Month: August 2014

…and now for something different

We have spent a bit of time talking about play and learning, so we thought it might be time to change it up a bit…you know, take a break from the pressure of exploring practices in early childhood education and look more holistically at Western systems of education. The easy stuff. Have a look at the video below…Sir Ken Robinson has some interesting ideas on creativity and education. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U]

Play-Based Learning Vs. Formal Learning

In our last couple of posts we have been discussing play and play based learning. This post links to an article discussing play-based learning and formal learning for children, written by an educator and published by Early Childhood Australia, a national peak body, in their journal Every Child. You can read the article here: http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/our-publications/every-child-magazine/every-child-index/every-child-vol-19-3-2013/formal-learning-yes/ This article is very much in keeping with our approach to education at Flinders. We would love to know what you are thinking about the role of play in children’s learning…would you like to comment?

What is Play?

Our last post introduced the concept of play and play based learning in relation to the Early Years Learning Framework. This post links you to an article describing some of the agreed upon characteristics of play, and how play is a context for children’s learning. It also talks about some of the ways in which educators support children’s learning through play. The article is written by Lennie Barblett, a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education and Arts at Edith Cowan University. The article was published by Early Childhood Australia, a peak organisation in the field of early childhood education, in their journal Every Child. You can read the post by following the link below; http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/our-publications/every-child-magazine/every-child-index/every-child-vol-16-3-2010/play-based-learning-free-article/ Happy reading!

Why Play-Based Learning?

At Flinders, we spend a lot of time thinking, talking, wondering, inspiring, dreaming, observing, planning for, assessing and documenting play. We live and breathe play. Indoor play, outdoor play, nature play, arts-based play, block play, socio-dramatic play, experimental play, creative play, imaginative play, sensory play; any kind of play you can think of, we want to know about it. We. Love. Play. But sometimes there is a difference in understanding about the role of play in children’s learning, and what we mean at Flinders when we talk about play. Over the next couple of weeks on Our Million Opportunities, we are going to delve deeply into the idea of play as a context for learning. We will share with you a range of articles, videos, and our personal reflections, on the role of play in children’s lives. Because play is much more than fun for children. Play is how children engage, how they begin to understand their place in the world. Play is how children make authentic connections between ideas and concepts, enabling long term success in learning. Play is how children learn. The Early Years Learning Framework marks play as a key practice for early childhood educators, recognising play as a context for learning. The EYLF discusses play as follows; Learning Through Play Play provides opportunities for children to learn as they discover, create, improvise and imagine. When children play with other children they create social groups, test out ideas, challenge each other’s thinking and build new understandings. PlayRead more