sydnis r2p

Have you ever sat in an early childhood classroom and wondered why the day is compromised of time to play? I often sit in my placement and the classrooms at the daycare I work at and wonder why they are so play based. Sure, kids love to play and that is one easy way to keep them happy, but there is so much more that goes into it.

 

 

 

“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.” -Kay Redfield Jamison

 

So, why is there so much play involved throughout the day?

After doing some research, I have developed a better sense of why learning in early childhood classrooms is so much based on play. By taking play time away from children, we are only interfering with their development. Supposedly, play makes children smarter and more well- behaved because it is known to improve their self-regulation and their memory. There have been studies done to see if kids enrolled in a play- based school measured the same as kids in a typical school, and the play based kids actually scored higher in these areas. Kids need this interaction with other peers because there is no better way to learn problem solving skills than through the use of play. Believe it or not, there are many different forms of play that extend all the way through adulthood learning!

Each center focuses on a different part of learning or development, so it may look like they are just playing, but they are learning through that play as well. Even something as simple as playing outside on the playground is teaching them basic skills in all of the domains- social, physical, cognitive, etc. Play is a crucial part of early development of children because they can’t learn these things and get these experiences through just sitting around all day being talked to. Next time you are in a classroom observing children playing, think to yourself what those children are getting out of it or even how you could enhance it for them.

“Play is our brain’s favorite way of learning.” -Diane Ackerman

 

 

 

References:

BARTLETT, T. (2011, February 25). The Case for Play. Chronicle of Higher Education, 57(25), B6–B9.

 

 

As I was trying to decide what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, I had many different options in mind. I had always hated school, so I would have never imagined that I would be here, studying to become a teacher. I believe that the experiences and teachers I had throughout my schooling is what ultimately led me to become passionate about being a teacher. I had many good and bad teachers, all that I still remember to this day. I aspire to be that teacher that every child remembers 20 years down the road because I had such a good impact on them and changed the way they view school.

The pedagogy that I look up to the most would be those of Vygotsky because I mean, who couldn’t like him?! One of the most important things I believe that he has developed is the Zone of Proximal Development. As a teacher, it is important to know each one of your students and their needs. The ZPD helps explain where each child is at and what they need help with. His theories help us understand the development of children and where they fall. Without his knowledge and input we would not know many things that we do today as educators and the best practices for our students.

I am learning all about the why and hows of this field from the different professors I have had throughout my time here at Millersville. I have also learned a lot from other teachers that I know and teachers that I had when I was younger and still keep in touch with because I have helped in their classrooms. I learn different things from the theorists as well, which are who is really shaping who I am becoming as a teacher.

Almost everybody in my life shares new insights with me in many different ways. The majority of insights I get are from my professors and fellow colleagues in this field. I learn a lot from my co workers at the daycare I work at because we all come from different experiences and background. It’s exciting because I teach them many different things as well since I am one of the few people that works there that is studying in the education field. I am thrilled to continue my path on becoming an educator and making the world a better place!

 

 

My name is Sydni Shirk and I am studying Early Education at Millersville University. I will be using this to share my different experiences through becoming a teacher.