Implementing Play-Based Learning
Topics Covered:
- What are some strategies of implementation of play-based learning?
- What strategies best fit your specific classroom setting?
- How can you implement play-based learning into your instruction?
- What does play-based learning look like in relation to your specific classroom setting?
Strategies for Implementation
Scheduling
One part of implementing play-based learning into the classroom is scheduling. As teachers know, scheduling can be common reason as to why we don't try out new instructional strategies or change content in our curriculum. Scheduling plays a huge role within play-based learning for a variety of reasons. One of the most obvious reasons being, you have to have time in the day to engage in play and you will need to give enough time for play to ensure that students are reaching effective learning. Another reason being engagement, if students are engaging in play-based learning for too long it is likely that they lose interest and therefore, are not learning as intended. According to the Virtual Lab School an ideal schedule for young elementary students would include (Virtual Lab School , 2023):
- At least 60 minutes of free-choice time each day. Move around to support learning goals while children engage in interest areas.
- At least 60 minutes of outdoor time each day. Provide many of the same indoor interest areas outdoors.
- Keeping large- and small-group times short. A total of 15-20 minutes is best.
For older elementary students this would most likely look different due to differing academic requirements and/or more strict schedules. It is important however, to keep in mind that older elementary students are still kids and can greatly benefit from play and engaging in play-based learning. I feel that teachers that teach older elementary students have be a bit more creative in the way that they choose to implement play-based learning. Typically these teachers have strict schedules both in relation to how the day is planned out, and the content they are required to teach at certain times. I think that this shows that these teachers have to do a lot more planning and most likely prep in order to ensure they are still teaching the necessary content, while also allowing for students to interact with play based-learning. Although it may be harder to implement play-based learning into a more strict schedule, it can be done and can provide students with opportunities to explore content areas on their own with little but intentional guidance from teachers. In fact students at these higher age levels may even appreciate their learning more because it is presented in a more fun and engaging way.
Centers
We briefly touched on the ideas of centers in the earlier units, but we are going to dig further into this in relation to play-based learning. Centers play a huge role in elementary education regardless of what subject, age level, or lesson your teach. Centers are necessary for a variety of different reasons, one of the biggest reasons being that it provides differentiation among instruction. According to Tankersley "Learning centers serve as dynamic tools for educators to address the unique needs of their students, promoting active engagement, diverse skill development, and a rich exploration of concepts through play" (Tankersley, 2023). Using centers means that you are delivering instruction and promoting learning through different methods, meaning that all students are able to be successful. All students have diverse ways of learning and it is the job of educators to ensure they are providing a learning environment that meets the needs for all students, implementing centers into everyday instruction is a great way to ensure that students are getting to engage in different learning domains. Although the incorporation of centers into everyday instruction takes a lot of purposeful and time consuming planning, the structure enhances opportunities for children's engagement and skill development. "Play-based learning is promoted through centers, allowing children to explore, experiment, and discover concepts and skills in an engaging manner", (Tankersley, 2023). Centers in play-based learning ensure differentiation in forms of exploring, so that all students have an equal opportunity to reach higher levels of understanding of certain concepts embedded throughout all play centers. "Learning centers foster independence and decision-making. Children choose where to engage and how to explore, cultivating self-confidence and autonomy. Social-emotional growth is nurtured as children navigate their choices and collaborate with peers in shared spaces. Learning centers also present opportunities for integrated learning, where skills are interconnected across centers, providing a holistic learning experience", (Tankersley, 2023).
Independent/Choice Time
It is extremely important to allow for children to engage in choice throughout their learning. There are different levels to choice in learning relating to how much guidance is involved. During recess students have little to no guidance and are able to make choices completely on their own, during structured time there may be a lot less options when it comes to what they are able to choose to engage in for the sake of facilitating an effective learning environment. Children are more likely to become engaged in their learning if it is tailored to their interests, therefore, allowing students to choose the learning path that most interests them makes it so that they are more likely to reach higher levels of understanding relating to the content being taught. Research has found that children are more engaged with activities during free-choice time than they are during teacher-structured activities. This can likely be explained by the fact that children are more likely to remain interested and to keep working at an activity when they chose the activity in the first place, rather than the teacher choosing the activity for them. In free-choice time, preschoolers were also more engaged with their peers (Vitiello et al., 2012).
