Play is the main and best way in which children do their thinking and learning. In Scoil Mhuire we place the philosophy of play at the heart of good Infant practice. Play has a significant influence on children’s development as independent thinkers and learners. It builds their confidence as they learn to explore, to think about problems and to work with and relate to others.
Your children are powerful active learners. They have an intrinsic desire to be involved and motivated in their play. As teachers we tune into their existing world of play where your children are competent and capable explorers and then use this to teach. It is done through planned purposeful play and done through a mix of adult led and child motivated activity. We teach thematically using stations for socio -dramatic/creative play, construction, sand and water, small world and arts and crafts.
Aistear is critical for developing children’s thinking, reasoning, and problem- solving skills as well as being the basis for good development in maths, reading and comprehension. Play weaves together language development with social skills when children talk, listen and imaginatively play with deeper levels of collaborative thinking and learning.
Aistear is the early childhood curriculum framework for all children from birth to six years. The word Aistear is the Irish word for journey and was chosen because early childhood marks the beginning of children’s lifelong learning journeys.
Aistear is the key learning and teaching tool used to implement the primary school curriculum in infant classes in Scoil Mhuire. The children during Aistear learn through play, with an emphasis on active learning and oral language development. Each class is supported by a learning support teacher during Aistear. Curriculum subjects covered during Aistear include: S.E.S.E., S.P.H.E., oral language, reading, writing, maths, art, music and drama.
