Scientific Play

This blog post will take scientific play into consideration and how this method can be of aid to a child’s learning. Throughout scientific play there is no restriction on the environment that this method is conducted in, whether it be indoors or outdoors. Throughout the curriculum this method is easy to implement at all ages of education. Scientific play is also referred to as scientific enquiry.

    The method of scientific enquiry is primarily concerned with asking questions with the intention of seeking answers. It could be presented that this method allows pupils to question in a variety of ways which allows them to build on a prior skillset and previous knowledge.

    Allowing for pupils to seek the answers themselves allows them to understand the world in a different way. Although this method is titled scientific play it is heavily reliant on a pupils learning without the knowledge that they are actually learning through the method of play, which can develop their skills further a they enjoy the learning and the method of it. Although this method can be incorporated into education across the key stages it can sometimes be difficult for teachers to incorporate this into their teaching as the timing framework for the curriculum does not allow for this.

     Throughout the UK there are centres which highly promote scientific learning through play. At these centres there are workshops which allow for children to understand the workings of scientific objects through their own interaction with the objects. One such centre is Techniquest, of which I have visited as both a child and an adult. Both experiences allowed me to learn through using questions to aid my understanding. As part of my studies in university I have partaken in a workshop by techniquest which taught us the basics of infection and DNA. This workshop allowed us to question the methods used and develop an understanding throughout the exploration of different tools used. Throughout this method we learned about tracing distant relatives through the use of DNA.

Second year students learning about infection

    In conclusion scientific play allows for children to develop their questioning skills through the use of play. The learner is at the centre of this teaching method. Within this approach children acquire new skills throughout a cognitive method that they can understand, as often through the use of play children do not realise that they are learning.