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The Reality of Organization of Learning through Play Activity towards Creating Iteration for Primary Students

Do Thi Hong Ngat

Nguyen Tat Thanh Primary School, Hanoi National University of Education, 136 Xuan Thuy Street, Cau Giay District, Ha Noi, Vietnam

Abstract: These days, Learning through Play is a very attractive teaching approach and has attracted the attention of many school experts, administrators and teachers. When organizing Learning through Play activities, teachers need to create opportunities for students to explore and learn new concepts through experiential activities, research, repeating hypotheses to find satisfying answers, so that students can discover and understand the content of the lesson more deeply. However, the effectiveness of organizing Learning through Play towards creating iteration for primary students is not high due to various reasons. The article presents the results of a survey analysis on 80 teachers and 382 students at Ly Thai To Primary School and Nguyen Tat Thanh Primary School on the situation of organization of Learning through Play activities towards creating iteration for primary school. Research results show the current situation as a scientific basis to propose measures to develop iterations in Learning through Play for primary students.

Keywords: learning through play, iteration, primary students

Received January 03, 2022; Revised April 15, 2022; Accepted April 18, 2022

Citation: Do Thi Hong Ngat, The Reality of Organization of Learning through Play Activity towards Creating Iteration for Primary Students. American Journal of Educational Research, 10 (4). 238-244. January 2022. doi:10.12691/education-10-4-12

1. Introduction

Iteration is one of the five characteristics and considerd as the most important feature of Learning though Play. Evolutionary biologists believe that play evolved, in part, to provide a safe way to try out new behaviors and ideas. School should be created as a safe place for children to experiment, make mistakes, and learn from failure. Many research works around the world have confirmed the importance of Learning though Play toward creating iteration for students.

Right from the earliest moments of infancy, children have an amazing natural potential to learn about the world from play. According to some previous studies, play is typically considered a pleasurable, spontaneous, non-goal directed activity that can include anticipation, flow and surprise (Barnett & Owens, 2015 [1]; Brown, 2009 [2]; Csikszentmihalyi, 1990 [3]; Eberle, 2014 [4]; Gray, 2015 [5]; Hirsh-Pasek et al., 2009) [6].

Some others say that playing does not mean children are wasting time; in early childhood, children predominately learn through play (Danniels & Pyle, 2018 [7]; Thomas, Warren, & deVries, 2011 [8]). Play is recognized as central to children’s learning (Dewey, 1944 [9]; Froebel, 1887 [10]; Hirsh-Pasek et al., 2009 [6]; Huizinga, 1955 [11]; Piaget, 1971 [12]; Vygotsky, 1978 [13]). Vygotsky (1978) [13] explains that a child’s greatest achievements are possible in play, achievement that will tomorrow become her basic level of real action” (LEGO Learning Institute, 2013) [14]. Although the nature of the game changes as children grow into teenagers - there can be more complex games with rules, advanced physical activity, yet meaningful and active participation continues (Frost, Wortham, & Reifel, 2012) [15].

Aljarrah (2017) [16] describes Froebel’s and Vygotsky’s claim that play is a developmental tool in children’s pre-school years, and creativity can be fostered effectively as an essential skill for life. According to Aljarrah, play is the children’s business and their way of discovering the world.

According to Ramani, 2012, play is a scenario that provides children with the power to determine their own activities and a safe space for experimentation where there is no risk, helping to encourage repetitive behavior back and explore [17].

With regard to playfulness, researchers such as Barnett (1990) [18] and Lieberman (1977) [19] suggest that in order to truly play, children need to demonstrate a predisposition to perceive an activity as play. In playful learning, children try out ideas, test theories, experiment with symbol systems, explore social relations, take risks, and reimagine the world.

Learning through Play is an enjoyable and appropriate way to transition from early childhood into the school year (Biordi & Gardner, 2014) [20]. As a pedagogy, learning though play is described as combining playful child-directed activity with teacher or adult supported or guided learning objectives (Weisberg Hirsh-Pasek & Gilinkoff, 2013) [21]. Learning through play approach provides opportunities for children to learn through restructuring process, new discovery, enrichment process, construction of experience and knowledge as well as the discovery of new concepts Learning through Play develops children’s health, imagination, social-emotional competencies, language skills, and physical capacities. Moreover, play activities also prevent boredom and eliminate children’s fear in learning new subjects [22].

