NS Study: Play-based Early Learning Supports Numeracy and Literacy
Photo by Gautam Arora
A study based in pre-primary early learning programs in Nova Scotia indicates the “range of rich and diverse examples of numeracy and literacy learning through play and the crucial role of the early childhood educator within the context of the school-based early childhood programs”.
A commonly held view that “the learning required for school achievement is distinct from play” has led to an increase in formalized approaches to literacy and numeracy in many school-based early childhood education programs.
The study began with a literature review of research on play-based learning. Then, photo documentation and data collection by a group of early childhood educators working in play-based early learning programs in Nova Scotia was used as the basis of the research for the study.
Nova Scotia launched a universal, publicly funded, early learning program in 2017 for their province, available to all children in the year before school enrolment (ages 4-5 years old). Pre-primary Programs are available in all public schools in the province, with 309 schools in the six regions who agreed to participate in the study. ECEs working in the pre-primary Program in Nova Scotia follow a play-based program.
The study notes: “To facilitate recruitment and participation, ECEs working in Nova Scotia Pre-primary Programs were intentionally recruited to target perspectives representing core Nova Scotian communities, including rural communities, Black and/or African Nova Scotian communities and Francophone communities. Participating ECEs needed to be actively working in a Pre-primary Program and within a school jurisdiction that had provided ethical approval for [the] study.” The recruitment material invited those willing to commit to participating in six focus groups. Once a group of participants was confirmed, they were divided into three groups of 4-6 participants based on their self-identification of working in one of the three target groups. A total of 17 ECEs participated in the study.
The focus groups used an auto-driven Photo Elicitation Interviews (PEI) technique, in which the participants took their own photos that were then used by the interviewer to encourage discussion and information sharing during the focus group interviews. The study notes: “Nova Scotia Pre-primary ECEs are familiar with the concept of pedagogical documentation, collecting, documenting and interpreting information to assess children’s learning through photographs, videos and anecdotal documentation” and using these materials to translate how learning occurs through play, so it was a familiar environment for participants to engage and provide insight about children’s learning experiences. “The focus groups were developed by one principal investigator of the study, who has extensive experience in early childhood education, play-based learning and pedagogical documentation” and the focus groups were facilitated by two members of the research team, both of whom hold a PhD. “All workshops were audio and video recorded…and transcripts were downloaded … and reviewed by members of the research team. Transcripts from the Francophone group were reviewed by a member of the research team fluently bilingual in English and French….to ensure that no context was missed….” “Recorded focus group discussions were coded by the researchers using reflexive thematic analysis. Coding was guided by a concept that emerged from the focus group data, that early childhood educators were viewing their practice and children’s play through ‘a numeracy and literacy lens’ and noticed how often opportunities for numeracy and literacy learning emerged.”
The study provides 6 illustrative examples of children engaged in play situations, with commentary from the ECE on how the children incorporated numeracy and literacy activities in their spontaneous play, along with the intentional actions by the educator in creating a play space where materials, such as loose parts, are intentionally included to elicit reaction and enquiry from students and where the teacher can observe and document how the children choose to interact with the materials. The educators also discussed how children’s self-led investigations can be encouraged (e.g. providing a measuring tape for children to use to further develop their self-led investigation of earthworms and their relative sizes). Exploration can also be provoked by suggesting adaptations to familiar games (e.g. altering the rules of “I Spy” on a community walk to encourage children to note and record numbers in the community environment). The educators also noted the value of presenting more formal learning tools in a less structured way (e.g. having worksheets available on the shelf, along with other loose parts, for children to select and make use of in their self-directed play - the example shown was of a child using a sheet with large numbers on it to create a pattern of alternating coloured beads within the shape of the number).
Themes that emerged from participants’ descriptions of numeracy and literacy through play within a school-based early learning context included:
• Preconceived knowledge and expectations of children, numeracy and literacy:
⁃ Participants shared their perspectives of children as proud, focused, confident and capable and reflected on their interactions with the materials/environment as being spontaneous, and child-led.
⁃ They also discussed the level of intentionality and reflexivity that is required in their role as educators.
⁃ They shared their perception of external pressures and tensions when there is lack of understanding of the concepts, value and training involved in play-based education by primary teachers within the school
⁃ The value of photo documentation in communicating the child’s engagement and learning when having discussions/consultation with parents.
⁃ The importance of understanding cultural differences in helping a child familiarize themselves and begin to relax and function effectively within the classroom and building confidence, and of building relationships with parents and community members to build support for the work of the program.
• The context of the professional environment:
⁃ Participants discussed the value of interest or understanding of Pre-primary from other colleagues in their schools, such as having “colleagues who asked questions, visited their space, or supported them in finding materials to support play-based learning”.
⁃ The importance of the educator’s role in setting up the environment and atmosphere of their classroom.
⁃ Francophone educators perceived it as one of their duties to support French language learning so that children will increase in confidence in expressing themselves in their language.
• Showcasing the numeracy and literacy lens:
⁃ In discussing the value of documentation, a participant described it as the tool they use “to engage in reflective practice. It allows us to get to know and understand children’s thought processes. It’s a way we involve families in collaborating… We then use that information to inform our curriculum decisions to set goals for children.”
The researchers observed:
• The results provided a range of rich and diverse examples of numeracy and literacy learning through play and the crucial role of the ECE within the context of the Pre-primary Program in Nova Scotia schools.
• Documenting the many ways that numeracy and literacy co-exist and happen organically in children’s play appeared to highlight the intentionality of the choices made by ECEs working in school-based settings as they related to play materials, activities, discussions with children, and the design of the daily schedule and learning environment.
• The use of photos and reflections during the focus groups emphasized the role that pedagogical documentation played in helping participants understand and describe their observations.
• Participants in the current study explained how the children’s numeracy and literacy play, and the subsequent documentation of this play, assisted them, and others, in authentically investigating the children’s interests and experiences with numbers, letters, storytelling, verbal and non-verbal language and fluency - all of which can be considered as pillars of emerging literacy and numeracy.
• Finally, the participants described the value of coming together to share and reflect … to gain insight and ideas from each other while sharing experiences, contextual challenges, and encouragement related to their efforts and successes in supporting the numeracy and literacy development of young children.
• In addition, discussion around their community experiences provided some context to the social and cultural contexts influencing their play-based environments, and subsequently, numeracy and literacy.
The study concluded:
The intentionality of the educator working in a well-designed environment combined with the competence and curiosity of the child creates opportunities where numeracy and literacy become an essential and natural component of the play. The actions and behaviours of both adults and children are recognized as being integral to multimodal methods of communication, and, subsequently, these methods of communicating create and are supported by strong relationships between and among children and adults.
Using pedagogical documentation to reflect and explore children’s play through a numeracy and literacy lens led to deeper understandings of how a play-based environment can support these types of learnings. This type of reflection also broadened the concepts of numeracy and literacy play to the participants who, in turn, reported how they intentionally created more opportunities for this type of exploration and learning. Further work in this area could explore the commonalities and intersectionality between prescribed learning outcomes/ predictors of emerging literacy and numeracy and children’s play behaviour in these areas, including children and educators from diverse linguistic and cultural, backgrounds. This would aid in the authentic assessment of children’s learning and, most importantly, recognize that, for all young children, communicating through numeracy and literacy can and will be done in ways that are meaningful, functional, and natural.