Introduction
Play, the word conveys several meaning and contrary to the beliefs in nineteenth century is now recognized to have significant role in growth and development of child (Bransford, Brown, & Cooking, 2000). Studies are not confined to theoretical knowledge for anymore and learning process is extending to playgrounds. The playing process of children promotes and incorporates content knowledge and social and cognitive skills in children and requires them to use their knowledge and skills in playing situation. Through play, children assume the role of active explorer and their interactions with different things in world constructs their knowledge which is enhanced with new experiences of children (Hirsh-Pasek et al., 2009). Play is a predominant method through which children acquire knowledge, practice skills and gets engaged in activities thus expanding their knowledge base (Elkind, 2007). In the play-oriented learning process, teachers are the collaborative partners of children who support and enrich the learning process. Such learning process can be through spontaneous, teacher-guided and teacher-directed play. All three methods of play and learning process differ in their principal. These three methods are discussed in detail in this paper.
Spontaneous, Guided and Directed Play
Spontaneous play is the activity in which children indulges through self-will and would not be guided or directed by an adult. This would involve their free behavior and children express themselves through this activity. It has several forms like jumping, running, and role playing and using supporting material like toys or other games. When children indulge in spontaneous play, they are developing their social and cognitive skills and learn to interact in a group. During spontaneous games, they sometimes get peer directed such as a game of baseball in which one child would guide others on rules of playing. This has little learning value as in spontaneous play, child usually idle away the time and does not develop specific skills or knowledge. However, still spontaneous play is an effective activity which enables children to practice the skills acquired through adult guided or adult directed play.
Adult or teacher guided play is a significant process which improves child’s knowledge and incorporated cognitive, social and motor skills in children. It also fosters academic knowledge in children through playful activities. In adult guided play, children are placed in a specific setting with materials related to an activity and children would start taking interest in the material because of natural curiosity. The material would be used by children to play, thereby facilitating understanding of that material. In classroom settings, literacy-related material is used to interest student in a specific topic which enables them to acquire additional knowledge about the subject. An example of this is when students are required to study about domestic animals; they are provided miniatures of domestic animals like cow, horse, etc. While playing with these animals, children learn to pull cart with them and acquire knowledge of their functionality. This also encourages them to acquire additional information on domestic animals and display it during play. Adult or teacher supports the learning process by answering the queries of children. In Magic Story Car work by Bellin and Singer (2006), children are indulged in playful activities to encourage emergent skills of literacy, like alphabet letters, phonological knowledge, and vocabulary and print awareness. Guided play also lowers the barriers children often display and promotes them to interact freely in a group. Guided play is significant as a learning process as it develops the academic knowledge of the children in playful manner which keeps them engaged and interested in process.
Adult or teacher directed play is a learning process wherein children are directed by the adult while playing. This could be a round of games where teacher has to direct students on the rules and playing methodology of the game. Directed play leads to development of knowledge and skills in children and it also encourages them to perform better. One example of directed play could be role playing activity where children play the role of their ideals and are prompted and directed by adult to perform correctly. This combines the play with learning and has adult interference in the learning process. Directed learning is of immense value for making children understand significant learning concepts. It improves the social, cognitive and thinking skills of the children simultaneously requiring them to perform better so as to excel in the directed game. During directed learning, children are encouraged by their teacher to use collaborative and exploratory sentences which enhance not only the content learning aspect but also improve their linguistic and cognitive development. In directed discussion, teacher or an adult acts as the catalyst for thoughts and such discussions are more effective and educative for children.
Conclusion
Play linked learning process is effective in increasing the learning capacity of children which simultaneously encourages children to be more active academically. Children acquire academic literacy easily during guided and directed play and enhance their social, cognitive and linguistic skills.
References
Bellin, H.F. & Singer, D.G. (2006). My magic story car: Video–based intervention to strengthen emergent literacy of at-risk preschoolers. In R. G.-P. D.G. Singer, Play=Learning: How play motivates and enhances children’s ccognitive and social-emotional growth (pp. 101- 123). New York, NY: Oxford Univ Press.
Bransford, J., Brown, A., & Cooking, R. (2000). How children learn. In In How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school (pp. 79- 113). Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences.
Elkind, D. (2007). The power of play. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press.
Hirsh-Pasek, K., Golinkoff, R. M., Berk, L.E., & Singer. D.G. (2009). A mandate for playful learning in school: Presenting the evidence. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
