Learning Through Play How Do Children Learn

Learning Through Play

How Do Children Learn Through Play? How Does Teacher Intervention Support Or Limit Learning Through Play

Educational Theory Background

Play and Learning in the British National Curriculum

Advantages of Play

Role of Teacher Interventions

According to Play therapy UK, pay can be defined as: "A physical or mental leisure activity that is undertaken purely for enjoyment or amusement and has no other objective." (Play Therapy UK)

Play in a learning context, on the other hand can be defined as playful learning which comprises both of free play and guided play, in which learning can be done in a playful manner rather that in a strict guided environment that is seriously academic in nature. According to Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and Roberta Golinkof, (Hirsh-Pasek & Golinkoff, 2009): "Children need to engage in free play to expand their language and social skills, but educators can also structure environments toward a curricular goal through guided play"

Play in literary terms, therefore is an activity that does not have any objective, it is purely for entertainment purposes, whereas play for the purposes of learning can also be called playful learning. Children in their early years are intent on playing as a means to have fun and to entertain them. It is a means for the children to explore the world around them, and an activity that can keep them occupied for hours on end. Learning on the other hand, in the classroom environment is generally taken to be of a serious nature involving serious work.

However, many theories and learning methodologies have come to light today in order to facilitate children to learn, and as children are naturally inclined to play, it can be used as an activity that can help them learn. In fact play enables children to learn through physical exploration and gives them a chance to see for themselves, the cause and effect of their actions, making these little findings interesting, and hence better entrenched in memory.

Educational Theory Background

There are several learning theories that define how an individual increases his knowledge about the world around him. Among the first few theories proposed in this regards is the school of behaviourism, which was founded mainly by the works of Ivan Pavlov. Mostly associated with the classical conditioning experiment, Pavlov experimented with the learning patterns of a dog and concluded that learning comprises of a stimulus that is given, which initiates a desired response, and this response to the stimulus is learnt and put into memory through repetition of the process. The classical conditioning model formed the basis of various other theories proposed by Edward Thorndike and.BF Skinner.

The behaviourism theory of learning focuses mainly on how behaviour can be influenced through practice, and through its reinforcement via punishment and rewards. An example of what this theory postulates, in terms of learning in children can be when a teacher wants the child to behave properly in class and not talk to his friends, she punishes him for talking, and rewards him with praise when he stays quiet for a certain duration of time. This reward and punishment regime teaches a child that it is rewarding to be quiet and therefore he stops talking to other people in class.

Another theory of learning is the cognitive school of thought, which indicates that there is a series of mental processes that enable the process of learning. This theory contrasts in some way to the behavioural school of thought as it postulates that changing behaviour or reward and punishment are not the only way in which people are able to learn. Noam Chomsky in his review on BF Skinner's work also argues that children also learn through social observation, as they learn language. In fact he uses language as the prime example to indicate that children, when the form various sentence structures and when they are able to use grammatical rules to express themselves they don't do it through a process of reward and punishment. There are instead cognitive processes at work that develop the synaptic links and enable the child to learn language. (Chomsky, 1967) According to him:

"Skinner takes great pains, however, to deny the existence in human beings (or parrots) of any innate faculty or tendency to imitate. His only argument is that no one would suggest an innate tendency to read; yet reading and echoic behaviour have similar "dynamic properties." This similarity, however, simply indicates the grossness of his descriptive categories. In the case of parrots, Skinner claims that they have no instinctive capacity to imitate, but only to be reinforced by successful imitation" (Chomsky, 1967, p. Note 40)

Therefore this theory hold that there are instinctive and observational faculties that beings process at different levels, and it is these faculties that are the determining factor in how the individual creature learns things around him.

The next school of learning is constructivism, which is led by the theories postulated by Jean Piaget and holds that learning is a constructive process where people learn in individualized manners from their individual experiences and these individual experiences are then associated with previous learning in the individual's memory to form a truly unique experience.

While there are various other theories of learning, various studies have also proven the need for early development that fosters long-term growth and building of personality and character. The Effective Early Learning study 'The Effective Early Learning Project: The Quality of Adult Engagement in Early Childhood Settings in the UK' (Pascal & Bertram, 1990), indicates that stimulation, or the manner in which an adult introduces an activity enhances child behaviour and thinking patterns. Therefore when presented in the form of playful learning, children can even undertake the most tedious and complex of tasks and do them in an excitable manner necessary to enable better learning.

Linking these theories to our problem statement of having children learn through play, all schools of thought differ in the methodology they think enables learning. However the outcome and the core objective of each theory are to define how the outcome of learning comes about. And in this case, all the theories, from behaviourism, to cognition to constructivism all indicate the importance of experience and previous learning in associating new knowledge to old. Taking each theory in turn, the behaviourist school of thought indicates that children learn through reinforcement of their actions. And the fastest and the most expedient form of reaction and reinforcement come from play. For example, a child putting in a ball from the top of a spiral tower knows that when the puts the ball through that hole, it is going to spiral down the tower, and is going to be available to him though one of the outlets at the bottom of the tower. This is a seemingly simple activity but it teaches him a variety of things. It teaches the child hand-eye coordination, which is developed when he puts the small ball through the small hole. It teaches him about gravity as he knows then that if he is to move the ball, he can roll it down, and that the ball will always go down and not up.

