Educators and employers in the education industry enjoyed an inspiring workshop, organised by St John's, from acclaimed author and play pedagogy expert Greg Bottrill. As a former early years lead and assistant Headteacher, Greg has many years of experience in the early years sector. During the day, the author immersed our youngest children in his Play Projects and he had the chance to talk to our dedicated Prep-Prep staff about how they have made Play-Based Learning a habit here at St John's.
Greg is an educational author and thinker who is passionate about childhood and play. His two books explore how education can be an adventure with children rather than something done to them. He is also the creator of various approaches to early education including the Message Centre, Adventure Island, Play Projects and Drawing Club, all of which are aimed at encouraging teachers to adventure in the 'magic' of children - something we pride ourselves in at St John's.
The 60+ attendees were gripped as the significance of Play-Based Learning and the pivotal role it plays in a child's cognitive and emotional development was discussed. Attendees were immersed in Greg's passion for real play, the magic of childhood, and the importance of placing children at the heart of their learning adventure.
It was a great day with the children and the team - so good to see play with all its possibilities thriving in your school. It was really inspiring and heartwarming to see the children being immersed in such playful experiences. (Greg Bottrill)
Drawing from his extensive experience, Greg provided practical strategies for making our current dynamic play-based learning environments ones that continue to stimulate curiosity and independence. His speciality is the Play Projects approach which he implemented with our Pre-Prep children during his time with each year group during the day. This is a simple yet powerful way to incorporate choice, creativity, curiosity, collaboration, mark-making, mathematics, joy, invention and endless possibilities. Play Projects can be dipped into or shaped as a focal point with children.
The overwhelmingly positive feedback from the workshop underscores the success of the event in inspiring and motivating educators and professionals in the education industry.
Greg was fantastic and gave our team lots of great ideas and food for thought, but having done a couple of courses with him before, I was expecting him to be fab! However, what I wasn’t expecting, was the astonishingly brilliant Year 2 classroom that you showed us. Your ethos and approach to learning really resonates with me and is what I have been trying to move towards in our Reception classes for the last couple of years. (Workshop attendee)
Greg’s ideas chime so well with the work with do in E4L particularly with the playfulness that can sometimes be used successfully in this adventure we call life. His openhearted, attuned way of teaching mirrors our thoughts about the importance of developing deep relationships with children, to meet them where they are and to walk hand in hand with them through childhood and play. (Jude Worthington, Deputy Head of the Junior Department)