A new method of teaching is being used in Ontario schools at the moment. Teachers are attending a summer school in which they ‘learn to play’ in order to be able to teach their students how to play to learn. The idea comes from the fact that play is embedded in the minds of children and through that play there is so much they can naturally learn. It is the job of the teachers to be able to harness this idea and to cultivate it into a tried and tested teaching method.
Teaching teachers how to play can be a strange experience, it is the idea of getting your head into the mindset of a child, to explore how a child would see the world and how that child will process the information it sees.
All children learn as they grow, so why not incorporate play into their learning?
For example by play-drawing, children can learn about symmetry as they learn through creativity.
It cultivates a child’s natural ability to learn as opposed to trying to get them to memorise things which they cannot relate to. Teaching a child to count will work so much better if they can physically accumulate the items, such as buttons or shapes, anything found in everyday life.
Around 50 teachers participated in the workshop. It was a little slow going but only time will tell whether their efforts will pay off!
In order to combat pupil absences over the past few years, the government has implemented a fine for 
Parents are fined £60 per child per period of absence which will rise to £120 if not paid within 21 days. Many parents oppose this new harsh system, as these absences will include any term time holidays that the parents may choose to take.
The stroke unbelievably caused her to contract ‘Locked-in syndrome’ where she could only move her eyes.