Differentiation in Tools/Environment
Outdoor Learning
Engaging in outdoor play is so important for young children for an abundance of different reasons. Outdoor play helps with physical development, it allows for students to engage in nature, it helps cognitive functions in various ways, and it is an overall mood booster. It is important as an educator that you allow for time outside as much as possible. According to the Early Years Alliance blog, "Spending time outdoors daily helps keep children fit and healthy physically. Encouraging children to run, jump, climb and chase develops good physical fitness, as well as helping aid in critical development such as stability, bone density, and muscle development", (Early Years Alliance , 2023). It can also be beneficial to take students outside for learning as a change of scenery from just the classroom that they spend hours and hours in everyday, five days a week. Outdoor learning can feel like a break for students, as it helps them escape the demands of everyday life and instead provides the with an opportunity to burn off some steam. Allowing students the chance to go burn some energy outside has an variety of different benefits, one being that it can help improve their concentration following the physical activity. Another reason being, it helps them to relieve stress. The Early Years Alliance stated that "exercise releases chemicals helping us regulate our mental health. Participation in just ten minutes of physical activity can have a significant impact on the psychological and emotional wellbeing of children - boosting self-esteem, lowering anxiety, and reducing stress", (Early Years Alliance , 2023). Having students engage with the outdoors also allows for them to connect with nature and challenges their sensory skills. Outdoor play can be extremely beneficial for students due to all of the components mentioned above, and it provides the teacher with an alternative form of play-based learning aside from the same old classroom setting. Students are able to engage with different plants and bugs in the outdoors, they are able to explore different parts of nature just by being placed outside with little to no guidance or expectations. Teachers are able to use the outdoors to challenge students to explore specific content areas (especially relating to science), while directly interacting with nature. "Outdoor time is similar to free-choice time as it often allows children to direct their own play and learning and to follow their interests. In addition, preschool children are highly engaged with activities and in play with other children during outdoor time", (Virtual Lab School , 2023).
Helpful Tools
When diving into play-based learning you may find an array of options when it comes to materials and resources available for utilization. It is likely that if you are a teacher you will have a large amount of options for choosing what to incorporate into your play-based learning centers. Regardless of the materials that you choose, you should ensure that the materials selected, reflect your students' needs, promote discovery, promote exploration, and encourage progress toward learning goals, (University of New Hampshire). One helpful tool that has already been discussed would be learning centers, these promote choice among materials that are selected by students and ensure that all learner's needs are being met with diversity in their learning domains. In these centers, you can often find blocks, Legos, building sets, puzzles, various independent games, etc., to help promote learning among students. Another great tool that can be used are manipulatives. Instead of using the standard paper and a pencil to show what students know it can be beneficial to allow them to use manipulatives throughout play-based learning to create unique ways for students to learn and make connections. For example I came across a blog that talked about using toy cars to blend sounds, slinkies to stretch sounds, Legos to help with letter formation, letter tiles to help form words, cubes to represent ones in math, marbles for counting, etc.,( Alex, 2023). When students engage in these unique materials relating to instruction, they are more likely engaged in the content being taught to them and are able to make deeper connections to the information by linking the materials they are using to the concept being taught. What I mean by this is, when it comes time to assess students on their level of understanding on say letter sounds, they are more likely to know to "stretch" words out because of the slinkie or "blend" the words because of the car. Their brains are able to connect their learning to the physical materials being used as visual aids. Another important material/tool that can be useful for play-based learning are games. Playing simple guessing games, eye spy, puzzles, hide and seek, etc.. Using games can help lead to "improved powers of concentration, creativity, memory, languages and teamwork. Videogames can make it easier to learn educational contents and develop cognitive skills", (Iberdrola, 2021). Puppets and acting things out can be a great tool to utilize in play-based learning because it helps relate to real-world scenarios and make it more likely that students relate their learning to their everyday life and the real world. You can also use simple materials that you can find throughout your household or outside such as "rocks and sticks and leaves for counting or stacking or exploring. Empty boxes and containers can be stacked and sorted and even tapped as a musical instrument. Scrap paper and discarded bulk mail make great art resources" (Levin, 2001). No matter the materials you choose to use throughout your implementation of play-based learning, you must ensure that you are intentional with your materials and your set up, that you are placing materials where they are accessible for all students interacting with that center or area, and that you are relating your intended learning outcome to the standards that you are required to meet.
Playful Pedagogies
According to Dr. Jamie Hamilton and Dr. Jenny Wood, "Playful Pedagogy is a way of integrating children's play experiences with curricular learning, giving pupils the flexibility to find their own solutions to both new and existing problems", (Hamilton & Wood, 2022). As teachers, we have all been introduced to various instructional pedagogies that can be useful for an elementary classroom. A few common ones that I feel are worth mentioning in relation to play-based learning would be, discovery learning, problem based learning, inquiry learning, collaborative learning, and experiential learning. Utilizing different pedagogies throughout your instruction can help with differentiation and inclusion of every learning style. As mentioned multiple times throughout this course, all students learn differently which is why it is so important to include multiple forms of instruction, as well as multiple ways for students to engage in content.
