Essay MAB 7

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1 | L e a r n e r a n d L e a r n i n g E n v i r o n m e n t

1.0 Introduction of Play

On August 1, 1966, 25-year-old Charles Whitman climbed to the top of the

University of Texas Tower on the Austin campus and shot 46 people. Whitman, an

engineering student and a former U.S. Marine sharpshooter, was the last person

anyone expected to go on a killing spree. Stuart Brown, founder of the United States

National Institute of Play, was assigned as the states consulting psychiatrist to

investigate the incident and later, when he interviewed 26 convicted Texas

murderers for a small pilot study, he discovered that most of the killers, including

Whitman, shared two things in common: they were from abusive families, and

they neverplayed as kids (Article ofThe Serious Need for Play).

This article attracted me as it appears when I was searching for some

references about Importance of Childrens Play via the internet. I was wondering

what it is about this news that could possibly be related to the importance of play

among children. As I read through the article, I have nothing in doubt to say that,

yes; it is playing that the most important child should do during their childhood. The

article is crystal clear-showed to us how play greatly impacts and influences an

individual, even in a long time period.

Picture 1: Playground is the best place for children to play with their peers.

Free play, as what scientists call it, is the happy hour for every child. They

like to play, they need to run, chase, ride, skip and jump. The more they play, the

more they want to play again. Play is important for children because generally, it

practices their linguistic, cognitive and social skills and contributes to their

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personality development. Children use their minds while playing, because they are

thinking and acting as if they were another person. When they make such a

transformation, they are taking a step forward abstract thinking in that they are

freeing their thoughts from a focus on concrete objects. Play is also associated with

creativity, especially the ability to be less literal and more flexible in one's thinking.

Lev Vygotsky, who was a famous Russian psychologist wrote, "In play a child

always above his average age, above his daily behaviour; in play it is as though he

were a head taller than himself".

2.0 Importance of Play in Children.

The topic would be further discussed and thoroughly elaborated in three

aspects; physical aspect, emotional aspect and social aspect. Those aspects are the

significant ones which contributing to a childs development.

2.1 Physical Aspect

Play enhances physical health by building active, healthy bodies. Physical

activity beginning in early childhood prevents obesity. In fact, play may be an

exceptional way to increase physical activity levels in children and, therefore, may be

included as an important strategy in addressing the obesity epidemic (Council on

School Health, 2006). The benefits of play in physical aspect can be divided into two

categories of development that are the large muscle development and small muscle

development. Climbing, running, jumping and navigating play equipment are all ways

in which play can enhance the development of large muscles. Children improve

balance, agility and coordination through these types of play. The best thing about

play that develops large muscle skills is that it requires little or no equipment at all. A

game of card and hopscotch or in Malay version, ketingting, and a trip to the local

park to play on the jungle gym all enhance a child's physical development.

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Picture 2: Childs playing that help in building muscle development.

Playing organized sports continues physical development in children. Large

motor skills are improved through repeated practice. Running and kicking in soccer,

swinging a bat in baseball and increased motor coordination in gymnastics are

examples of organized sports in this age group. Regular participation in sports can

also foster a lifelong habit of physical activity. Obesity has been cited as a continued

problem, and physical activities should be encouraged.

Fine motor skills are also readily developed through play. Colouring, cutting

with small scissors and playing with toys such as peg boards or dressing dolls are

just a few ways that children develop small muscle coordination and alertness. As

skills increase, children naturally increase the difficulty of their play, constantly

stretching their limits. Video games and computer keyboarding will also increase

alertness, but these activities should be limited as it could result into gaming-

obsession and distraction from academicals activities.

Picture 3: Children cutting and playing video game stimulate fine motor skills.

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Small motor skills continue to develop with learning to write. Improving the

strength and coordination of the muscles in the hand is important to improve

handwriting skills. Playing with clay, painting on an easel and drawing with chalk can

all improve the small motor skills.

