Playful pedagogy for deeper learning: exploring the implementation of the play based Foundation Phase in Wales.

The foundation phase in Wales is a play based curriculum for 3 – 7 year olds advocating the use of the outdoors and experiential approaches to learning (DCELLS, 2015). Play based outdoor learning increases interaction with a range of affordances giving opportunities for movement in learning. Children assign activities as either play or not play based on a series of cues (Howard, 2002). Teaching approaches that incorporate cues associated with play can influence pupil engagement and involvement in learning. This paper draws on data from a three year study of the implementation of the foundation phase. Analysis of data from observations, field notes and video suggest pupils were more involved in tasks with higher levels of well-being when tasks were perceived as play. Leavres (1993,1997,2000, 2005) suggests increased involvement in learning may result in deeper learning

Developing children’s motor skills in the Foundation Phase in Wales to support physical literacy

Interest has grown internationally in the concept of physical literacy [Dudley, D. 2015. “A Conceptual Model of Observed Physical Literacy.” The Physical Educator 72: 236–260; Edwards, L., A. Bryant, R. Keegan, K. Morgan, and A. Jones. 2017. “Definitions, Foundations and Associations of Physical Literacy: A systematic Review.” Sports Medicine 47 (1): 113–126] acknowledging holistic embodied learning. This notion of embodied learning resonates with the play based approach of the Foundation Phase in Wales for children aged 3–7. With early childhood being the optimum age for developing Fundamental Motor skills, the primary purpose of this paper is to describe a programme (SKIP-Cymru) for developing pupils’ motor skills in the Foundation Phase. Drawing on Successful Kinaesthetic Instruction for Pre-schoolers (SKIP) [Goodway, J. D., and C. F. Branta. 2003. “Influence of a Motor Skill Intervention on Fundamental Motor Skill Development of Disadvantaged Preschool Children.” Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport 74 (1): 36–46] and playful pedagogy [Howard, J., and K. McInnes. 2010. “Thinking Through the Challenge of a Play-based Curriculum, Increasing Playfulness via Co-construction.” In Thinking about play, edited by J. R. Moyles. Berkshire: Open University Press], SKIP-Cymru combines advocacy with leadership, training and mentoring for staff and parental engagement. Early exploratory data from an initial evaluation suggest SKIP-Cymru is a positive experience for staff and parents which improves pupils’ motor competence in both locomotor and object control skills. Limitations of the research design are discussed along with implications for future research

Rationale and study protocol for the Movement Oriented Games Based Assessment (MOGBA) cluster randomized controlled trial: A complex movement skill intervention for 8–12 year old children within ‘Made to Play’

here is a positive relationship between children’s movement competence and physical activity, with a further relationship established between physical activity and childhood obesity. The Movement Oriented Games Based Assessment (MOGBA) is a delivery and assessment intervention designed to improve children’s complex movement skills, based on principles of motor development and assessment theories. MOGBA aims to improve children’s movement competence, physical fitness and self-perceptions (physical and game) and increase children’s moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). MOGBA is to be used in the ‘Made to Play’ initiative, involving 105 sports and activity programs across 21 countries, involving over 25 million children. A multi-site cluster randomized controlled trial will take place across three global sites (UK, Ireland and Australia). Each site will recruit eight primary schools (four experiment, four control) with each school providing two separate classes of children from age ranges 8–12 years (Site n = ~300, total n = 904). After baseline assessments, schools will be randomly allocated to an experimental or wait-list control group. Following two half-day workshops, trained facilitators will deliver the MOGBA intervention for 9 weeks. The main intervention components include delivery of 14 games-based activities with associated assessments of children’s movement and differentiation to meet children’s needs by manipulating space, effort and relationships. The primary outcome of the trial is to improve children’s’ movement competence (The Dragon Challenge), with secondary outcomes of improving children’s’ in-activity and leisure-time MVPA (5-day accelerometer), physical fitness (standing long jump and push ups) and self-perceptions (physical and game). Data will be analysed using multilevel modelling approaches. The MOGBA intervention has been designed to improve children’s movement competence and scalable interventions based on MOGBA could be applied across programs within the Made to Play initiative, globally. The trial is registered at the Australia New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry (ACTRN12619001320145p, 27 Sep 2019)

Laying the foundations for physical literacy in Wales: the contribution of the Foundation Phase to the development of physical literacy

ABSTRACT Background: The Foundation Phase in Wales is a play-based curriculum for pupils aged 3–7 years old. Children learn through more holistic areas of learning in place of traditional subjects. As such, the subject of physical education in its traditional form no longer exists for pupils under the age of 7 in Wales. In light of the role of physical education in developing physical literacy and in particular the importance of this age group for laying the foundations of movement for lifelong engagement in physical activity, the disappearance of physical education from the curriculum could be deemed to be a concern. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the Foundation Phase as a naturalistic intervention and examine its contribution to the development of physical literacy. Participants and setting: Participants included year 1 pupils (N = 49) aged 5 and 6 from two schools in contrasting locations. A smaller group within each class was selected through purposive sampling for the repeated measures assessments (N = 18). Research design and methods: A complementarity mixed-method design combined quantitative and qualitative methods to study the Foundation Phase as a naturalistic intervention. Quantitative data were generated with the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 administered to the sample group of children from both schools as a quasi-repeated measure, the physical competence subscale of the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance and the Leuven Involvement Scale for Young Children. Qualitative data were generated throughout the study from the analysis of video and field notes through participant observation. Data from the mixed methods were analysed through complementarity to give a rich insight into pupils’ progress and experiences in relation to physical literacy. Results: Overall analysis of the data from TGMD-2 showed significant improvements in the Gross Motor Quotient and Locomotor skills from T1 to T3, but no significant improvement in object control. Data from qualitative methods were analysed to explore processes that may account for these findings. Video and field notes complement the quantitative data highlighting that children were developing their locomotor skills in many aspects of their learning. Observations using the Leuven Involvement Scale indicated that children had high levels of involvement in their learning and apparent in video and field notes was pupils’ motivation for movement. Paired sample t-tests (N = 18) conducted on the Harter and Pike perceived physical competence sixitem score subscales (T1 and T3) indicated a significant difference in the mean perceived physical competence scores on the six-item scale between T1and T3. Qualitative data explored pupils’ confidence for movement in many areas of learning. Conclusion: The combination of quantitative and qualitative data indicates that the Foundation Phase is an early childhood curriculum that lays the foundations of physical literacy with the exception of aspects of the physical competence, specifically object control skills. Although these skills only contribute to psychomotor aspects of physical literacy they are strongly associated with later engagement in physical activity. The development of specific physical skills such as object control skills may need more specialist input with early childhood pedagogy teachers trained in motor development to see significant improvement