Walsh, G. (2019) Towards Playful Teaching and Learning in Practice

Although play receives recognition across the globe in the pre-school context, its position within primary schooling is much more precarious as there appears to be an acceptance internationally that when children move towards those transitioning years, they require a more academic approach to their teaching and learning, irrespective of age and context. Play therefore tends to be replaced by more work-like activities. This chapter intends to address this dilemma, exploring a more expansive and integrated pedagogy of play in practice known as Playful Teaching and Learning in the primary school setting and in turn, proposing an innovative take on the role of ‘teaching’ in the playful learning experience.