Emphasizing play can be contrary to early learning goals, which often focuses on academic standards, according to an article in Education Week.
But when learning is more playful, it becomes more effective, says Kimberly Nesbitt, an associate professor and chair of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of New Hampshire.
A handful of states have either introduced or passed legislation to require or allow play-based learning in early education classrooms. New Hampshire took the lead in 2018, when it passed legislation specific to kindergarten, instructing early educators to “create a learning environment that facilitates high quality, child-directed experiences” based on best practices around play-based learning.
Nesbitt is committed to teaching early educators how to create that environment, what the related experiences look like, and how teachers can facilitate them.
She spearheaded New Hampshire’s efforts to train the state’s early education teachers on the why’s and how’s of playful learning in the early elementary classroom. She co-wrote a guidebook for the state’s early childhood educators and has led workshops on play-based kindergarten.
Nesbitt shared with Education Week nine strategies for early education teachers on playful learning:
1) Think of play as the way kids apply knowledge. Promoting play in learning is really about letting young learners apply a skill they’re being taught.
2) Let play follow the standards. When incorporating play into the classroom, it’s important that standards remain the priority. Guided play, in which teachers balance scaffolding children’s exploration with allowing them to maintain some autonomy, supports learning objectives and standards—from academic to social-emotional to motor skills.
3) Know that play is as much about activating the mind as the body. It’s normal to perceive play in learning as physical, but it is also about turning on students’ minds to be, to think, and to make connections, and to really explain their thinking.
4) Ask students questions that “activate” their minds. Asking students questions pushes them into an “active learning” mode, where the deeper, critical thinking happens.
Some mind-activating questions: Can you tell me how you got that answer? Can you tell me more about that?
5) Realize that you may already be incorporating play into learning. As teachers contemplate how to incorporate guided play into the curriculum, they should consider ways they may already be doing this. For cues, look to current or past lessons in which students demonstrate deep engagement and excitement.
6) See yourself as a curator of play-based experiences. Direct instruction, which involves teacher-led lectures or demonstrations, is a straightforward means of teaching lessons. Asking teachers to facilitate guided play breaks from that script, puts the students at the forefront, and it takes practice. Ask yourself, “How do I curate experiences that allow children to have agency over their own thinking, so that they’re not just a passive recipient of information?”
7) Start small. Applying playful learning to a classroom may feel overwhelming. So, start small. Ask yourself, “What’s one thing you want your students to get better at?” and apply a playful learning strategy towards that goal.
Getting kids to talk more in class is a goal that could be attainable with only minor changes to instructional patterns. During whole group instruction, do a “pair and share,” where students pair up and exchange information for a short period of time about a topic the teacher suggests.
8) Balance direct instruction with playful learning. Certain information in school is best conveyed through direct, whole-group instruction. If there’s a piece of information all students need to know, the easiest and most simple way to disseminate that is through whole-group, traditional instruction. It’s what comes next that might make the information truly stick. This is the balance between “When do I need to tell you something and how do I curate experiences for you to apply that knowledge?”
9) Recognize that play won’t look the same in every class. Some teachers are bound by strict curricula with little room for deviations. Others may have more leeway. It’s about figuring out what’s best for you, for your students, in that moment.
Education Week