Discovery Learning
The first playful pedagogy that I want to discuss is discovery learning. Discovery learning according to Torsor Kotee is "an inquiry-based learning method that takes a constructivist approach to education, where students are encouraged to construct their own knowledge through a self-directed learning process—essentially “instructionless” learning", (Torsor Kotee, 2023). Discovery learning to me is essentially the teacher giving students mixture of materials and learning spaces and allowing them to engage with the materials of their choosing to see what they discover. This can be extremely beneficial for students if conducted the right way because it allows them complete control in their learning with little to no guidance from the teacher. Using discovery learning ensures that the students get to pick their learning path and the path that is most interesting to them, meaning they will be more engaged and therefore, will reach higher levels of understanding of certain content areas. Some other benefits to Discovery learning highlighted by, (Torsor Kotee, 2023) include:
- Contextualization: Students get familiar with the subject matter on a high level by being confronted with a business problem.
- Exploration and analysis: Students collect data from various resources to analyze the details (for example, trends, formulas, general concepts, variables) of the business problem and teach themselves the relevant information to answer questions and critically evaluate their hypotheses. This is where they go through a self-directed journey to increase their learning.
- Drawing conclusions: Upon gathering new insights and refining their understanding of the different variables and models involved in the business problem, students synthesize their discoveries and create their own interpretation of the best solution based on their individual learning processes. That solution is presented to faculty and peers for feedback. Students have the opportunity to leverage the feedback to reflect on their work and conclusions.
Although these benefits appear extremely complex for elementary students, if you break down each of these areas into a Pre-K level you can see how they are still gaining the same benefits. For example, if your intending for your students to learn about addition you might present them with a problem on the board and provide them with a set of marbles (or something similar) and allow for them to make their own hypothesis. From there, they can analyze whether or not their hypothesis makes sense or if they might want to play around a bit more. In the end, they would be able to look back on their mental processes and see how adding a set of marbles to another set of marbles they could gain the correct answer. Discovery learning can take place throughout any age/grade level. Discovery learning is something that is often used even at the collegiate level. Discovery learning is beneficial for any and all students, as it allows them the freedom of exploring concepts on their own, drawing their own conclusions, and reflecting on their learning processes. Discovery learning can be implemented alongside play-based learning fairly easily as it has little guidance from the teacher and gives students the freedom to choose their exploration path to learning.
Problem-Based Learning
The next playful pedagogy I wanted to discuss is problem-based learning. Problem-based learning according to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, "is a teaching method in which complex real-world problems are used as the vehicle to promote student learning of concepts and principles as opposed to direct presentation of facts and concepts". The great thing about problem-based learning is that it can be implemented into any learning scenario or setting. Problem-based learning can go hand in hand with play-based learning by allowing students to engage in real-world problems through the art of play. Some further benefits to problem-based learning according to, (The Hun School of Princeton, 2021) include:
- Promotes self-learning: As a student-centered approach, problem-based learning pushes kids to take initiative and responsibility for their own learning. As they're pushed to use research and creativity, they develop skills that will benefit them into adulthood.
- Highly engaging: Instead of sitting back, listening to the teacher providing them with all the information, problem-based learning puts students in the driver's seat. They have to explore, apply their critical thinking skills, and think outside the box to solve problems.
- Develops transferable skills: The abilities students develop don't just translate to one classroom or subject matter. They can be applied to a plethora of school subjects as well as life beyond, from taking leadership to solving real-world dilemmas.
- Improves teamwork abilities: Many problem-based learning projects have students collaborate with classmates to come up with a solution. This teamwork approach challenges kids to build skills like collaboration, communication, compromise, and listening.
- Encourages intrinsic rewards: With problem-based learning projects, the reward is much greater than simply an A on an assignment. Students earn the self-respect and satisfaction of knowing they've solved a riddle, created an innovative solution, or manufactured a tangible product. This can make a huge difference in the lives of elementary students in building their confidence in learning and their educational abilities.
Inquiry Learning
The next pedagogy I mentioned was inquiry learning. Inquiry-based learning according to Santa Ana College, is a learning process that engages students by making real-world connections through exploration and high-level questioning. Inquiry-based learning is directly related to problem-based learning and experiential learning. Inquiry-based learning focuses on posing the right questions to peak student interests and guide them to higher levels of understanding. Typically inquiry-based learning will come in the form of higher level questioning, real life scenarios, posing problems directly related to the everyday life of students, etc.. Inquiry-based learning is especially important in elementary education because "when we invite young learners to wonder, we encourage investigation and creativity, to explore new possibilities, ways of thinking and solving the problems of the world", (Crockett, 2023). Inquiry-based learning is super important for the fact that it can provide a sense of reality to the content and therefore, allows students to make deeper connections with the content being taught. Some other benefits highlighted by Crockett include:
- Children Are being given the opportunity to interact with and contribute to their world: Children are shaped by their world, but they also contribute to and shape their environments through their personalities, their thoughts and ideas, and of course their actions. Inspiring genuine curiosity, wondering, and questioning about the world is where authentic inquiry begins.
