This post will deal with the pros and cons of both direct instruction and learning through play. This will not be an either/or discussion. Both styles of teaching work well with preschool children. This post will focus on the areas where each type of teaching style makes the most sense.
Learning through Play
I want to start this discussion with learning through play. The proponents of this style of teaching would have you believe that learning through play is the only way children learn. That is preposterous. Actually there are twenty different learning styles with each individual child being a unique combination of any of the twenty. Direct instruction and learning through play make up a rough categorization of the twenty different learning styles with each style falling in either category. The ones that fall in the learning through play category all deal with exploration and hands-on type learning. Roughly half the population has learning styles that fall dominantly in this category. However, even the children whose dominant learning style falls into the learning through play category may still learn certain skills through direct instruction. The same holds true for the other half of the population that falls dominantly in the direct instruction category. They will learn certain skills through the learning styles that fall into the learning through play category. Even with individual children this does not divide into an either/or situation.
Direct Instruction
Since learning through play dominates the discussion of how to teach children, I want to take a moment to familiarize you with the category of learning styles called direct instruction. These learning styles deal with adult-initiated lessons rather than child-initiated lessons. One-on-one instruction would fall into this category along with most of what constitutes circle times in American child care facilities. These learning styles are just as relevant as the learning through play learning styles. If you do not take anything else from this discussion, please understand that learning through play is not the only way to teach children.
Adult-Initiated Activities
A better division of when to use what type of instruction would actually be to determine what type of activity is being taught. Activities that teach skills that must be learned in a certain way such as letter recognition, number recognition, color recognition, etc. work better with the more direct instruction approaches. Just because an activity falls into the adult-initiated category does not mean that games cannot be used to accomplish your purpose. Learning through play is always child-centered. Much of what many people consider learning through play would actually be more direct instruction. For example, a teacher using a game to teach colors that has specific rules and is supervised by the adult entirely would actually be a type of direct instruction. The determining factor involves who is in charge. Is the adult leading the activity or is the adult simply following the children's lead? When dealing with information that has to be learned in a certain way, direct instruction usually constitutes the better choice.
Child-Directed Activities
When is learning through play more appropriate? Activities that deal with creativity and discovery function better using the learning through play format. These types of activities should be child-centered. The purpose is not to teach certain information but to help a child tap into their creative side. An activity that is meant for the child to discover on their own also falls into this category. I have seen many activities that were meant to be creative and/or use discovery that actually were not even remotely child-centered. The adults told the children what to do every step of the way. That is not child-centered. A child-centered activity gives a starting place for the children and then lets the activity follow the children's lead. Let me give you a good example. I do creative writing lessons with the children in my preschool. One of the lessons involves making up a story from a picture. I never suggest what the story should be about because I want to know what the children see in the picture. It is never what I would have chosen. Once they choose what they want to write about, I simply act as scribe. I write down their story. That is a truly child-centered activity.
Which One Do You Use?
Let me sum all this up. Direct instruction constitutes the more appropriate choice when material that needs to be learned in a certain way is involved. Child-centered instruction does not work very well when you are trying to teach something very specific. I also encourage you to make no bones about it. Teach the children directly when the occasion calls for it and do not let the learning through play people intimidate you. If they try, just simply inform them that learning through play is one of twenty different learning styles and this activity calls for direct instruction. I am tired of being told that children only learn through play. When an activity needs for the child to be creative, then start the activity and get out of the child's way. Do not try to micromanage an activity that needs to be child-centered. Above all, use your good common sense. If one type of instruction does not seem to be working with your particular group of children, then try another. Remember, there are a thousand ways to climb the mountain. It is your responsibility to find the way up the mountain for your particular group of children.
I hope you have enjoyed this post. Goodbye and God bless!! Check out Natalie's children's books at: https://www.amazon.com/author/nataliewade7457
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