Portfolio Page 2

Portfolio Page 2 – Week 7
Emma Fitzpatrick 2107606

‘National Quality Standard, Professional Learning Program: Online Forum (NSQ PLP), ‘Play or Teaching Literacy and Numeracy – is it one or the other?’

I discovered this forum whilst browsing the National Quality Standard Professional Learning Program online forums. The question raised was ‘Play or teaching literacy and numeracy – is it one or the other?’. There are four individuals that commented in the forum, each with very valid and different ideas.

(4.1)>My ideas about play, literacy and numeracy are very similar to the ideas that the individual’s posed. My ideas are conceived through kindergarten children and that they learn best through play. Children of this age are unable to properly read and write yet, and therefore guided play is a better form of education and learning for their age. Children are unable to sit for long periods of time and concentrate on their lesson and learning.  Educators are able to set game activities up, which can be lead and directed to desired outcomes.

At the kindergarten I am currently doing placement at, each activity has been planned and worked towards gaining certain outcomes. At the moment, children are able to play with white boards, texta’s and laminated paper to trace and draw the letters of the alphabet.

Each comment on the forum, shows that play is incorporated in their centres to guide learning. Although there are only four comments on this forum, they are all very relevant and I believe that more will be added over time.

One person suggested an idea from their centre, which was very much like my activity that I planned in my last portfolio page.  ‘ChanR’ on the forum said that they have a group time mat, which includes the alphabet in upper and lower case, numbers, shapes and colours on it. They use this mat regularly for activities and often get children to find the first letter of their names or roll a dice, count the dots and then find that number. They also give children something with a number or letter on it and then the children have to find and match the number or letter together. In my last portfolio, I made pop-sticks with numbers 1-100 on them and the children had a big mat with 1-100 on it. They had to match the pop-stick to the number on their stick.<(4.1) 

I can relate to these posts through my experiences of similar activities and my ideas connecting with theirs. Placement of different activities and objects in the centre can also stimulate literal and numerical thinking. Through using these activity mats, educators can stimulate children’s thinking and ideas about literacy and numeracy. In the future, I will refer to these posts and come back to refresh ideas about learning through play.

4.1 Critiques other plausible perspectives on early literacy & numeracy awareness & immersion 

2.3 Sources further information; developing &/or collecting resources for literary & numerical teaching & learning