The Importance of PlayThe Individual:
Play is fundamental to child development, since as an activity, it is fundamental to development. Play allows students to explore, learn, and navigate within a learning process. The individual will learn both academically and socially through the use of play-facilitated education. Through play students learn to gain empathy, and understand one another. The Classroom Community: Play allows students to learn how to interact within one another. Moreover, it allows students to work on their ability to join in/participate with activities (which is an outcome) in a mature and kind way. Through play student are able to develop stronger relationships, where they feel comfortable with one another. |
Defining Purposeful PlayWhat is Purposeful Play?
To understand what purposeful play is, it is important to develop a definition for both of these words separately. Being purposeful is the act of doing something with preconceived intent, usually to achieve a goal. On the other hand, play is the engagement in an activity (games, imagination, physical movement, etc.) for enjoyment. Therefore, purposeful play would be engaging is activities for enjoyment, but doing so to achieve a common goal or outcome. |
Play at Different Grade LevelsDivision 1 (Grade: K-3):
- "Play-Facilitated Education" can be different depending on the grade, in this age group free-play, guided play, and structured play should all be incorporated within the classroom (to varying degrees). Play facilitated-education allows the student to grow, learn and adapt from various situations and social interactions that will occur. - Play Centers, where students have the choice to engage in a variety of centers (typically one center can be mandatory) where you can test students knowledge within particular outcomes. Centers can include art, numeracy, literacy, construction, creating, investigating, etc. where children have the ability to learn own their own within the given center. Division 2 (Grade: 3-6): - "Play-Facilitated Education" have many forms in these age groups, but students should be given the opportunity to explore and adventure within there learning. Students who have that freedom to create projects/assignments they are personally proud or passionate about will result in their best work. - GENIUS hour allows students the opportunity to research topics they are interested in, allowing them to hit the outcomes related to proper research. Furthermore, you have the opportunity to prompt students and approve all of their research questions. Division 3 (Grade 7-9): - "Play-Facilitated Education" can look like a variety of thing, especially within these older grades. If we think for a moment of how we play as adults, we can understand that our play is made up of use doing things we enjoy or fell passion for. In many cases this can be called "Project-Based Education," which is the same as Play-Facilitated since it is learning within a joyful environment, and the students interests are the focal point (student centered). - Projects allow students to research topics provided to them, and present them in any form that they like, for example PowerPoint's, brochures, letters, podcasts, etc. This allows students the opportunity to engage in their creativity through the process, but they are presenting on the given learning outcome. Division 4 (Grade 10-12): - "Play-Facilitated Education" can take other forms as we mature, and begin to research, read, and do things that we enjoy. This can also be referred to as "Problem-Based Education," where students are prompted with a question, and they must determine a solution, and a way to share this solution with yourself and the class. This allows students to develop research strategies, and skills for solving their own issues/problems in life. - Projects that are problem based allow they teacher to provide students with a problem, and see how the students go about solving said problem. An example of this would be prompting students with ideas about the fur trade, and allowing them to research, discover and in this case act out what occurred during the fur trade (discuss economy, relationships, settlement, etc.) Examples of Play-Facilitated EducationEnvironment as the Third Teacher
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Play Within and Outside of the
Play can take a variety of shapes and sizes, therefore, our involvement as teachers can look very differently depending on the activities at hand. All of the twelve types of play can be used within these categories, below you will see suggestions of what we have seen to work, or what could be most easily adopted for the preferred style of teaching.
Teacher Led: - This form of play will be structures and planned to various degrees, being completely planned by the teacher from the start to end. During this form of play students are guided through a systematic lesson to achieve an end goal, where the teacher is an active participant. - Of the twelve types of play; mastery, rules-based, and language play could be used successfully in a teacher led activity (all types of play could really be used during this type of education/play, these are ones that might be the easiest to use when starting to incorporate Play-Facilitated Education within a classroom). Teacher Facilitated: - This form of education teacher will be involved having to provide students with all the required materials, and the teacher guides them through actions. During this style of Play-Facilitated Education, the teacher acts as the source of information/resources as well as guiding them through the the created lesson. - Of the twelve types of play; risk taking, construction, and symbolic play can be used successfully in the teacher facilitated style. This is because the teacher will be able to assist the students in succeeding within these tasks, helping students where it is necessary, and providing them what they need to achieve success. Teacher Assisted: - This form of play allows the student to have a greater role in ownership over their education. During this education/play students might be provided with materials/resources and prompted to achieve a desire goal, or they might be given a pathway to achieving that goal, but they must find their own materials/resources. In this form of play/education the teacher acts as the "guru," as students ask for assistance when it is necessary. - Of the twelve types of play; make-believe and arts can be met with success, since the teacher is more of the provider for students to take ownership over their own educational path, being assisted when it is needed. Student Led: - This form of education gives students total control over the created activity, from finding materials and resources, to selecting pathway to success that best works for them. This form of education has the teacher out of the picture, and allows students free range to interact, create, and develop on their own. - All of the twelve types of play, all can be used within a student led activity. This always students autonomy within the classroom, and allows them to work on self-regulation techniques when trying to overcome any problems they may face. This also gives students the opportunity to explore within their classroom. This is critical to the development and achievement of both personal and academic goals. |
First Steps
Primary Level Ideas:
- Theme Based Activity Booklets or Binders
- Booklets can be a "sneaky" way to get students who refuse to do the general class activities, to complete activities that may be a bit different but still allow you to assess them.
- Ex. Student who loves Angry Birds has a binder full of games, puzzles, mazes, comparison activities and so much more. The theme of the binder makes the lessons way more accessible to the student. It also allows him to work on mastery play and get to a point of acceptable understanding.
