Learning Through Play

Michelle Bishop, the International School of Qingdao's Junior Kindergarten lead teacher, is returning to teaching after taking a few years away after the birth of her son. She reflects on the International School of Qingdao's emphasis on child-driven learning for our youngest students. 

 "I use each child’s natural curiosity, interests, and 5 senses to help them explore, learn and share their experiences about their surroundings. In my daily classroom, I constantly talk to and observe my students to see how they are feeling, what their experiences are with the current topic already, what skills are they missing, and how engaged are they in the topic." 

Mrs. Bishop describes the early childhood curriculum as child-focused and teacher driven:  "I must be ready to shift a lesson in any direction at a moment’s notice. That means if the students are really needing that extra 5 minutes on their playdough project because they're working together and are all focused and engaged in creating a civilization with an attached backstory, then we spend that extra 5 minutes together as a class." 
 

When asked what she likes best about her job, she says, "One of my favorite parts of teaching in the International School of Qingdao's early childhood center is being able to create an environment for my students that is active, adaptive, curious, and imaginative, with a dash of silliness. I also enjoy the fact that the students are taking me along their learning journey and get to explore new things too." 
 
Creating a warm and open classroom environment helps our early childhood students to lay a foundation for being life-long learners. As Mrs. Bishop says, "Play is such an effective learning tool that helps create connections, increase curiosity, and teaches children how to effectively explore something without the pressure of getting the answer right or wrong."