In Vietnam, there are many authors studying the use and design of learning through play activities from different angles. Nguyen Anh Tuyet, (1996) [23] said that the appearance of the concept of "Edutainment" has brought teaching through games to a new level of development. Howerver, the concept of “Edutainment” is not really clear. Many people think that it is the term for teaching only by play, creative teaching or informal teaching.

iPLAY project: Integrating Learning through Play in Primary Education in Vietnam is implemented in Thai Nguyen, Hanoi, Quang Tri, Da Nang, Quang Ngai, Ho Chi Minh City, Lai Chau and Ha Giang provinces. The iPLAY project program focuses on integrating Learning through Play approaches into the current teacher training system and in on-campus professional development programs for managers and primary school teachers [24].

Although reseacher has clearly established the benefits of Learning though Play in fostering child development and learning, in fact, creating iteration in Learning through Play is not really effective. This article has been built from the research idea of assessing the current status of organization of Learning though Play activity toward creating iteration for primary education to clarify the shortcomings as a scientific basis.

2. Content

In order to find out how to organize Learning through Play activitiy towards creating iteration for primary students, the study conducted a survey of 80 managers and teachers, 382 students.

2.1. The Reality of Organization of Learning through Play activities towards Creating Iteration for Primary Students

2.1.1. The Reality of Awareness and Attitude of Managers and Teachers on the Organization of Learning through Play Activities towards Creating Iteration for Primary Students

In order to organize Learning through Play in primary education effectively, it is demanded that managers, teachers have a good awareness of the importance of creating iteration for students in organizing Learning through Play. According to the survey, it can be seen that 80% of the managers and most of the teachers surveyed are fully aware of the importance of organization of Learning through Play activities towards creating iteration for students in primary school. The majority of the evaluation comments on Learning through Play in Education in Primary school students are important; no evaluation comments are of less important and do not matter.

However, there is still a small number of managers and teachers (4%) who are not properly aware of the importance of this activity. Although in previous school years, the school has applied Learning through Play in educational activities, these activities have not had a great impact on the awareness of the importance of Learning through Play for officials and teachers. When asked, the majority of managers and teachers rated this as a necessary and meaningful activity for primary school students. However, schools need to organize Learning through Play activities suitable for each class and school.

2.1.2. The Status of the Goal Meeting the Requirements to be Achieved in the Organization of Learning through Play through towards Creating Iteration for Primary Students

In order to understand the actual status of the goals of Learning through Play activity toward creating iteration for primary students, the author conducted a survey and obtained the results in Table 1.

Table 1. Assessment of Learning through Play activity goal towards creating iteration for primary students

With the content: "To contribute to the comprehensive development of students (cognitive, social, emotional, creative and physical)", 65% of managers and teachers rated at weldone but also 7.5% of teachers rated as incomplete; With the goal: "Help students develop the necessary skills in the 21st century", 54% of managers and teachers rated at “Well-done”, along with 35% rated at well-done. However, the goal: “To help students develop the necessary skills in the 21st century” for implementation is still 11% of managers and teachers who have incomplete assessments.

In addition to the contents of implementing the comprehensive development goals of students (cognitive, social, emotional, creative and physical) or preparing students to adapt to the rapid and complex change of the future society through learning through playing in primary school, there is still not much interest and appreciation such as helping students keep up with globalization and laying the foundation for lifelong learning, only receiving 40% of the assessment level well-done, up to 16% of the assessment staff and teachers have not completed.

2.1.3. Status of Implementation of the Content of the Characteristics of Learning through Play Activity towards Creating Iteration for Primary Students

From Table 2, it can be seen that the characteristic "Joyful" was rated 56% by managers and teachers at the level of "Always", 29% level of “Often” and 5% at the level of "Normal". Meanwhile, the remaining levels account for just under 5%. This shows that through the activities, students experience moments of suspense, surprise, excitement or joy when they overcome challenges.

The “Actively Participate” characteristic was rated at the second level with 45% being “Always” and 14% being “Often”. Levels of “Normal”, “Sometimes” and “Never” account for 5%, 21%, and 15% respectively. According to the teacher, students are very interested and cooperative in participating in Learning through Play activities. The children are involved in the process of being active and highly focused in the activities.

In addition, the characteristic "Socially interactive" is rated at "Always" 25%; "Sometimes" with 16.2%. In fact, when applying Learning through Play, students are shown their thoughts and shared ideas with friends and teachers. Since then, they feel comfortable, engaged and have a close relationship with their classmates.

