Graduation Speech : Grade School

The relationship between play and learning seems obvious to many child professionals and parents, and yet there are still lack of understanding surrounding the importance of children's play. Some people believe that children need to "work" not play, and that playing serves no useful purpose in a learning and development environment. This is surprising considering that play, with its high levels of motivation and potential enjoyment empowers children (as well as people

High school is supposed to be the place where you have fun and a time in your life you’re supposed to enjoy. Movies often trick you into believing that high school is an amazing time in your life and there is nothing but parties and fun. In Bring it on, they portrayed the fun and exciting part of high school cheer-leading, however they intentionally leave out the tough times high school students’ face in school and in their practices. In other popular movies, such as High School Musical the students have no pressures other than the next basketball game. In reality, this doesn 't happen. The constant pressure is affected by the grade level you are in. In high school, students can be classified based on the pressures that are faced in each grade level into the categories of freshman, sophomores/juniors, and seniors. I am here to help you make your high school experience less stressful.

There are numerous theories of play and countless theorists, from Freud and Spencer to Piaget and Vygotsky, who have studied play in relation to what it is and what it does for the child. This essay will outline the definition and value of play and the importance of how it can foster the child’s learning in regards to these theorists who studied the effects in great detail. It will discuss the how the environments constructed by educators can impact play and the theories of learning relating to the quote “play and learning are inextricably woven together ...” Ebbeck and Waniganayake, 2010, p. 5).

Bruner (1996) views children as active problem-solvers who are ready to explore 'difficult ' subjects and who are learning from birth. It is stated (Emslie & Mesle, 2009) that children need to feel the joy of success, because if a child keep thwarted, he may have the sense of inferiority and timidity when confronted with new activities or tasks, which results in the lack of learning motivation and capacity. Every child has his own personality, interests and strengths, when children are playing, they can play the role that they are good at to get a sense of fulfillment. For example, in role play, a girl can play the role of mother and take care of baby dolls to feel “needed”. It is also important for teachers to understand each of the children and organize different activities so that everyone have the chance to show their fortes. Getting time to explore the world around them, so that through repetition and success children develop the confidence to try more complex activities, they can establish a virtuous cycle. When children feel safe, they will feel capable to meet challenges more effectively.

The Early Years Learning Framework describes play as a “context for learning” in which children make sense of their world (DEEWR, 2009, p.9). Play is essential for learning and development as it provides opportunities for children to express themselves creatively, construct new understandings, and develop relationships (Undiyaundeye, 2013). Play supports the student’s developmental domains such as; social, language, and creativity, cognitive, emotional and physical development. The National Quality Framework acknowledges the educator’s role as facilitator, in which they respond to student’s ideas, play and use intentional teaching to extend and scaffold each student learning (ACECQA, 2013, p. 40). Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory describes learning as a social activity, in which the child’s social and cognitive understanding is constructed through social interaction (Duchesne et al., 2013; Arthur et al., 2015). He believes that play occurs in a socio-cultural context and provides ‘Zone of Proximal’ development for a student in which they can behave beyond their age and act in ways that are not typical of their daily behavior. The educator at pre-primary structured the classroom to support and encourage interaction, for instance, the home corner, which consisted of multiple dining chairs and a range of resources for dramatic play. The pre-primary teacher took on the role as onlooker and mediator during the children’s play, interrupting their play to manage behavior issues,

There are many benefits of play for young children physically, emotionally, and academically. In an article on play, Wheatley (2011), found research that stated children in more play-oriented classroom were just as successful at problem solving skills as those in traditional classrooms from Smith and Simon (1984) (located in Zigler, Singer, & Bishop-Josef, 2004, p. 70). These children in play-oriented classrooms also had more problem solving ideas. Another research done by Hart, Charlesworth, Burts & DeWold (1993) (located in Zigler, Singer, & Bishop-Josef, 2004, p. 70) found that children were “more distractible, less willing to follow directions and less prosocial” when they were in direct instruction classrooms compared to children in more natural-based play oriented environments. More evidence from Stipek and colleagues (1995) (located in Zigler, Singer, & Bishop-Josef, 2004, p. 70) shows that children who are exposed to direct instruction style classrooms were very dependent on adults, had very little pride in their work, showed more signs of negative motivation than positive, and did not have high academic expectations for themselves. Therefore, with this research we can infer that play has the ability to generate more problem solving ideas, make kids prosocial, less distracted, willing to learn, and hold themselves to higher academic standards.

