Play is universal. No matter who you are or where you live,
play is a way to learn about yourself and the world around you
(Davis, Larkin & Graves, 2002, abstract).
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| "Playing with Big Blocks" by James Emery Creative Commons attribution copyright. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/emeryjl/4548149726/ |
As I reflect on my exploration of Glogster I realize that I was experiencing learning through play exactly as I describe it to Kindergarten parents. I was engaged in exploratory play where the player "experiments with new ideas or new materials and/or combines known ideas or materials in new ways to solve problems" and functional play which is when the player "repeats activities in attempting to master physical or intellectual challenges or acquire and refine skills" (Primary Program, p. 34). I spent hours building my Glog so that the puzzle pieces were just the right size, adding links to the tools and sites I wanted to share with my library clients, taking screenshots with Jing in order to create interesting and easy to follow buttons, saving and trying it out and then editing again - and having fun the whole time.
Upon reflection, I see that this play did in fact help me to "increase flexibility in thinking (imagination; symbolic representation), make new connections of meaning, gain concrete experience with visual/spacial and mathematical relationships, solve problems (Davis, Larkin & Graves, 2002, table 1) - the results of play and the goals of guided play in education.
What better experience can we offer our students than to give them the basic skills to use a new toy and then let them play? Both pedagogically and psychologically learning through play is one of the educational experiences we can offer our students (and ourselves). In her blog "Permission to Play Please" Angela Maiers quotes, "Charles Schaefer, founder of the Association for Play Therapy says the following about play: We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything than when we are playing. Through play our whole being is engaged—our bodies, minds, and souls. Play allows us to express ourselves and connect most deeply with the best in others, thereby improving relationships". Angela also explores the importance of play in her The Sandbox Manifesto blog.
Upon reflection, I see that this play did in fact help me to "increase flexibility in thinking (imagination; symbolic representation), make new connections of meaning, gain concrete experience with visual/spacial and mathematical relationships, solve problems (Davis, Larkin & Graves, 2002, table 1) - the results of play and the goals of guided play in education.
What better experience can we offer our students than to give them the basic skills to use a new toy and then let them play? Both pedagogically and psychologically learning through play is one of the educational experiences we can offer our students (and ourselves). In her blog "Permission to Play Please" Angela Maiers quotes, "Charles Schaefer, founder of the Association for Play Therapy says the following about play: We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything than when we are playing. Through play our whole being is engaged—our bodies, minds, and souls. Play allows us to express ourselves and connect most deeply with the best in others, thereby improving relationships". Angela also explores the importance of play in her The Sandbox Manifesto blog.
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HHwXlcHcTHc Referenced in Angela Maiers blog
Bud Hunt's Blog about purposeful play reminds us "To play on purpose is to take risks. To challenge what you know. To
ride the edge between what is and what might be, what never was and what
should’ve been. To admit that there’s stuff worth doing that you don’t
know the outcome to. To get silly. To be engaged with the world. To
dare to fiddle with the unfiddlable." Exploring Web 2.0 tools is purposeful play and a wonderful way for teachers to remember what it feels like to learn through play. Reflecting on these experiences allows us to better understand our students and how to fulfill their need for play with purposeful, pedagogically sound, wonderfully fun, play.
References
Davis, L., Larkin, E. & Graves, S. B., (2002). Intergenerational learning through play. International Journal of Early Childhood, 34(2), 42. Retrieved from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 377021191). http://proquest.umi.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/pqdweb?index=10&did=377021191&SrchMode=1&sid=3&Fmt=6&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1322627222&clientId=12301
Ministry of Education, Student Assessment and Program Evaluation Branch, Province of British Columbia.(2000). The primary program. British Columbia Ministry of Education. Retrieved from http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/primary_program/primary_prog.pdf
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