2.2 Emotional Aspect

In showing the importance of play in emotional aspect, stress is given to the

children who are suffering from emotional traumas. It is because playing is like a

healing medicine to kids in their process of recovery from painful experiences - as

small as a broken doll and as big as a divorce in the family. It will benefit greatly fromjust as simple as, playing. Adults work out their stress and emotional injuries in many

ways, but most often by talking it out with friends. Children do not have the ability to

always express verbally how they are feeling and therefore do not have this option

like us. Even young teenagers find it difficult to discuss emotional hurts. So, less-

verbal children may be able to express their feelings through play, and it is easier for

their parents to better understand their needs (Tsao L, 2002).

Picture 4: Children extremely put themselves in isolation as they engage in

emotional experiences.

Some children learn to overcome emotional difficulties by playing it out just as

adults do by talking it out. Let us look at some examples of the situation that show

how playing can help children recover from emotional traumas.

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Picture 5: Loss of a person and family problem lead to emotional traumas

among children.

Example 1:

Five years old Fatimah loses her older sister in a tragic accident when they went out

to a nearby shop. During the funeral ceremony, Fatimahs father oversees Fatimah

crying and sadly telling the loss of her sister to her doll. This is Fatimahs way of

processing what has happened and dealing with her feelings.

Example 2:

Six year old Faris overhears his mother and father arguing loudly. He acts out a

similar situation with his toy soldiers but in his version there is a happier ending.

A child may encounter unexpected challenges in life but by playing them outin the way they choose, they may be able to cope with them step by step. This way

of processing is an unconsciously done and a natural way of coping and healing.

But, if it becoming too weird and harmful to the child, parents should be alarmed and

to take an action to help them.

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2.3 Social Aspect

Clear evidence showing that play could benefits children in their social aspect

is seen through communication. Play provides opportunities for children to

develop speech and language abilities and also to practice listening. Whether their

play is companion-based with a sibling, peer, or parent, or solo play using

imagination, children talk and listen while playing. It can be exciting to hear your child

sitting in the family room interacting with toys and hearing her play one character,

then another, as the toys interact. It can be laughable to watch your daughter dress

up as a magical Cinderella and sweet-talk and dancing alone, pretending to be with

a handsome prince in a palace. It was meaningful for a mother to sit in a her

husbands broken, rusty, old car and listen to the sons nonsense talking as her son

drove her around the city of New York, where he had never been . All those chatting

and conversations occurs during the play are contributing to tremendous

improvement of speech and language abilities, thus advancing their communication

skills.

Play is also a natural tool that children can and should use to build their spirit

and resilience. As what the older people know about the development of resilience, ithappens when they are learning to overcome challenges and harsh conditions in life.

But, for these small children, they learn to deal with social challenges and build peer

relationships on the playground. They will face a lot of troublesome situations such

as quarrelling for different ideas and views from another child, accepting a loss in

game, unwillingly listen to rich friends showing off their new bicycle and even dealing

with a child who had stole their money. All those situations require the child to handle

tough times independently and learn to instil positive moral values which they could

apply in future. Importantly, those kinds of knowledge are the most crucial aspects

for an individual to be a real man. What is the use of becoming the next Albert

Einstein if you are the most isolated man on the planet?

In addition, even small children use imaginative play and fantasy to take on their

fears and create or explore a world they can master. Play allows them to create

fantasy heroes that conquer their deepest fears. It allows them to practice adult

roles, sometimes while playing with other children and sometimes while play-acting

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with adults (Hurwitz SC, 2002). Parents and teacher can observe this play and

recognize the fears and fantasies that need to be addressed; however, in many

cases, play itself helps children meet their own needs.

Picture 6: Imaginations and fantasy during childhood time.

As they experience mastery of the world they create, children develop new

competencies that lead to enhanced confidence and the resilience they need to

address future challenges.

