Play based learning

[Guest]

Hi, I am an early years teacher and would like some feedback from other teachers to support a play based curriculum. I teach the British Curriculum and believe strongly in children learning through play. However, at the moment I am faced with the challenge of teaching a 'mirrored' curriculum with another class of the same age group. The other teacher is a believer in using worksheets in each session. So I am faced with the fact that the other class have worksheets piling up and my classroom is a lot more flexible, we learn a lot through play, although time is made for practicing letter and number formation as well. In saying that, I believe strongly in children being able to learn to write or form letters and numbers by experiencing them with sand, shave foam, paint, etc.. I work in a school which is bilingual and the non-english system is rather rigid, so I am being fought at all angles in order to create a classroom similar to the local one. Any suggestions on how I can make the other teacher and head (no early years experience) realise that this is not the way an early years classroom operates?

[Guest]

Tell her to speak to an early years advisor maybe? In reception (and I think up to the end of year 2 but that will never happen in this country) all learning should be play based, if ofsted come in and see a load of worksheets they will not be happy, In my opinion no one should be working in early years unless they are specifically trained as the EYFS is totally different to the national curriculum. It must be very difficult, since she is head! I could not work somewhere that doesn't believe in learning through play and learning by doing.

[catma]

Are you based outside the UK? It seems from your description that this is possibly the case?

[Guest]

Tell her to speak to an early years advisor maybe? In reception (and I think up to the end of year 2 but that will never happen in this country) all learning should be play based, if ofsted come in and see a load of worksheets they will not be happy, In my opinion no one should be working in early years unless they are specifically trained as the EYFS is totally different to the national curriculum. It must be very difficult, since she is head! I could not work somewhere that doesn't believe in learning through play and learning by doing.

 

Thank you for your response, unfortunately we do not have an early years advisor on hand as such, but I have continued to research and have found a lot of evidence in support of play and against worksheets. I will keep fighting for what i believe in!

[Guest]

Are you based outside the UK? It seems from your description that this is possibly the case?

 

Yes, based outside the UK which also makes things slightly more complicated to some extent.