Play and Learning in Child’s Eyes (PALICE): Formative tools to support teacher practice in Learning through Play

• In Event: Tools for Playful Pedagogy: Formative Tools for Improving Teacher Practice in Learning through Play

Proposal

LEGO PALICE is a set of formative tools designed to help teachers in low-and middle-income countries assess and improve their practice in Learning through Play (LtP), through a deeper understanding of how children experience LtP in their classrooms. The tools will consist of two modalities: the Formative Observation and Reflection Assessment (FORA), for use by teachers as they practice LtP, and the Children’s Experiences of LtP Protocol (CELP), for use by a coach or resource support staff soliciting direct insights from children about their LtP experiences. The tools are pilot-tested in three countries: Bangladesh, Colombia and Uganda.
The PALICE Modality 1, the Formative Observation and Reflection Assessment (FORA) is a compilation of modules that support teachers’ self-assessment in the application of learning through play practices in their classroom. The self-assessment is structured around a discrete LtP activity in the classroom and is based on the teacher’s observation of children’s experience of LtP. Through the application of the FORA, teachers set an intention for a discrete LtP practice, gather information on the children’s experiences in that LtP activity through direct live observation, and reflect on whether their original intention matches the perceived experience of the children. The goal of this self-assessment is to support teacher’s adaptations to their LtP practice, ensuring that the LtP activities promoted in the classroom are joyful, engaging, meaningful, iterative and socially engaging for their students, supporting deeper learning. The FORA will be available in a paper-based format, as well as digital mobile application.
The PALICE Modality 2 – the Child’s Experiences of Learning through Play (CELP), gathers children’s perspectives and feelings—those aspects that cannot be directly observed – about a discrete LtP activity implemented by the teacher in the classroom. The CELP is tailored for use by teachers (in the context of peer-to-peer learning), school-based instructional support staff (ISS), such as principals, head teachers, pedagogical coordinators and supervisors, as well as ISS from the education system, such as district-level officers, coaches and school inspector-supervisors who play a role in providing instructional support to teachers. CELP’s qualitative method is the Photo Elicitation Interview (PEI) protocol. CELP will follow a similar form and structure to the FORA, focusing on children’s perspectives of a specific LtP practice. During the LtP activity, the ISS will take photos of the LtP activity. After the class, the ISS conduct the PEI with the group of students who participated in the observed play activity, using photos of the activity to elicit their perspectives on learning through play, and later convey their voices to the teacher for subsequent reflection.
PALICE is implemented through a phased approach to develop, contextualize, test and refine the tools. Pilot implementation will be accompanied by continuous user testing and iteration, with the goal of creating tools that are easy to use and intuitive for teachers in any classroom. At the time of CIES presentation, PALICE will have obtained initial pre-pilot and adaptation data, and will provide emerging evidence on required adaptations.

Authors

• Carina Omoeva, FHI 360

• Brian P Dooley, FHI 360

• Angela Pyle, OISE, University of Toronto

• Jennifer Zosh, Penn State University, Brandywine

• Nikhit D'Sa, University of Notre Dame

• Fernanda Soares, FHI360