In this pedagogical statement I will be reflecting on and confronting my understandings about play. I will be showing this by sharing two moments of play I have been involved with during practicums. I will be covering links between understandings of play and my own practice, the problematic nature of play with respect to the role of the teacher, aspirations for very young learners in the 21st century, highlighting the role of play in developing creativity, communication and citizenship, and my avocation for play will be clearly evident throughout this pedagogical statement.

During play, teachers must figure out “how to intervene to help children, connect contexts to everyday concepts and academic contents, leading to further cognitive and social-emotional development” (NAEYC, 2010). The role of the teacher is to expand play and ask open-ended

We know that young children develop social skills through play, and that they develop critical thinking skills and language is enriched and vocabulary increased. Play, especially make-believe play, aids in the child's development of the execution function, which is a key role in the child's ability to self-regulate. The curriculum "Tools of the Mind" approaches learning as socially mediated by peers and focused on play.

This is shown once the children notice the bears in the play area and state ideas on how to construct the bears’ new home. The children learn that other have differing opinion but decide to problem solve, by listening to each other, gathering evidence, and careful direction from their teacher; until they find a viable option: a bear cave built of blocks. This makes the children become effective problem solvers and learn the process of collaborating in a group setting. Children also gain skills in the socioemotional domain as they learn roles in the group and become productive to produce a product while filling those roles. The children exhibit this behavior as Megan assumes role of a ticket salesperson for the train and coach others how to sell more tickets. Megan maintains her role and does not push her way to being the conductor of the train or other role in the zoo. This teaches that each member of the group has a vital role and functions within the group to create a meaningful experience and product. This is a skill taught through play and multiple opportunities to develop this skill. This is also true for developing self-regulation, denying impulses and making rational decisions. Play helps children to practice within this area. Austin displays self-regulation when he asked the teacher if it was ok to bring water into his play area, which wasn’t usually allowed, to make his monkey food. He was self-regulated enough to come up with the reasoning

Although it has been 15 years since I played with building blocks and enjoyed taking a nap in a kindergarten classroom, playing with other kids and using games to learn fundamental skills like counting and how to write the alphabet are some of the most vivid memories from my fairly young childhood. Even going back and visiting the elementary school I attended, I don’t see the “formal education” method that David Kohn mentions in his NYTimes article, “Let Kids Learn Through Play”.

I believe play is an essential and critical approach for all children’s development. Play starts in the child’s infancy and ideally continue throughout their life. Children advance understanding through from play. They learn to reason, recall, and resolve problems. Play gives children the opportunity to test their principles about the world. Children increase their problem-solving abilities through games and puzzles. Children involved in make-believe play can stimulate several types of learning. Children can strengthen their language skills by modeling other children and adults. For example, playing house helps children create stories about their roles, they also imitate their own family experiences. This helps children learn about the different

Similarly, Keating et al (2000) reported the dilemma facing teachers who are required to provide continual recorded evidence of learning and achievement to both parents and professionals. So, should teaching professionals encourage quality learning through active play, which is often difficult to formally assess compared to the readily assessable written tasks, or should we choose more formal work which may sacrifice the quality of the child's learning experience? The current focus on the expectations of achievement that I have observed, and have suffered scrutiny of, has highlighted a perception of play being somehow inferior and supplementary to learning rather than as an important medium of learning in its own right. Keating (2000) believed that through observing child initiated play, especially in its recreational form, play may not directly relate to better cognition as measured in SATs tests, but conversely, can foster other important abilities, such as persistence, self-esteem, task-orientation, creativity and positive attitudes to learning. Then, if play highlights so many important learning aptitudes within the classroom, what does or should good practice entail?

Play tests the ability of the children to be able to develop ideas around places and objective. The pretend play assists children in developing important critical thinking and evaluative skills. For instance, the board games tech the children importance concept such as waiting, turn-taking and socialization with other students. Children during play use gross and fine motor skills and react socially to each other. The children thinking what they are going to do and use language to communicate with one another and they respond emotionally to the activities.

Play in the classroom is very important for students. Play helps teachers educate their students by having them interact with the lesson in a hand on setting. Theorists like Erik Erikson, Piaget, and Vygotsky have paved the way for play in the classroom. Play is important for social, emotional, and cognitive development. The brain develops with stimulation, and play provides stimulation for all ages.