Supporting Numeracy and Literacy in Play-Based Early Learning Programs
Photo by luis arias on Unsplash
The Early Childhood Collaborative Research Centre at Mount Saint Vincent University has produced a graphic report on Supporting Numeracy and Literacy in Play-Based Early Learning Programs.
The research study looked at “how providing a meaningful and functional numeracy and literacy-rich play-based environment helps to build positive attitudes and competencies for children in Pre-primary”. The aims of the project were:
To capture and reflect on how numeracy and literacy is supported within the Pre-primary Program through pedagogical documentation.
To use documentation as a tool to discuss and critically think about numeracy and literacy within the Pre-primary Program. Also, to use documentation as a way of sharing experiences and building skills.
To collaborate on ideas of how to enhance play-based programming to support children’s numeracy and literacy development in Pre-primary Programs in Nova Scotia.
Six collaborative workshops were held: three information-sharing sessions, two photo-sharing sessions, and one final group brainstorm. Three groups of Pre-primary educators were recruited (Rural Communities/Black and ANS Communities/Francophone Communities), “based on their unique community perspectives, as well as the opportunity gaps in professional development and expectations for numeracy and literacy”.
The booklet contains photos and short descriptions of a wide range of examples of ways that educators and children are incorporating numeracy and literacy in an integrated way into their classroom activities, using children’s curiosity and interest to generate learning opportunities.
Each of the participating groups produced a final visual of the learning cycle, from which the study’s conclusions were extracted. The conclusions of the groups from this study of using a numeracy and literacy lens with this age-group were:
Relationships are the connection between the child, the educator, and the environment. They act as the foundation for all learning, working together and separately to inform play-based approaches and responsive interactions.
Educators support numeracy and literacy by being thoughtful and intentional in their planning of the play environment, and by drawing on their knowledge of the child to model and scaffold opportunities for learning and growth.
By creating an environment that fosters exploration through accessible and flexible materials, educators supply children with opportunities for play-based learning. This emerges through invitation, unplanned/spontaneous learning opportunities and extensions of past activities.
A child-focused environment takes into consideration the characteristics of each child and how they influence and interact with the educator and the environment. Through observing the children and building relationships with them, educators can respond to children’s natural curiosity, perseverance, and independence when planning their play-based early learning environments.