Play and learning methods at TLS
- The Play and Learn philosophy aims to cultivate self-esteem, social skills, discipline, and security in children within a nurturing and enjoyable environment. Our dedicated teachers, trained to support individual child development, prioritize fostering each child's unique qualities.
- Physical activities are integrated into both curricular and extracurricular routines, ensuring children develop essential motor skills and excel in sports.
- In May 2006, faculty members attended a training workshop at Dev Samaj College of Education in Chandigarh, India, where they learned techniques such as puppet making and fostering acceptance. A visit to Small Wonders School in Chandigarh provided additional inspiration.
- Upon returning, staff members created a Play & Learn area simulating home environments and road structures to teach road safety and everyday habits. Puppetry was incorporated into teaching methods, engaging and exciting the children.
- At The Learning School, children are taught practical skills like tagging shoes, unlocking doors, and personal hygiene routines. A swimming pool was also constructed for children's enjoyment and learning.
- Our multimedia room is equipped with various audiovisual tools for interactive learning sessions, enhancing listening, understanding, and vocabulary acquisition.
- A diverse range of clubs and activities cater to students' interests and abilities, including art, crafts, computer, drama, music, and sports. Educational excursions further enrich students' experiences.
- Hands-on activities with brightly colored wooden toys promote sensory development and motor skills in children.
- The Learning School integrates play into the learning process through various activities starting from primary classes.
2d shapes
Exploring 2D shapes goes beyond their names. Start by sorting shapes based on specific features like sides, angles, and rotational symmetry. For instance, categorize shapes by the number of sides, presence of right angles, or symmetry lines. To challenge advanced learners, combine sorting criteria using "AND" or "OR." For example, identify shapes with four or more sides AND an acute angle. This approach encourages more profound understanding and problem-solving skills in children.
Abacus
Use a four-stick abacus with colour-coded beads to read numbers from it, make numbers on it, and add and subtract with various number limits.
Area
Find the area and perimeter of rectangles and triangles. Includes higher-level finding hypotenuse using Pythagoras' theorem (with a built-in calculator).
Colours (ms clip art)
Match and name colours and simple shapes.
Conversion
Convert between different units of length, weight, and money, e.g. rupees to paisas. Also, multiply and divide by 10 and 100.
Count
An introduction to counting objects from 5 to 20.
Dice
Investigate the probability of dice totals. Choose the number of dice to roll, the number of faces on each die, and how many throws to perform. You can see the results as a car race using one or two standard dice. Unfortunately, the game does not explain how the probabilities occur.
Division
A formal method of long division. Select the number limit and the divisor.
Estimation
Estimate points on a number line where only the ends are labelled. The end numbers can be set up to a million, positive and negative. Correct answers are within 10%. Other estimates are also marked on the number line to improve subsequent forecasts. Three chances are allowed before moving on.
Flower
Children engage in a science simulation exploring plant growth, manipulating variables like water, temperature, and soil depth. They learn trial and improvement, adjusting one variable at a time to determine optimal growing conditions for four test plants. Additionally, they practice fractions, percentages, and money calculations through various activities.
Guess
In pairs, children engage in a guessing game with pictures. One selects a secret image while the other asks yes or no questions to narrow down the options (e.g., "Is it alive?" "Does it have wheels?"). By process of elimination, the secret image is revealed. Players switch roles for the next game.
Grid multiplication
Help children to use the grid multiplication method for more significant numbers. One fault with the program is the numbers don't align to the right in the text boxes. So users need to be aware when adding up!
Key words
Learn to match visually and aurally the key literacy words for reception (45) and Years 1 & 2 (158). Also, practise spelling them. Listen for the phonics that begins and end those words.
Length
Simulate measuring using a school rule. Options for accuracy include nearest whole cm, nearest half cm and mm.
Logic
Work out the colours and sequence of the hidden pegs using trial, improvement and logical reasoning. It can be addictive! An extensive range of levels can be set.
Letters
Explore letter sounds and names by identifying them on the screen or keyboard. Engage in spelling word activities including word writing, sentence construction, and word games to reinforce correct spelling and deepen understanding of word definitions and usage. Experiment with suffixes and prefixes, expanding vocabulary and refining language skills. Practice incorporating all spelling words into a cohesive paragraph, highlighting them for reinforcement.
Money
Using limits from 1 Rs to Rs 100, use the coins and notes to count money, pay the correct amount and give the valid change.
Multiply
Aids the learning of multiplication tables from zero to ten. Pictures illustrating the repeated additions can be turned on or off depending on whether the children need to see what multiplication means or to count the sets of dots to find some answers.
Number bonds
Mental addition and subtraction with a range of limits.
Numbers
Write numbers in numerals or words having seen them, heard them or both in the other form.
Ordering numbers
Arrange five numbers in numerical order. Number limits, negatives, and decimals are all options.
Clock
Tell the analogue and digital times shown on the clock face. Time intervals can be set to hours, half hours, quarter hours, five minutes and 1 minute. The hour or minute hand can be hidden to concentrate on reading independently. The second hand can also be shown. Digital and analogue clocks can be viewed simultaneously and set to offer 'real-time.
Decomposition
A formal step-by-step subtraction method for numbers up to a hundred or thousand.
Round it
Rounding to the neatest 10, 100 and 1000.
Scales
Weighing with bathroom scales up to 100kg.
Sea rescue
Rescue drowning people in the sea using a variety of rescue vehicles. They must be sent to the proper four or 6-figure grid references in all four quadrants. Officially level 5 is this, but Year 4 pupils cope well enough.
Time
Read the bus timetable and determine the journey times to get the bus from one stop to the following—five difficulty levels.
Volume
They are finding the volume of cuboids in cubic cm. Cm cubes can be placed inside the cuboid to aid visualization and understanding. It also includes measuring and making amounts of water (ml) in calibrated cylinders.
Weight
A simulated balance weighs in grams at various limits up to 5000g. Because the number of each type of weight is limited to five, children have to use a variety. Hopefully, this leads to understanding why it is best to start with larger weights and work down to smaller ones for acceptable balance.
Fish
What might it be like to make your living catching fish? This sophisticated simulation can explore probability, risk-taking, making money, investing in the future, making choices and mental calculations. There are help screens to explain it all.
Paint mix
Satisfy the customer by mixing the colour they want from red, blue and yellow dyes - as in shops, except you only have your eyes and experience to guide your efforts. Also, try creating colours with red, green and blue light as your computer screen does.