The Power of Play: Family Workshop Follow-Up

 

Some of our K1 Students playing "school".

Dear Families,

Thank you to those who could join us for our workshop on “The Power of Play”. This blog post is a follow-up, and will provide responses to some of your questions.

Some of you shared questions specific to your child.  If you have specific questions regarding your child’s progress, your child’s classroom teacher is the best person to reach out to.

Below, I have done my best to answer the themes I saw emerging from your general questions.

Family Questions:

How do I know if my child is “behind” the other children in the class?

It is extremely important not to compare your child to other children or siblings, especially in the Early Years (K1 - Grade 1). Just as children learn to walk at different times (all within the realm of “normal”), students also develop learning skills at different times. They develop academic skills at their own pace, and they also develop social skills at their own pace. If there is something to be concerned about, your child’s teacher will be sure to reach out to you. The most important thing is to compare your child to themselves (What progress can you see?).

As outlined in our play workshop, many of the intellectual skills (collaborating, hypothesising, reasoning, etc.) that are supported through play have significant long-term positive effects on children’s development but are difficult to assess as they are less tangible than discrete skills (such as knowing the alphabet, for example).

It is important to look beyond academic skills when reflecting on your child’s progress. Academics are, of course, a core component of our programme. We also focus significantly on personal/social/emotional skills that lay the foundation for all learning.

Here is a visual (shared in the presentation) that shows everything that needs to be in place for academic learning to happen, and all of these things are supported through play:

I know of other families who send their children to additional tutoring. Is this necessary? Will my child “fall behind” if they do not attend additional tuition?

Sending your child to additional tuition classes is a personal choice. We also know that ideas regarding the value of tuition are influenced by our family culture and personal experiences.

From our school perspective, in most cases, additional tuition classes are not necessary. In fact, in some cases we feel that tuition can be detrimental to a young child’s development.

It is important to note that tuition is a billion dollar industry in Singapore, and some centres are run by business people and not educators. We often hear of children completing a lot of “worksheets”. Problems with “worksheets” include, but are not limited to:

• Encourage working in isolation
• One correct way to complete; curiosity and exploration are punished
• Boring and not cognitively stimulating
• Expectation for precision instead of approximation – making mistakes is not encouraged
• Mass produced – many worksheets ignore children’s lived experiences and interests
• Designed to practice the skills children already know – they do not necessarily learn new strategies or techniques

In the Early Years (K1 - Grade 1), an important focus of our programme is helping children to become “self managers” with their learning – this is what will ultimately support their positive development. This involves:

• Feeling accepted and having a positive sense of worth
• Being motivated to dig deeper and inquire further to enrich their learning experience
• Learning to monitor their own learning progress by reflecting on their work and finding next learning steps or goals
• Being motivated to stay on task and improve
• Being able to manage their own learning materials and environment
• Being equipped with strategies for learning success

Play-based learning experiences are the best way to develop the skills of being a self-manager of learning in young children. Play is the best way to support their overall learning development at this important stage of their life.

It is important to note that not all tuition is the same. Some children do need additional support by means of an intervention, and working with a qualified teacher or professional can be beneficial. If your teacher has any concerns regarding your child’s learning development, they will let you know. Otherwise, additional support in the way of tuition is not necessary and not recommended.

We need to support the development of both academic and intellectual skills, both of which are supported through a play-based approach:

We know that children can learn some “surface skills” (e.g. alphabet knowledge) quickly and appear “ahead”. These differences often level out by Grade 3, and children who have had opportunities to develop deeper learning and intellectual skills (those supported by play) will have the advantage. If tuition comes at the cost of time for play and reflection, it could possibly hinder your child’s development and passion for learning.

More resources on the Power of Play

As promised, here is the video on “play” we did not have time to share at the end of the workshop. In addition, you might also find this Ted Talk with Peter Gray of interest.

For more information on the Power of Play, you can also take a look at these posts in the K1 Blog: The Power of Play  ,  Common Social Play Challenges. While these posts have been shared in the K1 blog,  their content is relevant across the Infant School.

Yours in learning,

The Infant School Team