Play Based Learning

Teacher instruction - Progress

Play with no teacher instruction - Little to no progress

Play with teacher instruction - The most progress

Children need to pick their own activities and own rules

QUESTIONS

How do teachers get around all the students to coach, teach, guide? If play based learning requires teachers how do you cover 30 kids in a one on one basis? What about all the kids that are playing by themselves? Isn't this just free play without teacher instruction? The area where you make the least progress?

Parents might say why can't they play at home?

How can kids choose their learning all the time when they need to cover reading, writing and maths? They are never going to choose these activities?

Isn't there research to support teacher instruction? The leading schools in the world come from Asia which have a teacher instruction model?

Some kids are ready for tradition learning?

If kids aren't playing at home, what are they doing?

5-18 in the same group? Really?

It shouldn't matter what you call it? Play? Learning Model?

The research comes from early childhood! No real primary school research. Discovery learning

Adults are ready to self direct their learning, are kids?

It comes down to results. Do play-based learning classrooms have better reading, writing and maths results?

Do we need National Standards? Parent want to know how their kids are going?

Do we have resources available in school?

Kids are engaged as they are doing what they want.

When kids get around their friends they don't do a lot of learning.

Acceleration - you are not miracle workers. Play is the best thing for these kids, not instructional.

Is play based learning really linked to lower suicide rates?

Do we really want to let conflict go? Sometimes?

HOW CAN I PUT PLAY-BASED LEARNING IN MY CLASS?

Choose open ended materials - JUNK

Still do 2 reading, writing and maths groups a day. This is explicit teaching then roam and teach again!

Integrated approach!