the level of teachers’ involvement and the intensity of control that they have in the running of the play. For example, they would view an activity carried on the floor more of a play than one that is done on a table. According to photographic sorting procedure (AASP), children regard play to activities that they have control than those that are teacher controlled , more informal than in formal set ups and where there is use of traditional play materials. Consequently, understanding fine details that the children use to define play from non play activities can help curriculum reformers and implementers to create and sustain a playful learning atmosphere (Broadhead Pat, et al, 2010). According to threshold and fluency theory children learn more and faster to solve problems in a playful activity than a formal one. This is because play activities are enjoyable and pleasant thus simulating their thinking. At the same time, they have control over the coordination of the continuity and progression of the activity by setting of self governing rules. As a result all these activities trigger their thinking. The fact that these playful actions are set, regulated, modified and controlled by the children including children established rules, promotes their self esteem, confidence and facilitates their motivation of carrying out the activity. Thus play has been seen to promote a better performance in problem solving activities than in formal conditions due to increased level of confidence for a desired behavior to be enacted. This is achieved as a result of children having the feel of playfulness. At the same time lack of external goals that seem to confine them like the teacher controlled activities makes children to have a wider scope of thinking where they are placed in a posture to try out and experiment their ideas within self sustained limits (Edwards Suzy, 2003). According to socio cultural theory, teachers help learners learn. They are indispensable. There is need for classroom teachers to plan their activities. This makes play to be integrated in the learning process. Also it makes possible for the teacher to be involved in the play yet the children will view him or her as a cooperative play mate and be in a position to appreciate her/ his presence. Play helps in self expression, relationship building, self motivated exploration and experimentation. Barbara Rogoff argues that guided participation is the way in which adults help children to negotiate everyday life and play activities pose as a crucial ground for that. During these formative early years, children form attitudes about learning that will last a lifetime. Thus there is need for adults to encourage play as it makes the children more responsible since they learn to make decisions on their own (Dewey, J., 1997). One of the core ideology, philosophy and belief of early childhood pedagogy is the importance play in childhood learning, growth and development. This is largely reflected from how play is integrated into school curriculum in different countries. In UK for example play is linked with planning of the play by the instructors so that it is integrated into the home and learning environment. Excellent quality play is connected with holistic growth and development in terms of psycho motor, cognitive, social and emotional domains. This is found both in indoor and out door activities. Thus the UK policy ensures that there is an adult directed and children centered play activities which are well thoroughly prepared through sourcing for resources, provision of stimulating educational environment to ensure that there is always continuity and progress in the learning and development of children through pay (Broadhead Pat, et al, 2010). Conclusion Play is integral in the learning, growth and development of children. It ensures development of language and communication, emotional, social, psycho motor, physical and cognitive domains. Curriculum implementers such as parent s and teachers should ensure that children are actively involved in play activities in and out school environment to realize holistic development. They should also encourage communal plays rather than individual ones in order for the children to have an interactive aspect as well as sharpen on their language and communication skills. The range of activities should also not be limited to indoor activities so that they can have an experience and explore on the nature. Still, curriculum implementers should ensure that children are given a chance to be creative and imaginative by making them make their play toys instead of always providing them with the ready made. They should also ensure that there is always continuity and progression in play activity so that the children can build on and draw relationships on the concepts, ideas and skills already acquired previously. References Ap Emily and Talay Ongan Ayshe (2005). Child Development and Teaching Young Children. Social Science Press. Broadhead Pat, Howard Justine and Wood Elizabeth (2010). Play and Learning in early years: from Research to Practice. Sage. Brooker Liz and Edwaerd Susan (2010). Engaging Play. Open University Press. Child Development Institute (2010). Intellectual Development in Children and Teenagers. International Journal. Dewey, J. (1997). Experience and education. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co. Edwards Suzy (2003). New Directions: Charting the Paths for the role of Socio Cultural Theory in early childhood Education and Curriculum: Contemporary Issues in early childhood. Monash University , Australia, Vol 4 No 3. Gibbons Andrew (2005). Towards and Away From a Philosophy of Play: Critical Perspectives on Communication, Cultural & Policy Studies. Access Vol. 24. Huitt, W., & Hummel, J. (2003). Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Kevlynn, Annandale. (2004). Reading map of Development: Addressing Current Literacy Challenges. Kevlynn, Annandale. (2005). Writing map of Development: Addressing Current Literacy Challenges. Penn, Helen. (2004). Understanding early childhood: issues and controversies. Maidenhead, Berks. "Not Piaget again", Open University Press. Wood, Elizabeth (2004). Developing a Pedagogy of Play in Early childhood Education: Society and Culture. Sage. Read More