A 'play–based' learning approach at Halswell School: Part 1
Channel: Grow Waitaha
Date: 07/08/2017

Teacher Kate Bodger and Year 3–4 students discuss teaching and learning at Halswell School in Christchurch.

TRANSCRIPT:
In 2015 our new entrants block at Halswell School started their Teaching as Inquiry, looking into play–based learning. They had lots of success with their five year olds coming in that they were finding they just weren’t school ready, so the children couldn’t sit on the mat and they just weren’t focused, and they were really struggling with that. So they did a lot of research into the play–based learning and it was adopted by the Year 1s and 2s last year. And this year we’ve transitioned it into include the Year 3, 4s which is where we’re teaching at the moment. We’ve seen even in a short time it’s made a really big impact on our children. The, you know those ones that aren’t quite ready for school and aren’t engaged in school they’re starting to get more excited about coming and talking about their learning a lot more openly.

So we’re playing flappy bird and it’s cool as. So you play playdough and you like connect with these wires and you tap it and it controls the bird on the screen.  Well it’s like sciencey stuff. You get to really do anything. We get to play with the magnets or marbles or you could dress up.

I’ve got an amazing team behind me, so everything that you see is their doing and our working together which has been really inspirational for me, working with amazing people.  I think using this particular approach, that work is just so much fun. I think we're having the same experiences with the children, so because we’ve got the time to walk around and interact with all these different children, that we’ve got such great connections and relationships with all the children in the learning studio and not just your own class.

Our team’s approach to teaching and learning is always collaborative and it’s always student centered. So we base all of our planning on the children’s impulses and act on what they are showing interest in. And then we get together and use our strengths to come up with the best plan to follow their interests.

I’ve made a swing out of sticks and string and I’m not finished but I’m next time going to make a little fairy house. I made a swing because I wanted to make a fairy as well to go on the swing.

I think what really filters down for us through our leadership's goals and visions for what’s happening, is creating an environment to take risks, so that we’re really supportive and encouraged to go out there and to go on a whim to try things that will support and get the best outcomes for our learners.

The biggest impact for me with my teaching has definitely been learning to just let things go and not having to be in control all the time. I think there’s a lot of power in just going with the students and I think for the first time when you’ve got them all out playing with things and you’re thinking what are they doing? What are they learning? And actually having that supportive environment around you to take the risks as a teacher, and supporting each other to go with the children’s interests. And it’s having an atmosphere of risk taking and support enables us to go and to take this approach with the children. So that’s the biggest thing that’s changed for me, is that I feel more comfortable now, knowing that I’m supported by a really amazing team to follow these passions and integrate them into their learning.