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3.0 Teaching Model

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4.0 Constructivism

Efficiency of a teaching and learning process is really depends on the

strategies and methods of how the process is applied. According to Esah Sulaiman

(2003), various approaches of teaching and learning could be used such as teacher-

centered learning, student-centered learning and also teaching aid-centred learning.

The teachers choice and plan in determining the approach, method, technique and

activity to be applied in their teaching process in order to achieve the learnings

objective is what we call teaching strategies. Referring to the above statement, one

of the teaching and learning theory and strategies that can be used is Constructivism

Learning Theory. The theory is a brand new view in educational knowledge, resulted

from the combination of older school of learning and the existing environment.

Constructivism is differently defines by many researchers based on their own

opinions and views, but in some aspects, they are related to each other.

From McBrien & Brandts opinion (1997), constructivism is an approach to

teaching based on research about how people learn. Many researchers say thateach individual constructs knowledge rather than receiving it from others. While

other define it as a theory posits that students make sense of the world by

synthesizing new experiences into what they have previously understood. They form

rules through reflection on their interaction with objects and ideas. When they

encounter an object, idea or relationship that does not make sense to them, they

either interpret what they see to conform to their rules or they adjust their rules to

better account for the new information (Brooks and Brooks, 1993). Sushkin, N. (1999)

stated that in the constructivist theory, the emphasis is placed on the learner or the

student rather than the teacher or the instructor. It is the learner who interacts with

objects and events and thereby gains an understanding of the features held by

objects or events. The learner, therefore, constructs his or her own

conceptualizations and solutions to the problems. Learner autonomy and initiative is

accepted and encouraged.

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Based on the above definitions given by different researchers opinions, it can

be conclude that the definition of constructivism is an understanding of how student

build their knowledge or concept by their own, in an active manner, by relating to the

knowledge to what they have known. In this process, the student will suit the new

learning to what they have known and learnt to form a new knowledge.

Picture 7: Illustration of the definition of Constructivism.

In this essay, I will discuss further about the justification of applying

constructivism in the Malaysian education. There are several points and example

can be taken to discuss it and I will divide the points into supportive and

unsupportive points since it is a justification essays.

From the supporting side, we could see how the theory of constructivism

effectively applied in Malaysian education system by reviewing the one of the new

establishment of Smart School. The concept of Smart School are oriented based onself-learning according to individual abilities, permanence and reflective. This event

is facilitate with the access of high performance of multi-media technology and

network, territories all places in other countries and continents worldwide. It is also

noted that the approach used in Smart School is more towards student-centred

learning, where the students are actively encouraged to have their own follow-up

revisions and study to further understand every subjects and knowledge that they

have learnt from a teacher. Smart Schools curriculum is made to be different than

usual; it is more flexible and adaptable. The curriculum designed parallel to the

New

learning

relating

Knowledge

that already

known or

learnt

A new

knowledgeis build.

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objectives of Smart School, where it has to be meaningful, socially responsible,

reflective, holistic, global, and open on the goal. This type of curriculum enables

holistic learning to occur, as it allows every student to positively develop according to

their own level of achievement and at the same time, taking into account their

abilities, interests and needs. By comparing the style of Smart Schools curriculum to

the constructivism theory, we could find a huge relation and similarity in them. Thus,

it the first proof that constructivism can be applied, and even is already being applied

in Malaysian educational context.

Still reviewing from the Smart School establishment, but in student aspect, it

is also clear to see how far we could apply the approach recommended by

constructivism in education in Malaysia. Smart School promotes their students to be

an active learners in knowledge finding. The students is being focused in teaching

and learning process and it is accommodates with the use of the technology tools

like computer and internet. They are ought to use it in a comprehensively and

integrated in any situation, either during lesson process in formal class or outside the

classroom. This type of knowledge finding will develop creative thinking skills and

problem solving skills in order to meet the worlds needs, where the students will

face various new situations throughout their life and needed to analyze and solve itby their own. The students are also indirectly taught to act confidently in making

decisions and willingly take the risks and consequences for the decision they made.

