A kindergarten teacher here in China, I have watched Peppa Pig together with students to support English language development. I also – and I am not ashamed to admit it – watch it in Chinese, to support my own Chinese language development. (It helps!)
The use of the show in supporting language development is definitely a topic to be explored in depth another time.
As a thought, doing so with other additional purposes also or not, spending some time watching and familiarizing ourselves with TV shows our students watch, undoubtedly has it’s benefits. In any form of teaching, we are always looking to connect to students’ past experiences. Just as with their family and cultural background, travels, hobbies, out of school explorations, previous educational experiences and more, the TV shows they watch are part of this. They can also help influence thinking and imagination. We hence want to be aware of these elements of the backgrounds of our students.
In addition, watching TV shows or engaging in activities your students do can be part of what helps you deeply relate and connect to them. It creates further shared experiences between you and them.
This also is a topic that can be explored later.
Going back to Peppa Pig now, yesterday I saw the Series 3 episode, ‘Numbers’ (Series 3, Episode 25).
For reference, I copy the link to the YouTube video and the information about this episode on the ‘Peppa Pig Wiki’ website at the bottom of this post. Further information itself can easily be found online.
I am not here to give a full analysis or review of this episode or the show. I simply want to share a reflection from this episode.
In the episode, Peppa and her friends are learning about numbers in their playgroup. It begins with sit down time in front of the blackboard, in which the teacher introduces the numbers one to ten, and led by some student examples, they count together up to ten. As a first thought here, the teacher actually demonstrates how content presentation can be led and elicited from students, not only the teacher, with the teacher then guiding everyone together. This is student-centered learning.
They then go outside for playtime and it is here that the deep practice and learning happens, and does so through play. The students naturally include counting as part of their activities , for example, counting numbers of jumps they can do with a jump rope and numbers of leap frogs they can do. By the end, they are counting together confidently up to ten.
This is of course a fictional TV show. However, there are points to note here that connect to reality.
Children really do learn and practice skills through play. Counting and numeracy as shown here are just one example. In addition, problem solving, fine motor skills, social skills and broader mathematical skills as well as creative expression of all forms, to name only some.
However, a further aspect to note, and something that I have actually come to reflect on over the last year, my second as a kindergarten teacher, following a play-based approach, is related to roles of the teacher.
While the practice, consolidation and deeper learning will come through play, it will sometimes be necessary and beneficial for us to more formally introduce skills or ideas first to provide foundations for the practice later.
Supporting English as a second language, I have observed students using English words and sentences with me and even each other through their play. However, reflecting, I note that this is largely because I had first more formally introduced. The same is true for students naturally practicing lines of songs or even being creative with changing lines of song they know them during free time and play activities, but only after we have worked with the songs during class circle time’s first.
In a recent science themed week I led for my grade level at my school’s summer camp, one of my student’s began talking to me off his own initiative regarding items being more dense being more difficult to move when he was setting up his own obstacle course during physical exercise time. He practiced his scientific thinking and contemplation here. This came after we had discussed the concept of density and possible reasons for it during a circle time earlier in the week.
Much inspiration for children’s play comes from their life experience. As their teacher’s, we can help to build and develop this life experience and inspiration.
Discussing counting in a more formal setting first may have been what inspired Peppa and her friends to go and practice it in authentic contexts.
I can relate to many such experiences. Just before the last Mid-Autumn Festival here in China, I explored the Houyi and Chang’e story with my class. Later, one of my students made an arrow – ‘Houyi’s arrow’ he said – during self-initiated play. Following exploring the well-known ‘Do you like brocoli?” song with my students during circle times one week, many of thembegan making items from the song and it’s further versions – cakes and donuts to begin with – with clay. This led more and more creations of food and more sophisticated clay work than had been done previously and a small project on food. These are just two examples.
Of course, just how big a role adults should have in play-based learning is a deep question and one I am still learning about and exploring. However, I think it is important to always think about the experiences we can provide that will provide stimulus and foundations to then be taken further during play, and also to inspire imagination and ideas. This is in addition – not explored here – to supporting students to take their thinking and curiosity further and interventions, when we can see further support might be needed, which both come later on.
Peppa Pig Fandom Page on Episode: https://peppapig.fandom.com/wiki/Numbers