Last week we welcomed back all our Prep, Year 1, Year 11 and Year 12 students. I am pleased to see they have settled quickly back into their learning. We look forward to the return of all students on May 25.

As we head back to full time face-to-face teaching, the staff here are looking at the lessons learned and the positives of the Learning@home program that we can continue into the future. The use of the various learning platforms and technologies have proved beneficial and their use will be integral to our ongoing digital pedagogy.

Let the children play

Moving out of the digital world, I read the following today in the newsletter published by the highly regarded University of New South Wales Gonski Institute for Education. In the newsletter, Professor Pasi Sahlberg, global thought-leader in education and former schoolteacher in Finland, writes about the importance of play in learning for all ages.

“It’s incredible how much deep learning really happens when children play,” says Professor Sahlberg. “Often in our busy lives, we think play is a waste of time. But if you really go there – now we might have time to do that – you will find that how the kids use their imagination creatively and learn new things is just amazing.”

According to research, the best form of play is a free, unstructured play outdoors – though indoors is still meaningful.

“This type of play means that the children can decide themselves what to do and how to play, rather than adults giving them rules and structure. It is something that raises their curiosity; it's joyful and invites children to use their own imagination,” he adds.

Through this, children can enhance their emotional, social and also cognitive development – in other words, skills that will help them to learn better more broadly. This is something that is true for all of us, no matter what age.

“We hold this myth that play is only good for children in kindy or primary school, but all children want to play, including young adults,” he says. “In fact, this applies to all of us from zero to 99. It is a natural form of our existence; it’s how we express ourselves.”

Fortunately, here in the Granite Belt we have plenty of opportunity and space for play outdoors. Get your kids outside to play.

God Bless