Lesson #18:Make Time to Play
I was going to make this blog post about my recent professional development coursework which was heavily focused on Smartboard technology, amongst other techie type teacher solutions.
But then I started thinking (and you know that's never safe...)
So much of our education system is focused on success, success, success at any rate. And I totally agree in working towards success...how would I survive as a teacher if I didn't want that as an end goal? But there is an issue when the drive towards a numeric goal -say, a test score - overrides the importance of developing the person that the student is to become.
I write this now, having been through numerous courses over the past couple of days, that all made me feel a bit nervous about the numbers. Numbers that my students needed to meet, numbers that the state requires of us, number of hours for this and that, numbers, numbers, numbers! I swear to you, my anxiety as school approaches has skyrocketed! And I'm the teacher! Think about being a student and having those pressures to perform put on you.
Fortunately there have also been many staff development opportunities that have emphasized the importance of a more holistic approach to education. I've really latched on to these training sessions and it has made me feel a bit better. My most important job in these first few weeks of school should be to create an environment that feels safe and nurturing and where the students feel valued and respected.
And where we can play.
I've noticed within myself that I do many things better when there is an element of play involved. Like when I joined a bootcamp over the summer, the days that I found myself working the hardest were days in which the instructor had us play some sort of game (usually tag related). I'm all about playing tag! (And, if you are a teacher or parent or ever have worked with kids, you know as well that tag is the ultimate game at recess. Hands down.)
So it got me thinking about how I can make difficult things (like boring math and science) into games that can be played. Let's play our way through life! Why not!
I'm not the only one focusing a lot on the benefits of play and games. I recently watched a fascinating TED Talks lecture by Jane McGonigal that discussed overcoming a difficult ordeal through the use of gaming.
I write this now, having been through numerous courses over the past couple of days, that all made me feel a bit nervous about the numbers. Numbers that my students needed to meet, numbers that the state requires of us, number of hours for this and that, numbers, numbers, numbers! I swear to you, my anxiety as school approaches has skyrocketed! And I'm the teacher! Think about being a student and having those pressures to perform put on you.
Fortunately there have also been many staff development opportunities that have emphasized the importance of a more holistic approach to education. I've really latched on to these training sessions and it has made me feel a bit better. My most important job in these first few weeks of school should be to create an environment that feels safe and nurturing and where the students feel valued and respected.
And where we can play.
I've noticed within myself that I do many things better when there is an element of play involved. Like when I joined a bootcamp over the summer, the days that I found myself working the hardest were days in which the instructor had us play some sort of game (usually tag related). I'm all about playing tag! (And, if you are a teacher or parent or ever have worked with kids, you know as well that tag is the ultimate game at recess. Hands down.)
So it got me thinking about how I can make difficult things (like boring math and science) into games that can be played. Let's play our way through life! Why not!
I'm not the only one focusing a lot on the benefits of play and games. I recently watched a fascinating TED Talks lecture by Jane McGonigal that discussed overcoming a difficult ordeal through the use of gaming.
It seems that creating an element of play can really bring on beneficial changes, some of them we probably never expected.
So, some ways in which I have thought about bringing play into my classroom include:
1. Mystery Hall Walker Reward - As a game- who am I watching the whole time and who gets the prize at the end? Hall walking manners are either a teacher's greatest achievement or worst nightmare. Her class is there on display for everyone to see and her classroom management skills are summed up in the entirety of those 10 minutes it takes to walk her class from the room to the cafeteria. Unfair? Yes. Reason to incentivize? Most definitely.
2. Classroom Bingo -A Bingo Board for the class is created. At the end of each day (or class period) if the class has had no more than 3 verbal warnings for staying on task, keeping voices off, good behavior, etc then they can fill in a Bingo square. As soon as they get Bingo we can have a reward of their choice which has been predetermined - pizza party, extra recess, crazy sock day, WHATEVER those crazy little minds think up.
3. Finishing a task = Dance Party Break - A good student can come up to pick which dance party break we'd like to do for 3-4 minutes if we've made it through a task.
4. Special Chair Incentive - Can be an attendance award, bringing in homework award, bringing in signed permission slip award...may end up changing each week. Basically I will have a cool looking chair- paint, glitter, crazy, tacky stuff- and the person who reaches this goal I set will get to sit in it for a whole day. Kids dig this sort of stuff. Big time. They're so funny.
5. Silent Finger Math - While waiting in the hall I can sign out addition or subtraction problems, they hold up the answers on their fingers. The first one with their fingers up with the right answer (while remaining silent) gets picked to come up and make the next math problem. I haven't actually tried this one, I kind of just thought of it right now. I am always looking for games that have an element of QUIET since there are so many times when the kids have to be quiet and it feels like torture having to tell them over and over again to USE INSIDE VOICES or PUT A BUBBLE IN THEIR MOUTH. If I were a kid I'd be sick of that too.
I'm sure there are many more elements of play that can be added to the school day, or just everyday life!
Care to share? I'm all ears!
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| Photo By: HeadOvMetal |
"It is a happy talent to know how to play". - Ralph Waldo Emerson
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