Group Play

This week’s readings are based on group play and how teachers observe and support this type of play. In the book it describes how Reggio teachers use different means to document what the children say and do, such as: taking notes, photographs, videotapes, tape recorders, and what I found interesting, sketching. Soon after, usually that day, the Reggio teachers will go over their observations with each other and work together on what direction they will be following the next day. This is something that I find very interesting. Ultimately this would be ideal for me, but it is never what actually happens. Usually the documentation on the observations and assessments will be taken, put away (hopefully in a safe place), and looked at when it’s time to do the portfolios; which is usually several months later. What I would like is time each day to do this and to collaborate with my co-worker on what we should focus on the next day.

I have been noticing, since the readings, how important group play can be. Children in group play can and do learn many things, such as: learning strategies, communication and language, knowledge-building, imagination and creativity, form friendships, and much more. This past weekend I went to the Oahu HAEYC Conference where I took a workshop in play. For the first 20 minutes the class played solitary play and then in the following 25 minutes the class did group play. I much preferred group play. But it made me think of my children in the classroom. How can we focus on small group play? What can I do to support group play? Even in a classroom that does units and lessons there has to be a way that I can incorporate group play as part of everyday learning, but how?

Right now the unit we are on is “All About Me” but tweaked with also learning about the children’s cultures (something new for us – and exciting!) I already have ideas flowing through my head that the children can do that can be group play, but not activity focused (which is what we do at this school). We are learning about our island so I started a mural that the kids could use to grow on – but it didn’t work out so much. So now I will try something else, perhaps bring boxes that the children could work on to make a home or several homes to be played with in the Block Center. Or maybe ask the kids what they would like to do. I’m still thinking on this.

Two weeks ago I was lucky enough to visit the Reggio-based school at Mid Pac. The teacher met with us for almost 2 hours. We looked at the classroom which I just loved and I got more ideas that I wanted for our classroom. I have already implemented a few of them. One of them is using sand as continual art. This is where I went to the beach and got 2 buckets of sand, placed it in a large, shallow, see-through container and placed it on the table along with other material that I collected from the beach: drift wood, coral, different types and sizes of shells, kukui nuts, hamburger nuts (that’s what I call them), opihi shells, small coconuts, and little twigs; which were placed in containers next to the sand. The children then use the material to make art with. It’s wonderful to see them doing this instead of building sandcastles or volcanoes. Also the children played in small groups and came up with how they wanted to work with the materials. I haven’t gotten a chance to observe them close up but I will try to soon.

Also at the Mid Pac school the centers were free to whoever wanted to play in them, without nametags. I found this interesting and would like to visit when children are there. The teacher also shared with us numerous portfolios of the children and also the children’s work. The project they had been working on at the time was wind. It was amazing to see the activities that came from wind: the children drew wind, named their wind, went to field trips about wind, made things that would move in the wind, and etc. It was truly based on what the children wanted to learn about. In the pictures it did seem that there was a lot of group play. It was different to see this instead of what I’m used to: a teacher on a table with 3 to 4 children doing an activity. If possible I would like to blend group play with learning the objectives that we need to follow. How do you see group play as part of learning in your school? Would it be possible to do assessments in a group? What about the quiet children in the group how could you get a true assessment on them? Is one on one assessment no longer necessary? I’m not sure, but I would like to look over our objectives to see if group play (not the group play with the teacher at the table) be incorporated into our assessments, how about you?