EAS Learning Journey

The session on "Enriching Classroom Play Through Play Materials" had a significant shift in how I define a high-quality learning environment. Until now, I have considered effective teaching materials to include reading materials, worksheets, and store-bought toys. However, engaging in the hands-on activity where we used natural materials like flowers, leaves, sticks, and stones to create our own creative rhymes completely dismantled that bias. By using these open-ended, 'loose parts' materials, we were not just playing and having fun but we were actively constructing knowledge and building creativity. I realized that when materials don't have a fixed purpose they let a child to become an inventor rather than a passive consumer of knowledge.  The experiences and learnings have changed my approach to future classroom planning. I now recognize that as a teacher, my role is to act as a 'collector' of the materials around us. Instead of waiting for the school t...

Through the interactive session, I have come to realized that my earlier understanding of inclusion was too narrow. I used to think that inclusive play is simply allowing students with disabilities to be present in the classroom, but our lesson underscored that true inclusion requires a deliberate commitment to Universal Design for Learning(UDL). The core insights for me were that children with disabilities share the exact same developmental needs as their peers; the need for success, social connection, self-esteem and play is the most powerful vehicle to ensure those needs are met.  A highlight of this session was the creative activity where we were asked to reflect on how play can be adapted, and I chose to express my ideas of 'Chocolate' through a poem. Writing this poem allowed me to process the idea that play is a universal language; it does not require a specific physical or cognitive ability to be 'fluent' in the joy of discovery.  As I look ahead to my future cl...