Playful pedagogy for deeper learning: exploring the implementation of the play-based foundation phase in Wales

ABSTRACT

The Welsh foundation phase is a play-based curriculum for 3–7-year-olds advocating outdoor and experiential approaches to learning. Play-based outdoor learning increases interaction with a range of affordances giving opportunities for movement in learning. Children assign activities as either play or not play-based on a series of cues. Teaching approaches that incorporate cues associated with play can influence pupil engagement and involvement in learning. This paper draws on data from a three-year study of the implementation of the foundation phase. Analysis of data from observations, field notes and video suggest pupils were more involved in tasks with higher levels of well-being when tasks were perceived as play. Leavres suggests increased involvement in learning may result in deeper learning.

KEYWORDS:

• Play
• outdoor learning: pupil engagement

Notes on contributors

Wainwright is Director of The Wales Academy for Health and Physical Literacy at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and programme director for the MA PE, Sport and Physical Literacy.

Goodway is a faculty member in the area of motor development and elementary physical education in the Kinesiology area of the Department of Human Sciences at The Ohio State University.

Whitehead is visiting Professor at the University of Bedfordshire, author of Physical Literacy Throughout the Life Course, founder and Honorary President of the International Physical Literacy Association.

Williams is Associate Professor in the School of Sport Health and Outdoor Education at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. He is Head of The Centre for Health and Outdoor Research in The Wales Academy for Health and Physical Literacy.

David Kirk is Professor of Education and former Head of the School of Education (2014–2017) at the University of Strathclyde and is Honorary Professor of Human Movement Studies at the University of Queensland

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.