Table 2. The survey implements the content of the characteristics of Learning through Play towards creating iteration for primary students

The “Iterative” characteristic is rated with a “Always” performance frequency of 30% and a “Often” level of 11%. When interviewing the teachers, most teachers said that it is very good for students to be iterated and from there, they learn and offer many options to solve problems. However, due to the limited number of knowledge and skills required, limited time, and limited implementation conditions, they have not had many opportunities to iterate.

2.1.4. The Reality of Implementing Different Types of Learning through Play in Organization of Activities Learning through Play for Primary Students

Types of Learning through Play in primary education include Learning through free play (initiation: student; instruction: teacher); Learning through directed play (initiation: teacher; instruction: student); Learning through play (initiation: teacher; instruction: student); Learning through detailed, specific and controlled instruction of teachers (initiation: teacher; instruction: teacher).

In order to understand the actual situation of the implementation of the type of learning in the direction of creating testing opportunities for primary students, the author conducted the survey through the questionnaire. After the survey, the author evaluated the statistics and obtained the results in Table 2.

The survey results through Table 3 show that the organization of Learning through Play in teaching in primary education is the most conducted in the type of "Learning through direct instruction", with an average score of 0.41 (ranked 1). When interviewed, the teachers said that this is the type often done by teachers, especially used to warm-up at the beginning or to strengthen and review the lesson at the end of the lesson. In this type, teachers set learning objectives, provide clear and detailed frameworks and guidelines for students to follow and students mainly follow the guidance and direct control without having many opportunities to put forward their own ideas and views.

Table 3. The reality of implementation of Learning through Play towards creating iteration for primary students

Whereas, the "Learning through guided Play" type is rated at the lowest level with an average score of -0.23. Although ranked 4th, as can be seen, this is a type of play that student actively join the games and teachers are only the suporter. The teacher will guide and support the students to carry out the activity and help them control their learning process. Teachers can assist by setting up play environments, participating in play with children, asking questions, giving suggestions, giving examples…. With “Learning through guided Play,” teachers can provide students with a variety of targeted learning activities.

From the research results, primary teachers have been using games in teaching. However, they are just games, they are not enough to define them as Learning through Play.

2.1.5. The Reality of Methods/Techniques in the Organization of Learning through Play Activities towards Creating Iteration for Primary Students

Through Table 4, we can see that in particular, the "Situational" method with 22.5% “Always” and 41.25% “Usually” (ranked 1). According to some teachers, this is a method that not only increases the positivity but also develops information processing skills for students.

The “Game” method is also appreciated with 18,75% “Always” and 35% “Usually”. Whereas, the “Collaborative” method has 13.75% “Always” and 68.75% “Usually”. Besides, some technical methods are less implemented such as: “Mix and Match”, "Jigsaw"; "KWLH"; “Ball-bearing”;

The survey results show that, although teachers have used teaching methods and teaching techniques to organize Learning through Play towards creating iteration for students, teaching methods and techniques are limited. Through the survey, we see the percentage of teachers using less implemented methods and techniques and in fact, teachers do not really let students participate. The preparation and application of techniques is also one-sided because when using positive teaching techniques, teachers must prepare many teaching aids, the management and observation of students is still difficult because mainly they operate individually and then operate in groups.

Table 4. Status of methods/techniques in the organization Learning through Play activities towards creating iteration for primary students

2.2. The Reality Level of Implementation of the Trait that Creates Iteration in the Organization of Learning through Play Activities for Primary Students

When organizing Learning through Play activities, teachers need to create opportunities for students to explore, learn new concepts through iteration, research, retry hypotheses to find satisfactory answers, so students will explore and understand the lesson content more deeply.

From Table 5, it can be inferred that the content "Designing learning activities through a series of tasks, questions, problem situations" has an average score of 0.36 (ranked 1) with a rating of 40% “Always” and 26% “Often”. Students are asked to experiment; many hypotheses are posed and there are many opportunities to try again and again to carry out activities with open results.

The content "Teacher oriented students in sharing ideas " with an average score of 0.23, with 37.5% “Always” and 27.5% “Often”. The Vietnam 2018 General Education curriculum has confirmed that students are encouraged to become active participants in their own learning process. Furthermore, in competence development teaching, students are given choices and share their own ideas. Therefore, peer sharing is an effective way to stimulate iteration in the classroom.

Table 5. The reality level of implementation of the trait that creates iteration in the organization of Learning through Play activities for primary students

In addition, the content "Teachers create opportunities for students to explore, learn new concepts through experience activities, research, retry hypotheses to find satisfactory answers" ranked 3rd with an average score of 0.03, of which 25% are “Always” and 45% are “Normal” evaluated. However, the fact is that this content has not been synchronized by all teachers is of constant interest.

