learning through play supporting the journey 2012 after school training conference
TRANSCRIPT
Learning Through Play
Supporting the Journey2012 After School Training Conference
Cooperation Strategies & Skills
Tell A story about your childhood and play
Who did you play with?
What did you do?
What did you play with?
Where did you spend most of your time playing?
How supervised were you?
Qualities of Play
• Happens all the time• Is a natural way to learn
• Experimentation• Exploration• Example• Empathy
INFORMAL
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING…
• Harnesses the natural power of EL
• Is a formal way to support learning
• Can be a playful way to address learning standards and skill building
FORMAL
EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION
Unstructured Free Play = Experiential Learning
Child-led (can have adult participation)
Independent and non-screen
Promotes intellectual, physical, and emotional well-being
Helps children learn how to: negotiate, resolve conflicts, regulate emotions & behavior, and speak up for themselves
Builds active, healthy bodies
Fosters empathy and creativity
Provide toys & materials that stimulate imagination
Recognized by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: Article 31: “recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child...”
Unstructured Free Play Examples
Climbing, running, jumping, tumbling, exploring, biking, walking, tag, skipping
Looking at and “reading” books, playing with puzzles, blocks, musical instruments
Creating make-believe worlds, with dress-up clothes, pots and pans, toy cars, and art materials
Indoors or outside
Alone or with others
Guided Play = Experiential Education
Adult facilitated
Contributes to child’s development
Can have a point or lesson
Allows children to learn and practice skills
Creates shared Experiences
Is voluntary and frequently involves choice
Involves everyone without elimination
Tends to be cooperative rather than competitive
Offers opportunities at each person’s skill level
Examples of Guided Play
Musical Games
Games such as “follow the leader” or “Simon says”
Ice Breakers
Skill builders
Problem solving activities
Scavenger hunts
Square or line dancing
Cooking
Blue Jellybeans
• Eager• Ecstatic• Embarrassed• Energetic• Enraged• Envious• Excited• Exhausted
• Shocked• Shy• Silly• Smart• Smug• Strong• Surprised• Suspicious
•What does [word] mean?
•How does it feel to be [word]?
•What happens to make you feel [word]?
•How can you tell someone might be feeling [word] by looking at them?
• Unstructured free play allows children to learn experientially
• Supports social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development
• The main adult role is to keep children safe
Summary
• Guided play is a form of experiential education that taps into a natural way to learn
• Can be used to teach skills and content.
• The main adult role is to facilitate learning through processing and reflection.
Summary
Ideas for Your Program
• Schedule time for free play• Be intentionally spontaneous• Play with students• Explore• Add playful activities to concepts and
skills students need to learn• Notice instead of judge or value
Laurie FrankGOAL Consulting
www.goalconsulting.org
Outdoor Pursuits
Adventure Based Counseling
Inquiry
Service LearningArt, Play, Music, Drama Therapies
SimulationsExperience Based
Training and Development
Environmental Education
Internships
Expeditionary Learning
Adventure/Challenge Education
Experiential Education
And more…