Sharing Good Practice
The magic behind setting up a
play-based school
By John Yiannoudis
F
or all of us involved in play-based
education, defining the word
“play” is a continuous process. In
a dictionary, definition of play is
something like:
• “Engagement
in
activity
for
enjoyment and recreation rather than
a serious or practical purpose”(Oxford
Dictionary).
Personally however, I prefer a definition
like the one a child once said to my
good friend Teacher Tom Hobson:
• “Play is what I do when everyone
quits telling me what to do”
And that is what play is all about:
freedom. While playing, children
should engage with the world around
them in free will and grasp the most
possible pleasure and happiness.
Children discover life in their own
terms, through play.
Another phrase we are in love with is
the famous quote of John Dewey, the
great American thinker:
• “Education is not preparation for life;
education is life itself”
So, if play should be life and life
is education, then play should be
education! And that is how play-
based learning was born: an approach
providing education through play.
Play-based learning just describes
an approach that allows children to
enter into real world derived activities,
through play. Such activities should
reflect behaviors and actions of
everyday life and encourage children to
take their own initiatives.
This way, young children build
strong personality and character on
experience & emotion (i.e. managing
conflict, disappointment, rejection,
cooperation, etc.). In other words,
children, through play, learn how to
manage their own life.
In traditional education systems,
teachers set the plan and ask students
to follow, no matter if they agree.
Discipline and obedience are highly
valued.
In a play-based school, children’ needs
and ideas are the tools that move class
ahead. Teachers respect them and
never impose top-to-bottom orders.
Instead, enforce children to express
questions and then provide them
motives to inspire life-derived activities,
in order to discover the answers.
But, someone would ask: why to
establish a play-based preschool
instead of a traditional, academic one?
Well, under the view of a school owner,
let me name three major reasons:
• It is an approach producing
extraordinary educational results
in terms of learning and character
building. Don’t forget that early
education aims mainly at building a
strong personality.
• Fun factor in school is maximized.
Children love it and teachers are
excited. An enthusiastic community
is formed, boosting school life.
• Parents’ satisfaction rate is sky high!
In our school’s annual quality survey,
the total parents’ satisfaction rate is
steadily between 92%-95%.
So, why are parents so much happy in
a play-based preschool?
• They see their children developing
happy, confident and strong while
learning
• Comparing their children to others
attending
traditional
academic
schools, notice substantial difference
in their freedom and autonomy level
• Families’ extensive involvement in
school life improves their parenting
skills and creates a solid relationship
with children, as well as with the
school itself
There are four key factors accounting
for the success of a play-based
preschool:
• Selecting the right teachers
• Keep training them properly &
constantly
• Developing
a
strong
school
community, by sharing as many
common values & bonds with families
• Remain open minded towards
children changing needs and
keep innovating, by utilizing fresh
ideas brought in school from the
community.
For anyone interested, further information
on the subject can be found in
lifederivedlearning.com.
Class Time
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May - Jun 2017
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