“Teacher follows the process: raise the issue of → students offering some solution → choose the solution→ Analysis solution, choose the ability to implement the solution, → share the solution with peer → adjustment and consider → testing the solution” is an activity that has not been done regularly with an average rating of -0.04. In fact, teachers create opportunities for students to explore and learn new concepts, but when implemented, the process of creating opportunities for students to repeat has not been well done.

“Encourage students to keep thinking by always asking questions after each learning activity” is of the least interest. Because the teacher's awareness of creating iteration for students is still inadequate, teachers also underestimate the goal of creating iteration for students in the learing process.

2.3. Current Status of Testing and Evaluation of Learning through Play in Primary Schools

Through Table 6, we see that teachers rated students with an average score of 0.21 (ranked 1), which occurs “Very often”, accounting for 52.5% and “Regularly” 22.5%. This shows that the organization and assessment of teachers with students has been done quite often but still 1.25% of the assessment has never been done.

Table 6. Current status of testing and evaluation of Learning through Play in primary schools

Self-assessment teacher activities have an average score of -0.09 (2nd place), most of which are selected “Regularly” by teachers at 26.25% and “Normal” at 11.25%. However, many teachers assess “Sometimes” with a rate of 21.25% and never 5%. Teacher self-assessment will help teachers know what content they have done well in the application of Learning through Play.

In addition, the organization of peer review is also 12.5% rated at very often implementation level and 20% regularly. This is the process by which each student in the classroom participates in an activity/learning plan that evaluates each other. Peer assessment does not focus on assessing performance but aims to support students throughout their learning process. This means that students will evaluate each other based on predetermined criteria.

In addition, parents and other educational forces still have some limitations, so 11,25% of the assessment has never been done, students self-assessing is also not done regularly and there are teachers who have never done with the assessment of 3,75%.

In education, the assessment of Learning through Play for students at primary schools does not avoid deficiencies. This requires managers and teachers of primary schools to promptly overcome the limitations in testing and evaluation to improve the effectiveness of organization of Learning through Play towards creating iteration for primary students.

2.4. Overall Assessment of the Situation

2.4.1. Achievements

In general, the Principal, Vice Principal and main teachers are well aware of the role, position, content and form of Learning through Play activities. However, there is a small percentage of subject teachers, students and parents who are not fully and properly aware of Learning through Play. The content of Learning through Play in teaching in primary education has been basically adapted to the situation of the school, but it is necessary to further diversify the content and enrich the form of expression.

To some extent, it is possible to confirm the superiority of Learning through Play towards creating iteration for students in primary schools which is important in improving the quality of learning for children.

The content, forms and topics of activities are relatively diverse, integrating many skills in the lesson, through the activities of Learning through Play. Thereby, improve students' understanding, experience and life skills, thereby attracting voluntary students, actively participating in Learning activities through Play and positive response.

The school has implemented a variety of forms in which such as organizing games, class leader activities, integrating with games, through Learning through Play activities in the subjects. Moreover, the two schools uses a variety of Learning through Play methods, some of which are used regularly and effectively.

Learning through Play in primary education is an effective first step, in which schools know how to organize activities, but the activities are limited because the awareness of managers and teachers about Learning through Play is not adequate.

2.4.2. Limitations

The effectiveness of creationg iteration in Learning through Play in primary education is not high, not attracting many students to participate in the activity and not promoting the role of Learning through Play for the education of students.

Many principals, vice principals, teachers, students and other educational forces, are not fully aware of the role of Learning through Play.

Students do not have a clear understanding of the role, effects and nature of Learning through Play activities in the comprehensive development of learner qualities and competencies. Therefore, when the children are usually entertaining with little correct attitude in learning. This is because they have not been properly invested in cognitive education, inadequate psychological and physiological development, and some families have not created the best conditions for them to participate in Learning through Play.

3. Conclusion

Through conducting research and clarifying a number of issues related to "organization of Learning through Play activities towards creating iteration for primary students", it can be seen that, in the past, the education quality of the two research schools has achieved certain results and achievements. The research process shows that most managers and teachers in schools have had a good awareness of the need to organize Learning activities through Playing in schools. Schools have organized some activities which are suitable for students to attract the participation of forces inside and outside the school, the first step has a positive effect, helping students train and form their personality. Howerver, the practice of organizing Learning through Play in teaching in primary education still has many limitations and inadequacies due to improper awareness. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen and expand the understanding of managers and teachers about Learning through Play at Primary level.

References

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