This concept of knowledge finding is to foster and enhance the potential that the

students have with efficient, economical and effective ways to use their own thinking

ability, knowledge that they have learnt equipped with the advancement of

technology knowledge they have. By looking into the student aspect in Smart School,

it is strongly believed that constructivism approach can be applied in the Malaysian

education.

As we are all know, Malaysia is using the curriculum of Kurikulum Standard

Sekolah Rendah (KSSR). In this curriculum, one of the four important concepts to

be noted is Lifelong Education. This concept is define as education that incorporates

all the knowledge learnt during the teaching and learning in school can be applied

and used by the students throughout their life when they face a problematic

situations and lifes challenges in the real world. Constructivism approach seems tosuit well this KSSR concept. Let us again recall the strategies in this theory;

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constructivism is an understanding of how student build their knowledge or concept

by their own, in an active manner, by relating to the knowledge to what they have

known. In this process, the student will suit the new learning to what they have

known and learnt to form a new knowledge. As the Malaysian students are being

taught in this kind of learning environment, they will have a really firm and strong

enquiry to every situations, either in school or real life. Parallel to the KSSR concept

to have a lifelong education that will help the students, it is a better step taken to

have constructivism style of teaching in Malaysia, so that the students will get the

benefits both in their academic achievement and their life career, thus realizing the

KSSR curriculums aim and objective.

The constructivism theory is being further discussed not only from the

supporting side, but also includes the unsupporting details, which explain why

constructivism is not a suitable approach to be implemented in Malaysian context.

The first reason is because Malaysian education system in the present time is still

greatly developing and moving to a better stance to compete with the other country

in producing a high quality individual. So, many changes and trials are being made

and tested to identify the most suitable one. By doing this, the system is actually

giving a ton of works to the teacher. Thus giving a big impact to the efficiency ofteaching and learning process conducted by the teacher. While constructivism

approach needs an observations and active involvement of teacher towards every

single student in the class, the teacher is believed to have not enough allocation of

time. With about seven hours spend for school time, it is almost impossible for a

teacher to prepare a constructivism teaching lesson and manage other school

programmes. Thats why constructivism is not well suit Malaysian system of

education.

To add more, the education system in Malaysia is characterized to be exam-

oriented and do not emphasize the construction of meaning. Thus, the student only

need to finding knowledge for the sake of passing a test. They are teach how to

answer the exam question and do not apply it in daily life activities. This can be

prove through the Kurikulum Bersepadu Sekolah Rendah (KSSR) assessment that

only based on summative assessment which means examination or test is the only

means available to the students to choose if they want to further their studies. Let ustake a look at Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR), Penilaian Menengah

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Rendah(PMR), and Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM). All these examination is meant

for categorizing the students abilities and marks; so we will have the award for the

student with the highest number of A in their subjects. By taking this into account,

and making it as our Malaysian belief for a better education, constructivism will never

be the best approach to be implemented.

Next, constructivism theory is thought to be an imprudent step to implement in

Malaysian education system because the teachers are not well exposed to the

theory. As this happens, they will become lack of skills regarding to the principles of

constructivism. Constructivism theory is not an easier theory to be learned by

someone and it needs qualitative times to understand it, apply it and improve any

mistakes. Apart from that, the teacher will feel that they are not carrying out their jobs,

that is to teach the students. It is because the teacher is not longer a medium for

references and information finding for the students. The students encourage to

independently do the work on their own, assisted by peer discussions, computer,

internet and etc. Hence, the teachers control over the class will be reduced,

resulting in noisy and uncomfortable environment in school. For a teacher,

constructivism is never the best for them.

