Teaching Philosophy : My Philosophy

Analyse the theoretical perspectives taken to learning and development through play Humanistic theory- says that children should have the chance to choose what they want to play with and carry out their own ideas. Adults should be supportive towards the child which will improve their confidence and self esteem. Social learning theory- children learn though copying other children and adults.

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?

For the purpose of this essay, I will be comparing and contrasting two child development theorists, Donald Winnicott (1896 – 1971) and Eric Erickson (1902 – 1994), and showing how their theories link to therapeutic play.

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

I see students as the next generations’ heroes in so many fields. In my vision, I have to inspire students and prepare them with confidence, knowledge, experience and skills. Which means I encourage, communicate, guide, teach, and assess students in order to enrich their infrastructures.

Young children learn and grow everyday. Especially, young children, the ages three years to five years old, learn important skills while they play with friends and interact with their teachers. Janice J. Beaty (2014) states that for young children, “play is their way of learning” (p. 167) Thus, teachers need to observe children while they play and assess the development of the child because “Knowing the development of a young child helps a teacher to plan the curriculum, to set up activities for individuals, or to ask for special help when necessary” (Beaty, 2014, p. 3).

This essay will outline the theoretical rationale for play in the development of young children. Boushel, Fawcett and Selwyn (2000:57) state, ‘Play is not easily defined...’ Play means different things to different people. Rubin, Fein and Vandenberg (1983) {cited in Hughes, 2010} suggest play should be intrinsically motivated, freely chosen, pleasurable, non literal and actively engaging. Play gives children freedom of choice, it allows them to lead their own learning, follow their own learning intentions and express themselves freely. There are many reasons that lead us to believe play is crucial for child

In the case of play, there has being a long time, been misunderstood as the opposite of work or something not serious. Actually, using play to mentor children does not mean the curriculum is not professional and beneficial. In contrast, it means cherishing children and respecting the nature of learning at their age. In fact, play is essential for children’s development and for their learning life skills. Pramling & Fleer (2009) suggests that there is no standard definition for play, it is more like an attitude of mind, play could be viewed in its broadest sense as describing almost all the activities that young children engage in. In this essay, I briefly describe the value of play and how play relates to children’s learning and

The findings shown (figure 4.5 and 4.6) suggest that although the children were verbally interacting with one another, the interpretation of ideas and ability to collaborate them has not been achieved, thus, not creating a shared goal between one another. It can be seen in both figures (4.5 and 4.6) that Child A entered the play context and tried to change the focus of the play. Through the first observation shown in figure 4.5, Child A entered play with his own idea and is verbally unaccepted into the play by his peers. Child A did not engage with the shared goals of the existing play context, which resulted in a negative response from the participants, as they already established a shared goal between themselves.

Our society as a whole has begun to drift away from this idea and the ones who suffer due to this are the children. There is just no way to replicate the benefits that play provides. It plays such an important role in developments progression. The main characteristics of play that were covered throughout this assignment were stages, influences of culture, personal framework, challenges, current research, an example based on expanded instruction, and the ways in which each part works together in order to create cognizance, aptitude, and complete development in

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).

Play is valuable in school, as it enables children to freely express themselves. This may occur during social interactions with their peers or as an individual. Play provides a valuable opportunity for a child to use their imagination as a tool for learning, by extracting and processing new information in regard to the world around them. This is supported by Lev Vygotsky a psychologist, who believed that “play led children’s development, as it could enable them to step outside their actual lives to explore, through imagination, a wider set of meanings and understanding”.(Study topic 13, page 165).

Play is the eager engagement in physical or mental effort to obtain emotional satisfaction (Sheridan, 1977, p. 5). The above definition specifies the three most important domains of development which advances through play. In this essay, I will highlight the ways children develop these skills through play with a few examples from my practicum experience to support my statements. First, I will discuss the relevance of play to children’s learning between zero to five years of age. I will do this by beginning my discussion with differences between play in India, my home country and play in New Zealand. Then, I will provide an overview of the theories of Vygotsky and Bronfenbrenner and compare them. I have chosen these two theorists as their

My teaching philosophy is to create an environment that stimulates learning so that students gain the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to become proficient professionals. While teaching foundational knowledge is important, there are other essential skills and abilities that students must acquire in order to successfully transition from being a student to becoming a physical therapy professional. These skills and abilities include thinking critically as well as interacting and communicating effectively with patients and other health care practitioners. I emphasize to students that it is imperative to realize the impact of developing a therapeutic rapport with patients while providing quality, patient-centered care to optimize the healing process. Therefore, when deciding what to teach, I not only consider the content presented, but also how I can foster discussions with students so that they can apply information based on varying contextual factors. I also attempt to provide students a framework for how to achieve professional excellence, which I aim to model as I fulfill my roles and responsibilities as a teacher and provider of clinical instruction. This framework is rooted in five central tenets:

Let children be children, is not only a popular phrase heard in education, but it is also my motto. Yes, it is true, today’s children are tomorrow’s future; but how we choose to raise our children determines the outcome of our future. Many believe academics should be stressed more in schools, taking away from children’s playtime. I feel that play is what molds a child. Play allows not only a child’s imagination to run freely, but builds and strengthens children’s motor, language, cognitive, and social emotional development skills. I believe that play; along with parental involvement forms a child’s identity. Play is what makes children: tomorrow’s future.