Last week, Care for Education trained Grades R to Grade 3 teachers in learning through play around the Eastern regions of the Free State. Along the way of mountain ranges and magnificent scenery, trainers were joined by up to 70 teachers in spacious, well-set-up school halls and venues around towns including Bethlehem, Ficksburg, Harrismith, and Phutaditshaba.
During the 2-day training, teachers worked on their creativity and problem-solving skills as they explored concepts of learning through play using Six Bricks as a tool. Teachers created, moved, and played as they knowledgeably integrated curricula and school subjects. They learned how to develop executive functioning, perceptual competencies, and socio-emotional skills in their learners and remarked on the importance of allowing learners the agency to engage in activities in their own imaginative ways. Teachers enthusiastically left the training ready to implement comprehensive, playful methodologies in their classrooms to enhance their learners’ understanding of more complex concepts.
As the training ended, teachers mentioned the applicability of Six Bricks as a tool for learning through play across resourced and under-resourced schools in South Africa. Through the Foundation Phase Initiative (FPI), Care for Education has completed training in learning through play in all 5 districts of the Free State. Care for Education will extend training to other provinces in South Africa.
To read more about some of the training done by Care for Education in other districts around the Free State, click here.