Play Based Learning

Today I attended a PD session on Play Based Learning held at Ormiston Primary School in Flat Bush. We discussed the theory and research behind Play Based Learning. Here are my notes from the session:

In Play Based Learning there are 3 main educators: the Children, The Learning Environment and finally the teacher.

What is the role of the child during PBL? Independently selecting resources- this can be a very hard task for some as many rely on the adults in their life to do this for them. Talking and sharing with their peers allows for rich learning to take place amongst students. The teacher can also take the place as a student in these interactions, allowing the pupil to become the authority in games and play based investigations.

The role of the Learning Environment: How could I use this area to stretch thinking and learning? Use of open ended resources and following the interests of your learners to help dictate your resources. An open-ended resource is a thing that does not have a fixed-purpose design, e.g. a toy dinosaur can only be seen as a dinosaur, however a stone or a shell could be a phone, a car etc. Use of outdoor learning environments, water play, and use of incidental items such as large cardboard boxes from school deliveries provide different opportunities for learning.

The role of the Teacher in PBL: Facilitate, observe children’s play, listen to questions and share stories, record, reflect, respond, play alongside, gather an idea of their interests. At Ormiston, three teachers meet together and plan their sessions, what questions are going to be asked, how to set up etc. During the lessons they take notes and photographs to document the student’s learning and as a record of assessment. They begin each session with 5-10 min discussion about learners’ ideas, use photos or video of the students’ own work, and add depth to their learning by setting up a new provocation each day.

Teachers in PBL gather for a reflection everyday after the sessions. They ask what learning did we see, how were resources used, do we need to enhance those resources? How can we stretch them into the Zone of Proximal Development?