Learning from teaching vs Impactful experiences from child’s play

I remember very little about my past schooling and I am not sure if it is because I have this belief that we should spend little time reminiscing on the past and looking towards the future or is it that my classroom experiences were all “traditional” and are not stored in my active memory. The latter would seem applicable as I really do remember more key events from my “play times” but very few from the formal school settings.

Lev S. Vygotsky states: “In play a child is always above his average age, above his daily behavior; in play it is as though he were a head taller than himself. As in the focus of a magnifying glass, play contains all developmental tendencies in a condensed form; in play it is as though the child were trying to jump above the level of his normal behavior” (1967, 16).

The interpretation of the above quote can and has taken many forms but I do not agree that children learn more from play and interactions with their peers than in a formal environment. My question from this would be if all the children are playing and learning from each other then where did the original knowledge that one shares come from? does it not originally come from that peer who picked it up for a teacher, a parent or seeing something along the way. This then brings us back to the argument of the man on the deserted island, won’t he and the children (without any guidance) struggle in their groups or seem disorganized not knowing where is up.

I remember in the playing episodes there is always that child who takes charge and they are normally given this responsibility because they know more and they can be better leaders but again did they not learn these experience somewhere. Some clarity is needed with this definition with regards to the origin of the knowledge to be shared in these groups as it should not be made to seem as though children in groups will learn from each other if each other knows no more than the other.

We must also consider how teachers can use play as an efficient vehicle to deliver academic concepts and skills to preschoolers and kindergartners if the expectation is that this is the way to get children to learn then where is the application in the classroom and why is it not more widespread.

Also I need to check on the literature for application of this theory to an ever higher level that preschoolers and kindergartners as not only is most of my research on secondary and tertiary teachers but also the reality that the increase in technology use and the changing definition of the term play to include that of gadgets and computers may make these theories fully invalid or in need or adjustments to become applicable in this modern day and age.