ABC Newcastle Drive at 03:25 p.m.

    Period23 Jul 2025

    Media contributions

    1

    Media contributions

    • TitleABC Newcastle
      Degree of recognitionNational
      Media name/outletABC Radio
      Media typeRadio
      Duration/Length/Size03:25
      Country/TerritoryAustralia
      Date23/07/25
      Descriptionpast three. If you've got kids or grandkids in your life, have you seen them learn while they play? It could be a skill like elements of literacy or numeracy, or maybe they learn, you know, just how to be part of an activity with other people. Play-based learning is something early childhood educators use in preschool and daycare settings. But what about when a child reaches primary school? Is play still a good way to learn? Something to consider. Now everyone's back and cracking in for term three. Katie Mewison is a lecturer in early childhood and primary education at the University of Canberra. She's been looking into primary school teachers' attitudes towards play. Good afternoon. Hi, thanks, Jenny. Most of us, I think, would have an idea of what we consider play, but in the context of learning, what are we talking about here? Yeah, that's a really great question. So I think there is a difference between play and play-based learning. So if we look at play for itself, play is something that children and or humans and animals as well actually do as a biological kind of necessity. It's something that comes from within them. It's It's motivated and it's about the process rather than the product. It's something that they choose to do. When we're looking at play in an educational context and what you mentioned is play-based It's when we're putting a kind of an adult agenda or an outcome attached to the play. So personally, I prefer the term playful learning.
      Producer/AuthorAustralian Broadcasting Network
      PersonsKaty MEEUWISSEN