Playing this game, with the ball showing up at the bottom of the tower each time is a reinforcement of that behaviour that each time the ball is put in the hole it is going to come down, and when he gets the ball at the bottom it is his reward.

As far as the cognitive school of thought is concerned, and as argued by Noam Chomsky, relates to the mental process that is part of the learning process and are those that need to be targeted. In the cognitive school of thought as well, physical activity is learnt also through observation, and when children see their adults demonstrating how the toys are to be played with, or when they see their peers busy at those physical activities they also imitate them and learn how to play with the instruments and the tools that they are provided with.

As far as the constructivist theories are concerned, Jean Piaget indicates that the personality of the child develops in the early years, and these are the years, when children are most attracted to play, indicating that if learning was to happen through play, it would be a much more pleasant experience.

Play and Learning in the British National Curriculum

Play is considered to be the right of a child and this right is granted to children by the UN rights commission under Article 31 of t he UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This article is taken as the basis for the formulation of some of the policies that are part of the National Curriculum in Britain.

Play supports learning in a variety of ways. Foremost, it makes learning practicable and hence more interesting than when facts and information is only read about and now seen in real life. Moreover, as children play, they learn fine motor skills and hand eye coordination that makes it easier for them to absorb skills and learning throughout their lives.

Play also supports learning by enabling children to see for themselves the cause and effect of their actions immediately, catering to their short span of time, and making them remember the impact for a long time. As it is a fun way of doing things, children are more involved in the activities and their concentration for these tends to be more, indicating that the children retain more of what they learn through play.

Take for example the 'Montessori' method that was proposed by Dr. Maria Montessori who developed certain play things such as the red rods and the pink tower that give children the basic foundation and ideas regarding colour, shapes, sizes and balancing. These, when translated on to paper, enable children to better grasp the concept, as it enhances their ability to visualize, having seen the things and experimented with them on their own.

The National Curriculum of Britain has a separate program for children below the age of five years, which is set distinctly from the national curriculum. The national curriculum is set in four key stages from 5 years to 16 and defines what objective and goals need to be achieved till that stage of a child's life.

The program for children below the age of five is termed as the early year's foundation stage and is supported through play activities as it seeks to achieve the following goals:

"It covers the welfare and development of children. The welfare section covers: Basic checks, such as ensuring staff have undergone all relevant security checks, facilities and equipment safe and suitable for children, quality of the environment, for example, it recommends there should be some access to outdoor space. The development section covers: Personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy, problem solving, reasoning and literacy, knowledge and understanding of the world, physical development, and creative development. " (BBC Learning, 2012)

The curriculum that is stated in this stage clearly indicates that there is a requirement for some access to outdoor space where the children can be in the open environment so that they can play. Moreover, the list also focuses on children's welfare as well as their educational development, indicating that there should be checks to ensure that the facilities and equipment are safe so that the children may not harm themselves while playing.

According to the findings by Helen Seager: (Seager, 2010)

"Within my own school, justifications that engaging in what appear to be low-status, recreational activities can in fact actually provide an educational experience for all children have influenced a greater thematic continuum from the Foundation stage across into Key Stage 1. My study demonstrated that children were engaged and motivated with their own learning through play. "

She goes on to indicate that as she observed the children immersed in play, they took up those activities that were of particular interest to them, and those which were according to their abilities.

Advantages of Play

Play supports the development of a child overall. By playing without the fear of reward or punishment or under stress of performing well, children tend to be at ease, and in that develop a level of comfort with the activities that they perform making them more assured of their own capabilities. Moreover, as observed by Helen Seager, children tended to pick activities according to their abilities, indicating also that the children were not in any danger of over-stressing themselves as adults might in an academic classroom, where one teach taught the same lesson to everyone regardless of their interests or their capabilities.

As far as healthy development is concerned, physical activity makes children healthy, and when they are involved in play from a young age, they tend to be more active. Moreover, as pertaining to their cognitive and emotional well-being, play allows children to use their imagination and their creativity, and in doing so they learn to manage their sentiments and their reactions to various imaginary situations that they dream up during play. (Seager, 2010) This makes them stronger personally. In fact, as indicated by Jean Piaget's constructivist theory, children are able to gain confidence and fulfil their need for pleasure through play only, and gain a degree of satisfaction from their mastery of play. Moreover, with adult supervision and under the eye of expert teachers who demonstrate to them the manner in which to play, guiding them gently, children learn to and develop fine motor and gross skills as well.