Children at St. Mary’s C.B.S. primary school in Clonmel, Ireland have always played, of course. But since their teacher, Elaine Morrison, completed online training course Exploring Play: The Importance of Play in Everyday Life, offered by the University of Sheffield, she has been allowing them to ‘direct their own play a little bit more’.
The pre-school facility is termed an early intervention class, which caters for 12 three- to six-year-olds with an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis. Ms Morrison did the training in 2020 on the FutureLearn portal, over seven weeks with three hours of weekly study.
The course covers topics including the history and diversity of play, play in indoor and outdoor environments, disability and modern technology. It delivers these through videos and research articles, with students doing a quiz at the end. It encourages participants to engage in online commentary with other students.
Register now to continue reading
Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Unlimited access to news and opinion
-
Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news
Already have an account? Sign in here