1) The document discusses strategies for effectively engaging with children during play, such as regularly pausing to allow children time to think and direct conversations, asking open-ended questions, and showing curiosity in children's activities. 2) It emphasizes the importance of listening to children's questions and responding in ways that encourage independent thinking, such as answering a question with another question, rather than directly providing answers. 3) Examples are given of how the author has joined children in play as a partner rather than instructor, and how allowing children to direct activities can broaden their learning and development.

1. Schoolbased task 5 – playful pedagogies
TS1
TS2
Evaluate strategies used to ‘tune in’ to children’s ideas and interests
- Regular pauses within conversations allowing children time to think and
become the director of the conversation. As I have seen in the classroom
environment these pauses also help with a child’s thought process,
expanding their thinking and therefore their knowledge and learning.
- When joining in or leading an activity with a child ensure that the questions
asked are open-ended allowing the child to expand their thought process and
therefore directly impact their development. During placement this has been
an accurate way of allowing children to direct their own learning as well as
increasing heir confidence and making them feel more comfortable in their
learning environment.
- When a child is taking part in an activity, it is useful to show your curiosity so
they feel proud and confident about what they are creating.
- If there are things that you want to know about an activity that a child is
taking part in, do not question them, cause they may feel under pressure. Get
involved with the activity yourself so they feel that you are at their level and
they feel more comfortable to share their ideas with you. This is vital for
children gaining confidence, which will result in wider learning.
How have you listened and responded to questions
- When getting involved in child initiated play it is important to not directly
give away the answer that the child is looking for as this will limit their
thinking and therefore learning and development also. In some cases this
may be seen to increase confidence within a child, as they will become more
open to answering questions in the future.
- Open-ended questions are vital to respond to children’s own questions. The
technique of answering a question with a question is hugely powerful within
a classroom environment allowing thoughts and imagination to expand.
- When a child asks you a question, you can reply by continuing to teach them.
This may be including current or previous topics to test their knowledge or
using the question to expand their knowledge at a later date. For example
when a child asked how do I spell ‘torch’ my response of “how do you think
you spell it, how do we learn to spell during phonics” has the capability of
them to think about and answer their own question, therefore putting
previous knowledge they have learnt to the test. This also allows the children
to think about what they have learnt before, adding to their communication
and language. After they have written the word by themselves just through
my prompting their question has been answered, as well as opening up
another question and topic and allowing their learning development to be
expanded; “what do we use a torch for?”

2. To what extent have you joined as a partner rather than an instructor?
- Throughout placement there has been many opportunities in which I have joined
children in child initiated play rather than directing and instructing them into an area
of provision, this is because I have noticed that when children are joined they feel
under less pressure and will usually reach higher targets due to them being more
relaxed and therefore gaining confidence in their knowledge. Also when getting
involved with children it is clear that they are developing their cognitive processing,
which usually results in them taking the lead themselves.
Have you given opportunities to lead and direct play?
- Allowing children to take charge in activities is as important as them listening
as it broadens their knowledge and allows for endless possibilities.
- An example in the classroom where a child directing play has allowed for
further cognitive development was in the modeling area. I went over to the
modeling area and sat down to get involved among 3 children. One child
asks, “Please can you tell me something to make Miss Blake” After a short
pause I replied, “um, I’m not sure, a flower?” After a while she had made a
flower, rather than commenting on it and then leaving the situation, I asked
“How did you do that, I can’t make flowers, will you show me how to do it
please?” This allowed her to take charge, instructing me within an area of
provision that she initially wasn’t sure what to do.
How did your interaction promote Characteristics of Effective Learning?
- Playing and Exploring (engagement) – Joe was very independent before and
would only seek attention from one peer within the class, now Joe branches
out during outdoor play and will interact with a variety of different children
and shows clear enjoyment in his emotions.
- Active learning (motivation) – Getting involved with Joe meant that I was able
to see how he was around others and use certain strategies to motivate him
throughout his learning. 1 to 1 sessions have been highly influential and have
encouraged him to get involved more within classroomactivities. Before, Joe
would only access the construction provision unless he was instructed
otherwise. But I now notice that Joe is more confident and will access the
mathematics and mark-making area by himself and once completed task will
seek praise.
- Creating and thinking critically (thinking) – Joe now joins in during carpet
time, answering questions with relevant answers. He has not only became
more engaged but he is also a lot more interested and will also do topic
related tasks and activities without prompting.
What can you do to enhance the quality of interactions during child-initiated play?
- Sometimes I think I get involved and ask too many questions early on in an
activity, I feel like if I begin by standing back and observing from a distance to
ensure that my interaction is not going to effect play in any way.
- Pauses within conversation are effective methods for children not too
depend on you as the teacher. These pauses allow the children to think and
therefore fill the pauses with their knowledge and information.

3. - The majority of the time I get involved in child initiated play as opposed to
directing and instructing, but to increase cognitive development within
children I could maybe sit close by to a provision or activity and wait to be
involved without involving myself.
- Open-ended questioning is an effective method to expanding and preparing
for endless possibilities in the classroomenvironment.