Role_Play

ROLE PLAY Pretend play can be used to help stimulate children in a variety of ways. Imagination will be increased if playing on their own or with friends. If in a group social skills will be developed, and through role play dreams and inspirations can be realized and expressed. Children of earlier age (ie.:up to reception classes ) learn to make friends as well as to use their imagination through role play. Playing pirates, princesses or mums and dads is very beneficial to children’s development. This is because they can learn and experience more through role play. I have been monitoring children in reception classes playing games. It makes them make friends much easier and quicker as well as using their imagination through pretend play. It helps them to build up their self-esteem and develops their confidence. This way children get engaged in play and makes them communicate with each other, which is beneficial for their social skills. It gives the children, opportunity to practice communication in different social contexts and in different social role. Examples of these are playing, pirates, mums and dads, shopkeeper, doctors and nurses, policemen(policewomen) and etc. Children love playing, acting and dressing up. This helps them to improve their listening, speaking and responding (communicating) with each other. Snakes and Ladders: This is a very popular game with children. It involves two or more players. It can be played on a small board indoors. It is also a great game to play outdoors on a giant version with a 10ft x 10ft board and a large inflatable dice. The game can be used in various ways with children/young people at all stages of education from the early years through to secondary and beyond. This game has many benefits which include: • They have to take turns. It teaches them on how to be patient and have to wait in a queue to take their turn. • It helps their numeracy. It encourages them to count forward and backwards, adding and subtracting. • It helps them to recognize the numbers. A good way to learn sequencing from 1 to 100 in a fun way. If it’s too complicated, at least counting 1 – 6 on the dice is a good start. • It also develops children’s cognitive skills, makes them think and respond in their own words. Children who have not developed their cognitive skills are not able to join together any new information. • It also teaches them on how to be good winners and losers. • It teaches them, that there are always ups and downs • It proves to them that life has its ups and downs. Sometimes you’re up (ladders) there, sometimes you fall (snakes). • It encourages them to be humble. Don’t look down on people who are less fortunate than you. Be grateful with what you have. Likewise, when you fall down, don’t give up. Try again. • It makes them to accept the outcome. Whatever the result (win or lose), accept it with grace. That’s the spirit of sportsmanship. If you lose this time, learn and improve so that you can win next time. Make losing a motivation, not an excuse not to play again. • It teaches them on how to handle their emotions. Teaches them to manage their emotions when playing. Be it happy, sad, disappointed, angry, frustrated, or upset. They also learn on how to react to emotions of other players appropriately. • Goal setting. By playing the board game, they learn how to set goal ( use a 10×10 board, the goal is to reach the 100th square) and focus all the effort to reach it. CATCH UP Catch up in literacy and numeracy is a very valuable and helpful program which has been set up by the government in 2008 to help to improve pupil’s performance and learning. It is designed for children who are struggling with their reading, writing and mathematics. It also supports the children who are finding learning and communicating in group situations more difficult than others. This program is specially designed for children who are considerably below the expected level of the national curriculum for their age. This program is based on a one to one basis possibly twice a week for the individual learner and it lasts for the whole academic year. It helps pupils to build up their cognitive skills. Without the cognitive skills children will not be able to integrate any new information. To build up self-esteem and grow pupil’s confidence, it is important to support them and make them feel special by encouraging, praising and rewarding them. This way they will believe in themselves and will feel much happier. Catch up consists of two catigories which are catch up literacy and catch up numeracy. They both come in four stages as explained below: Catch up literacy: 1. Formative assessment- this assesses the learner on what they are and are not capable of and where their needs lie. These are used to set up the targets and to find out where the starting point will be. 2. Selecting an appropriate book for the reader to read- catch up has graded the books into 12 different levels. The main aim is to select a book for the individual who can read it very well. 3. Individual teaching session- this usually lasts for 15 minutes and is carried out twice a week. This is carried out in three parts Part 1: prepared reading • To tell the reader what the story is about so he can concentrate on the reading. • To introduce to the reader any words that they are not used to. • To give the child more confidence in reading the text. Part 2: the learner reads and the text is discussed • To identify which strategy the reader uses. • To encourage the reader to try and read the more unfamiliar words. • To be able discuss the content and understand what it was about and also to be able to express their opinion. Part 3: linked writing • To teach the reader the words that he/she gets wrong. • To make sure that the reader learns from his reading and spelling. 4. Ongoing monitoring- the report kept about the pupil, will contain valuable information about the pupil’s needs and progress. The learners are assessed again at mid point and end of the year .the progress should also be checked by means of a reading test. Catch up numeracy: 1. Formative assessments- this assesses the learner on what they are and are not capable of and where their needs lie. 2. Identifying an appropriate focus for numeracy teaching- an assessment must be made to identify the learner’s numeracy profile..This must be used to set a target for the catch up numeracy levels and also to find an appropriate way for the numeracy teaching. 3. Individual teaching session- this usually lasts 15 minutes and is carried out twice a week. This is carried out in three parts: Part 1: review and introduction • to let the learner know what was achieved in the last session and to give an introduction for the current session. • For the learner to know what number ranges are being used. • To be able to teach the learner the same way as the teaching in the class. Part 2: numeracy activity • For the learner to be able to work in a range of different styles. • For the learner to be familiarized with the vocabulary in the session. Part 3: linked recording • To be able to use writing/ recording as an alternative approach of learning for the skills learned in part 2 • To provide focused teaching based on observed misuse 4. Ongoing monitoring- the report kept about the pupil, will contain valuable information about the pupil’s needs and progress. The learners are assessed again at mid point and end of the year .The progress should also be checked by means of a mathematics test.