Play-based learning in early childhood

Aims

This 10-week program provides early childhood professionals with theoretical and practical knowledge to strengthen their pedagogy when it comes to supporting children’s play.

You will have the opportunity to discover and explore different avenues of research and ideas to develop your understanding of play and play-based learning.

Delivery style

• Printed professional learning materials
• Online learning courses (through the ECA Learning Hub)
• Online live events
• Forums for networking with other community members
• Case study examples
• Self-reflection
• Action research project

Content

Learning is most effective when the learners are engaged and interested. For young children, play offers the easiest way to ensure this. Children engage in play not because of what they might learn but because they want to. As educators, we can take advantage of this to make learning interesting.

Virtual platforms offer the opportunity for learners to collaborate through knowledge construction, build relationships and develop a sense of belonging and commitment to their professional practice. Each Community of Practice contains carefully curated professional learning resources to support and expand your knowledge base on the chosen topic area. Your engagement with the learning materials will foster deeper thinking and facilitate conversation about pedagogy and practice. Choosing to be part of a Community of Practice will take your learning experience to the next level.

This program includes the following professional learning resources:

• The value of play
• Play-based learning: Using the pedagogical play-framework
• Take me outside: An introduction to outdoor learning
• Engineering creativity: Celebrating loose parts play for all ages
• A good place to be a child: Creating effective early learning environments
• Facilitating and extending play-based learning
• Risky play and the outdoors
• Sensory play and learning

Outcomes

• Shift and extend your pedagogical understanding of how to design and facilitate play-based curriculums  
• Explore the connection between play-based learning approaches and intentionality 
• Design, implement and evaluate an effective action research project 
• Become an active member of the CoP by engaging in critically reflective dialogue with peers and colleagues across Australia