Practice of play-based learning in online classes at preprimary level (age 4-5) during Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic had turned the education sector on its head. When schools were shut down worldwide as a preventive measure to minimize the spread of the virus, educators were sent scrambling to adjust with an almost new teaching method - online classes. Pre-primary education was not an exception to this upheaval. As the education at this level is tailored for play-based learning depending on physical proximity, teachers had to develop new ideas to be effective in the online classes. This study shed light on the perception and practice of play-based learning in the preprimary online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study is a qualitative study conducted on pre-primary level teachers. The data has been collected through 6 in-depth interviews and 2 class observations. The study findings show that the teachers know the basics of pre-primary education and practice play-based learning in their classes. However, most of them lack in-depth knowledge regarding the objectives and purpose of using play-based learning for preprimary education. Instead of helping the students attain their developmental milestones, the teacher employs play-based learning for academic purposes. The study also shows that teachers are hampered by problems like- network and electricity issues, inability to retain students' attention, not attending classes, and insufficient teaching materials while taking online classes.