Not forgotten to mentioned, from my own observation during School Based

Experience Programme (SBE) at one of the remote area - primary school around

Kota Bharu, strengthen the unsupporting side that say constructivism is not for

Malaysian educational system. As I were a week at the school, I had the precious

chance to see and observe the process of teaching and learning conducted by the

teacher there. I could see that most of the lessons were only focusing on textbook

and textbook. The teacher was explaining based on what is written in the textbook,

the student was reading based on what is written in the text book. No other materials

or teaching aids is being set up to facilitate the teaching and learning process. So, I

tried to find the root and sources for the problem. I could say that there is not even

one computer that can functioning. The computer labs was closed long before we

came. No laptop, projector and other technology tools that can be operated to assist

teaching and learning process. If that is the scenario happens in Malaysia, how can

we dreming of applying constructivism theory like any other developed countries

surround us?

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Here, I would like to say thatthere is many development and there is still far

for us Mlaysian to reach the level where we can use constructivism approach in our

educational system. Constructivism is defined as a place where learners may work

together and support each other as they use a variety of tools and information

resources in their pursuit of learning goals and problem-solving activities" (Wilson,

1995). Government has a lot of to be taken care of before they could think of

implementing this theory, however, it is not an impossible thing to do. All hands are

needed to be held together through thick and thin till what we dream become true.

Government, teachers, parents and also students have to cooperate in realizing this

matter.

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5.0 Reflective Essay

A lot of unforgettable experiences and precious knowledge are gained

through the process of completing this assignment. I had done a lot of reading and

research in the topics of childrens play, teaching models and constructivism learning

theory mainly. Via this important topics and studies, I learn the best I could, covering

from academic values to life challenges.

Significantly, my understandings on these three topics are improved to the

better. Childrens play is actually seems to be an easy topic, but after done a lot of

reading through books and articles in the internet, I came to realize that it is not. The

play can be divided into several other types according to the childs level and also

the benefited aspects. Mostly, physical aspect is benefited from the play, but

cognitive aspect, personal aspect, socio emotional aspect are also greatly affected

by chidrens play. Apart from that, I am now seeing how those unimportant plays

during the childhood time can influenced the growth of an individual. I have stated inthis assignment of a newspaper article of a students in overseas university going

insane and shot people. Frankly speaking, I have not thought of that is how far

childrens play influence a person, reading the article is really open my eyes about

children development.

As a teacher, teaching is what I have to know best. Reading and making

research on the four models of teaching, namely Personal Model, Social Model,

Behavioural Model and Information Processing Model, really teach me on how I

could vary my teaching methods. As what we know and admit it, learning in school is

a boring thing for every student, especially for a pathetic and active children in

primary school. All they know is they want to play and play. So, by integrating the

previous learning of childrens play and these models of teaching, I could inspire

myself to create a better environment in school and classrooms so that it will attract

the children to learn. The models teach me on the important aspect to be covered in

teaching and learning process, the procedures and how I could apply it to my

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students. All of these knowledge is very crucial for me in becoming an effective and

successful teacher in educating our Malaysian future generations.

Next, I also noticed that information is easier to be remembered and

processed by our brains by illustrating it in pictures and graphic organizers. In the

second task of this assignment, I am needed to make four graphic organizers of

teaching models. Yes, it was quite troublesome to shorten and taking out all those

long sentences that seems to be very important. But, after carefully done it, I came

out with a very brief and simple mind map for each of the models. My friends from

the other courses who do not take Learner & Learning Environment Subject, read my

graphic organizers and praise me for my creative and good explanation. They said

that they could easily understand and interpret the information by reading the graphic

organizers. Here, I learn that people easily learn something with the present of

attracting pictures and mind maps. It gets their attention to read more and help their

brain to reduce the load of reading book with full text pages. So, I decided to make

myself graphic organizers when I feel pressured or tired to learn or read academicals

books and articles. I will also reduce my students burden when they are learning in

my class by presenting the lesson with pictures and mind maps so that they will

never get boring and I could give them al the knowledge the best I could.

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Essay MAB 7