The development of play in the early years - Denbeath Primary School, Buckhaven, Fife

As P1 and P2 teachers at Denbeath Primary School, we were looking for a way to ease the transition between nursery and P1, and to develop the use of play as a vehicle for learning.  There is ample evidence of play being used as a tool to keep children occupied once they have finished their learning (Moyles).  We wished to challenge this within our own classrooms.  The Curriculum for Excellence recognises the importance of play in the early years.  Before making changes to the construction of play in both classes, we firstly considered 'why' we should make the developments and 'how' play would underpin the four competences.

In order to give the children more ownership of their play; we introduced mind-mapping, the sharing of learning intentions and focused on the development of questioning skills.  The children mind-map with the teacher resources which enable them to take their learning further.  'We are learning to' cards are displayed in four or five play areas within the room.  The children are involved the creation of these through discussion of their learning at the beginning and end of the week.  As an extension in P2, the children are encouraged to ask their own questions within the play areas, and these are also displayed.  This fully embeds our formative assessment within active learning through play. 

In order to share the value of play with our parents and guardians, we introduced a Shared Start.  This is held once a week and encourages parents to participate in learning experiences through play within the classroom.  Cards describing the purpose of each play area are displayed.  Our 'we are learning to' cards are placed alongside activities to share our learning intentions.  As a result, our parents feel more valued as a part of our learning community and have gained an insight into how they can encourage active learning at home.

We are very enthusiastic about A Curriculum for Excellence and feel it provides a platform to recognise the importance of initiatives we had already undertaken such as eco-schools, philosophy for children and literature circles.  Emphasising the importance of learning through play we felt would enable us to build on the thinking skills, problem solving, learning to learn and self-confidence we were already striving to achieve.  For example, using a think-pair-share strategy the children are encouraged to discuss and evaluate their learning.  This not only encourages them to work as a team and to contribute effectively, but also to think about their learning and what would help them.  Active learning creates opportunities for children to develop their skills as confident individuals, effective contributors, responsible citizens and successful learners.

In order to assess and evaluate the learning within play effectively, we felt it was imperative that the children should be involved.  On a daily basis, the children are involved in self and peer-assessment using their Think-Pair-Share buddies, and informal discussions of learning in their play areas.  On a more formal basis, at the start of the week the children create their own 'we are learning to's, which are evaluated and assessed by the children at the end of the week.  As an extension in P2, the children also give themselves two stars and a wish as a weekly round-up. 

We feel that the children have more ownership over their play and therefore are more engaged in their learning.  They are able to articulate what they are learning within the play areas to a much greater degree than we had thought possible.  In turn, this has created a more enquiring and curious learning environment which challenges our children.

You can find out more about this project at Denbeath Primary School from class teachers Lesley Graham and Vicki Blyth

Email - lesley.graham@fife.gov.uk or charlotte.blyth@fife.gov.uk

Telephone – 01592 414567