Hooray! I was dismayed when we read Sabertooth Curriculum and New-Fist saw the children playing and said that they were wasting time and could be put to better use. So much so that I cried aloud. Therefore, I was obviously overjoyed that Vygotsky understands that play is learning!
Even though I was already a firm believer that the power of play, my feelings have been reinforced by the reading we did. Even the youngest children are learning when they play. Learning the rules of the world around them and then learning how to exploit those rules. As students age they learn the rules of society around them through play and again, learn how these rules can be used to their advantage.
Vygotsky also talks about the Zone of Proximal Development. This means that students cannot miss the opportunity to read, or write, or learn mathematical concepts. It does mean though that students may not all be ready to learn a concept at the same time. This is why some students don’t get rounding in 2nd grade… or 3rd grade… or 4th grade… but suddenly in 5th grade it makes sense. They were finally in a place where they were ready for the information. This is in stark contrast to Piaget’s view that students were ready for certain activities at a certain age.
As teachers, we need to make sure that our lessons allow for play. This doesn’t mean that we need to get out the Recess equipment for every lesson, but rather that learning should engage students imaginations and allow them to work together in a playful manner. And ultimately this play needs to mimic real life, otherwise the benefit is lost.
This reminds me of when I was in 3rd grade and couldn't grasp multiplication. I remember my teacher getting frustrated until finally she just gave up. I didn't learn multiplication in 3rd grade like all my classmates but eventually I did learn it. I wonder if she had turned it into play instead of memorizing facts would it have been easier. I love your last paragraph, it doesn't need to be a big show but there needs to be room for play. Thanks Will!
ReplyDeleteHi Will! I love how you commented on how Piaget's views were different than Vygotsky's, and that Vygotsky's just made more sense. I made note of that also. I agree that we, as teachers, must include activities for our students to engage in play, especially relating it to real life. In teaching mathematics, it can sometimes get lost that students need the information presented in some other way in order to understand and make connections. My co-teachers and I have really been trying to take this into consideration while deciding which activities to include in our units.
ReplyDeleteSo true...children need playtime to develop and understand the rules of society (i.e. fairness) and nature (i.e. gravity). Play is SPD, ABCS, and AeCTS all rolled into a nice neat package that is presentable to students. I feel like the magic of play in the classroom is being replaced by a misinformed idea of "rigor" and that we've completely missed the point. I hope that even as a middle school teacher I can reincorporate some of that mischievous magic and anticipation.
ReplyDeleteHaha, I also hate Rigor as a buzzword with a passion. I actually like the concept and think play does represent true rigor (connecting multitudes of aspects of real life situations and problems) but we have chosen to redefine it as "making word problems that are difficult for children to decipher."
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