Planning for Learning (through play)

Planning for Learning (through play) P1 /P2 Teachers

Aims • To raise awareness of the importance of play in the context of learning • To experience planning for learning through play and play based activities

Rationale ‘The Northern Ireland Curriculum aims to empower young people to achieve their potential and to make informed and responsible decisions throughout their lives’ Big Picture Primary Curriculum

Quotes ‘ Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood, for it alone is the free expression of what is in a child's soul.’ Friedrich Froebel ‘Sometimes people forget that play is learning and learning is play.’ Peter Dixon

Learning Through Play Play; • Develops the fundamental skills of literacy, numeracy and oral communication • Provides rich and varied contexts for developing skills such as observing, organising, recording, interpreting and predicting • Promotes positive attitudes to schools and to learning • Provides opportunities to work in a practical way

Learning Through Play • Provides opportunities for developing movement and manipulative skills • Develops natural curiosity and stimulates imagination • Provides opportunities for exploration, investigation, problem solving and decision –making • Provides opportunities to develop knowledge understanding and skills through a range of contexts spanning all subjects in the curriculum

Play is Important • Play promotes children’s development, learning creativity and independence • Play keeps children healthy and active – active children become active adults • Play fosters social inclusion, it helps children understand the people and places in their lives, learn about their environment and develop a sense of community.

Play is Important • Play allows children to find out about themselves their abilities and their interests • Play is therapeutic, it helps children to deal with difficult or painful circumstances, such as emotional stress or medical treatments • Play gives children the chance to let off steam and have fun

How do we do it? Curriculum requirements Children’s interests/ experiences Seasonal/ global/topical events Media Story/ music Class visit/visitors Artefacts What do already know? What do we want to learn? How will we go about this? Who/what can help us? How do we use our findings? How will we tell other? Choose Starting points based on Plan Together How do we do it? Identify Learning Activities That Demonstrate and Review Learning Meet curriculum requirements Involve decision making and problem solving Are practical and stimulating Promote ad challenge thinking Allow children to draw conclusions Allow children to present ideas and demonstrate learning What have I/we found out? What did I enjoy most? What did my friend find out? What will I/we do next? What might I/we done differently? How will I demonstrate my learning?

Workshop Planning for Learning Planning for Play

Pause for thought ‘We do not stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing.’ George Bernard Shaw

The Challenge ‘ The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught but that every child should be given the wish to learn.’ John Lubbock

Planning for Learning (through play)