- Environmental Changes
- Taking down loud colors and replacing them with neutral tones works to calm down both the students and the teachers. The loud colors may seem more "fun" but for our students who become overwhelmed by their senses, those small environmental changes can greatly impact their learning ability.
- Open Play Opportunities
- Allowing students the chance to investigate or explore whatever type of activity or game they want, is so liberating from the general classroom setting that you will most likely find complete student engagement and a decrease in behavioral problems.
- Open play also invites organic socialization, creativity, and problem solving that is challenging to produce in organized sports or games.
- Investigative Hours/Genius Hour
- Similar to open play but more geared toward the older grades, this hour allows students to first think about whats important to them, or what they wonder about, and then second to dive into the available research and resources and actually learn about that.
- Like with open play, you'll see increased classroom engagement and with this, increased student confidence
- Inquiry Project Units
- Giving your class a real-world problem that you then investigate throughout an entire cross-curricular unit is a top-tier play-facilitated strategy. Its student-centered and investigative, and it will engage all students by presenting multiple entry points.
- Provocations
- General provocations at the beginning of a unit will allow the teacher to determine what the students want to learn about. Later on, after the system with the most impact is determined, students could also have the opportunity to present their own provocations to the entire class, or a small group.
Assessment Ideas
Videos:
-The use of videos in the classroom is a great way to document students development within the classroom. Videos can then be shared with parents as direct proof of their students retained knowledge (using an app like seesaw could prove beneficial to this process). Videos are also great ways for a teacher to reflect/review the learning process within their classroom. Furthermore, being able to reflect on one's own teaching method/practice.
Photographs:
- The use of photos is extremely beneficial to for assessment, they capture moments in which you can reflect, or show a students joy within the learning. Furthermore, photos of an individual student can be shared with parents through websites (such as seesaw) to show their the learning that is occurring within the classroom.
Circle Charts/Checklists:
- Circle charts and checklist are beneficial for quick assessments in the moment of the activity. Furthermore, checklists allow you to plan out the learning you expect to see, and chart if the students succeeds, is still working towards their goals, or is still at their starting point.
Conversations/Conferences:
- Conversations are another way in which assessment of play-facilitated education can occur. they allow the student/teacher relationship to grow, as you can talk to the student(s) during the learning, or set a scheduled time later to discuss the learning. Simplistic assessments like fist to five or thumbs up/thumbs down can also be used to gauge learning within the classroom.
Projects (physical evidence):
- Another form of assessment (usually summative assessment) would be the use of projects. Projects allow students a unique way to show off their learning, in a variety of forms. Furthermore, the teacher is able to examine these resources to assist the student within their learning.
Anecdotal Notes:
- Finally, anecdotal notes are brief notes create during or after an activity allowing the teacher to explain the learning they see within the classroom. This form of assessment is beneficial in play-facilitated education since you are able to describe the environment in which they are learning, and the growth the individual is making.
-The use of videos in the classroom is a great way to document students development within the classroom. Videos can then be shared with parents as direct proof of their students retained knowledge (using an app like seesaw could prove beneficial to this process). Videos are also great ways for a teacher to reflect/review the learning process within their classroom. Furthermore, being able to reflect on one's own teaching method/practice.
Photographs:
- The use of photos is extremely beneficial to for assessment, they capture moments in which you can reflect, or show a students joy within the learning. Furthermore, photos of an individual student can be shared with parents through websites (such as seesaw) to show their the learning that is occurring within the classroom.
Circle Charts/Checklists:
- Circle charts and checklist are beneficial for quick assessments in the moment of the activity. Furthermore, checklists allow you to plan out the learning you expect to see, and chart if the students succeeds, is still working towards their goals, or is still at their starting point.
Conversations/Conferences:
- Conversations are another way in which assessment of play-facilitated education can occur. they allow the student/teacher relationship to grow, as you can talk to the student(s) during the learning, or set a scheduled time later to discuss the learning. Simplistic assessments like fist to five or thumbs up/thumbs down can also be used to gauge learning within the classroom.
Projects (physical evidence):
- Another form of assessment (usually summative assessment) would be the use of projects. Projects allow students a unique way to show off their learning, in a variety of forms. Furthermore, the teacher is able to examine these resources to assist the student within their learning.
Anecdotal Notes:
- Finally, anecdotal notes are brief notes create during or after an activity allowing the teacher to explain the learning they see within the classroom. This form of assessment is beneficial in play-facilitated education since you are able to describe the environment in which they are learning, and the growth the individual is making.
Resources to Engage With
PLAY by Stuart Brown
Joyful Literacy Interventions by Janet Nadine Mort
EMPOWER (what happens when students own their learning) by John Spencer and A.J. Juliana
LAUNCH (using design thinking to boost creativity in every student) by John Spencer and A.J. Juliana
Dive Into Inquiry (amplifying learning and empowering student voice) by Trevor Mackenzie
Teach Like a Pirate (increase student engagement, boost creativity, and transform your life as an educator) by Dave Burgees
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/ww_Supporting_Learning_Through_Play.pdf
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/building-language-literacy-through-play/
Joyful Literacy Interventions by Janet Nadine Mort
EMPOWER (what happens when students own their learning) by John Spencer and A.J. Juliana
LAUNCH (using design thinking to boost creativity in every student) by John Spencer and A.J. Juliana
Dive Into Inquiry (amplifying learning and empowering student voice) by Trevor Mackenzie
Teach Like a Pirate (increase student engagement, boost creativity, and transform your life as an educator) by Dave Burgees
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/ww_Supporting_Learning_Through_Play.pdf
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/building-language-literacy-through-play/