Play Based Learning

3 things needed to stimulate learning in students:

• Movement
• Singing
• Laughter

Idea: Have an image of something fun on the IWB in the mornings so the students start the day off in a fun way. Could also have a provocation on the board to get the students talking. 

Two key things all children like:

• Play
• Hearing stories

What do we remember?

Joy, fantastic, good fun and super sensory. 

5% of our learning  comes from formal learning. 

Learning with conscious mind

Most of our learning is done with our sub-conscious mind. Learning by doing and through experiences. 

Things all humans need to thrive

Safe - Knowing that they are safe gives children the space to explore and thrive.

Nurturing - the teachers who is kind, above and beyond.  Feeling safe. 

Play - The structure of the human brain requires learning through play.  Making things is important, not just doing on 2 dimensional paper. 

Loose parts - the bits in your school that students can use to make and learn. 

• At birth a child’s brain is 25% it’s full grown size. 
• At 9 months old a child’s brain is 50% of it’s full size. 
• At 3 years old a child’s Brian is 85-90% it’s full grown size. 

Beta	Conscious		10/11 years
Alpha	Conscious	Relaxed and good for learning	6/7 years
Theta	Subconscious	The state just as you are falling to sleep.	2 years
Delata	Subconscious	Connectedness with the Earth	6months

Idea: schedule in outside opportunities for the students so then can connect to the Earth and slow their brain down. This will relax them and make them more open to learning. 

“Learning is the result of learner activity.”

There needs to be a stimulus for the brain to respond. The stimulus needs to be in the right language to get a response. 

The window for making sense and developing imagination is in the first 7 years - when many of our children are staring at a screen. There is little imagination in staring at a screen.  Young children need to have engaged play so they can be discovering and imagining, the play will get more complex as they develop. 

• How do I get on with people? How to I behave to survive in this group.  How can I learn/teach  the social skills required. 
• How do I get on with the Earth? Caring for our Earth is at the centre of our survival. 

“Children are the research and development of the human species.”