Play Curriculum: Effective Learning through Joyful PlayHong Xiaoqin, Principal, Shanghai Nanxi KindergartenChinese cultures have very long history, and the schools carry the heavy responsibility for cultural inheritance and... [ view full abstract ]
Play Curriculum: Effective Learning through Joyful Play
Hong Xiaoqin, Principal, Shanghai Nanxi Kindergarten
Chinese cultures have very long history, and the schools carry the heavy responsibility for cultural inheritance and development. Throughout the ages, we can see the continuous dispute between rigorous education like "tiger mom"and “containing education in amusement”in China. In curriculum reform today, we still face the issue of achieving social requirements while meeting the development needs of children at the same time. This is an inevitable issue for running a good quality kindergarten in the Chinese cultural background.
Over the last 28 years, our kindergarten has explored a coordinating relationship between “play” and “learning”. We have advocated the educational concept of “play happily, and learn effectively”, and developed the “play curriculum”. Three effective learning paths of “learning by playing” have come to form, including (1) role play - supporting children's spontaneous learning in play by dressing them up as a variety of social roles and generated activities. (2) play in different areas - children choosing from different materials and exploring their own purposeful activities.(3) collective play - teachers leading children to play with rules and guiding and promoting children to “learn through play”.
We have also carried out the empirical research on the children’s state in play through observation, focusing on their "independence, pleasure, cooperation, regularity, creativity and concentration". The evidence proves that play curriculum provides children with the opportunity to experience “play happily” and “learn effectively” at the same time. The play curriculum enhances children‘s approaches to learning and learning abilities.
