Article 31 of the Convention of the Rights of children states that: "Parties recognise the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts. Parties shall respect and promote the right of the child to participate fully in cultural and artistic life and shall encourage the provision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic recreational and leisure activity."
Valerie Sollars, in Children's Right to Play, p.7, 2006
College 2, now St Margaret's College, recently organised a three-day INSET (Increase In Service Education and Training) course for all kindergarten assistants and a member of the senior management team from every primary school.
The aim was to improve literacy through play and storytelling. The college is fully committed to safeguard the children's rights. Our vision is to make the educational experience enjoyable for all children.
On the first two days of the course, Valerie Sollars, the dean of the Faculty of Education, focused on learning through play. Storytelling and effective play have a direct effect on language development. All participants acquired hands-on experience based on the theoretical aspect of the Early Childhood Curriculum.
The third day took place at the Playmobil factory. Alan McLeod, a retired principal from Canada, presented the group with a challenging presentation on developing literacy skills through creative play. His presentation focused that on Vittoriosa Primary School that was used as a pilot project during the last scholastic year. The school used Playmobil kits to show how language development can be improved. Following a factory tour by Anna Agius, manager of Playmobil, the groups used videos taken by Kenneth Abela, learning support assistant at one of the college schools, as background data for discussion based on good practice. Elaine Mifsud Scicluna, from the Literacy Unit, animated the workshop.
St Margaret's College considers it crucial to invest in early childhood if we want to improve literacy skills in students attending the college schools. The professional development Sessions will be used to support the initiative so that ideas discussed in INSET can be implemented during this scholastic year.
Ms Muscat is coordinator at St Margaret's College.