The Importance of Play and Inquiry-Based Learning

A large part of our after-school M.A.P. program uses play and inquiry-based learning as a method of
tutoring. Often times, it can be confusing for parents to understand what their child is learning while
playing games. I hope this engagement session will help you understand why play is important and what
your student is learning! The inquiry-based method of learning is supported by the Ministry of Education,
specifically in the document How Does Learning Happen? This document proposes incorporating inquiry-
based learning and the continuum of play through the later years of education. How Does Learning
Happen has four foundations necessary for success: Belonging, Wellbeing, Engagement, and Expression.
Knowing what we do about the development of the students in our program, we have shaped our goals
promoted in the How Does Learning Happen. Our goals align with the goals supported by the Ministry:

 “Every child has a sense of belonging when he or she is connected

to others and contributes to their world.
 Every child is developing a sense of self, health, and well-being.
 Every child is an active and engaged learner who explores the
world with body, mind, and senses.
 Every child is a capable communicator who expresses himself or
herself in many ways. “

How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years, 2014, pg. 12

Want more info? Contact Cora Payne, the Education and Leadership Coordinator at the Boys & Girls Club.

Cora Payne
Educational and Leadership Coordinator
Boys and Girls Club of London
184 Horton St. East, London, ON, N6B 1K8
Tel: 519-434-9115 ext. 264 | cpayne@bgclondon.ca
www.bgclondon.ca
 Why STEAM?
 Encourages critical and innovative thinking
 Promotes creative solutions
 Encourage students to think more broadly
about real-world problems
 Require collaboration and teamwork

Math
STEAM promotes understanding
problem solving, making
connections, reasoning and
proving, and representing
concepts. These skills are an
integral part of understanding
mathematic concepts and
relating math to real-life
problems.
As technology advances, it’s
becoming necessary to
understand computer processes.
Exploring different apps and
programs may encourage
children to go into the tech field!
Understanding basic concepts is
the first step in understanding
how to code.
Why is it so important?
Science
STEAM engages the Scientific
Inquiry Continuum:
1. Initiating and planning:
asking questions, making
guesses about outcomes,
creates methods/plans to
find answers.
2. Performing and Recording:
recording data and using
equipment to observe and
measure.
3. Analyzing and Interpreting:
draw conclusion and
evaluate
4. Communicating: through
oral and written
communication to express
success and challenges.
This gives students an
opportunity to ask questions
and find the answers through
exploration. The best results are
found when students have the
opportunity to learn firsthand.
Visual Art
STEAM promotes the Creative
Process:
 Challenging and inspiring
 Imagining and generating
 Planning and focusing
 Exploring and
experimenting
 Producing preliminary
work
Giving students an avenue to be
creative encourages students to
“think outside the box” and use
divergent thinking when
problem solving! This helps
them in all subjects and areas
in their life.