- Children are able to work on their communication skills: Children explore relationships through play and group experiences. Inquiry-based learning takes place in a social context and is rich in language and dialogue. Oral language development is an essential outcome as teachers model rich language and employs questioning strategies to explore concepts and inspire meaningful conversations.
- Children can develop a sense of wellbeing: Young children begin to identify their likes, dislikes, abilities, and feelings as learners. Inquiry-based learning is learner-centered and focused, recognizing that children learn in different ways.
Collaborative learning
According to Valamis, "Collaborative learning is the educational approach of using groups to enhance learning through working together", (Valamis, 2023). I view collaborative learning as allowing students to work together in either pairs or small groups to discuss concepts, come up with solutions, or investigate different content areas. Collaboration has countless benefits in relation to all ages. Collaboration can help with social skills, confidence, accountability, listening skills, etc.. Studies all over the world have shown the incredible benefits that collaboration can have on effective student learning. Collaborative learning is great to work with alongside play-based learning because it helps reiterate a lot of those social emotional skills that students can gain from play-based learning and it leads to the building of relationships and gaining new perspectives. Collaboration is often associated with play as younger students play frequently both alone and with their peers. Some other benefits highlighted by (Valamis, 2023), include:
- Turns learning into a truly active process: The learner must organize their thoughts, put their thoughts into words, and then demonstrate their point to their peers and hope they convince others that their way of thinking is correct. This active engagement means that the student learns, and retains, more knowledge.
- Promotes learning from others viewpoints: learners benefit from hearing diverse viewpoints. Studies show that when a person is exposed to diverse viewpoints, especially from people with varied backgrounds, they learn more. Sometimes students can engage in conceptual change where their viewpoint is completely changed after hearing the thoughts, evidence, views, experiences, etc., of other people.
- Teaches how to think critically and quickly: Individuals learn how to think critically and quickly, while intaking new information and adjusting their own viewpoint as new ideas are introduced.
- Promotes listening to criticism and advice: The learner will also listen to others talking through their ideas, offering their thoughts for or against the ideas that they may have originally come up with. This dynamic approach means that learners gain a more full understanding of the topic, as they have to consider it from all angles.
- Develops public speaking and active listening skills: Students will learn to listen to other classmates ideas and thoughts while also strengthening their ability to speak in front of an audience of their peers. This increased social ease will help individuals both socially and at work.
- Improves cooperation: When given a specific goal, learners are more likely to engage in thoughtful discussion with each other, improving both their understanding of the subject and their esteem for each other. Studies have shown that collaboration "gives students the resilience to make mistakes and feel more comfortable opening up to others", (Unruly Splats, 2021).
Experiential Learning
Experiential learning is essentially the art of learning by doing. When discussing experiential learning, I picture the "hands-on learners". A lot of people learn best when they actually interact with the content on their own. It is extremely important to incorporate experiential learning in elementary education because students can relate better to what is being taught to them after they interact with it themselves. It can be tough for a child to sit and listen to a teacher teach about specific content areas, instead they understand better when they are able to interact with the content or at the very least when it is demonstrated for them. Experiential learning allows for students to move their bodies instead of just staying in one spot. Experiential learning also helps them to make real world connections because once they are able to physically engage with the content or are able to speak on an experience related to a specific topic, they are able to best relate to it and therefore, reach higher levels of understanding. Students should be engaging in experiential learning frequently with the implementation of play-based learning. With play-based learning students are engaging in learning through the act of hands on play and discovery. Experiential learning is tying in real-world experiences and everyday life with the content being taught, play-based learning is one way in which students makes sense of the world by engaging in hands-on interaction through play. According to Kent State University "When students participate in experiential education opportunities, they gain: A better understanding of course material. A broader view of the world and an appreciation of community. Insight into their own skills, interests, passions, and values".
- An increase in students’ content knowledge and skills: By allowing students to actively engage in the content being taught, it increases their content knowledge and skills by fostering real world connections among the content being taught and their everyday lives.
- Improved higher-order thinking skills: If students are able to engage with the content and better understand what they are learning, they are able to achieve higher levels of thinking.
- Significant increases in students’ critical thinking abilities: It takes critical thinking skills to be able to show what you know about a subject through actively engaging with it. Students can have knowledge on how to ride a bike but it is very different than when they actually get on a bike and start to ride it for the first time.
- Increases students’ self-esteem: Often times students don't feel confident in their understanding of a subject until they are able to actively show they gave a high understanding of it by having an experience relating to the topic or engaging in the topic.
- Increases students’ likelihood to engage in prosocial behaviors and decreases students’ likelihood to engage in at-risk behaviors.
- Provides a positive effect on students’ motivation for learning: Students are typically much more interested in hands on learning as opposed to the traditional school setting where teachers stand at the front of the room talking to students and writing on the board while they take notes.