We make lasting connections through play, though role to play in learning an idea that continues to meet opposition.
Part of the reason may be the tone. We like our reading to be serious, purposeful, and academic. This is reflected in the consistent emphasis on an outcomes-based learning process where learning objectives are determined and assessments are written in advance, and subsequent instruction is revised based solely on data derived from said assessments. (See “10 Ways Data Can Disrupt Your Teaching.”)
And the whole process itself is based on a set of industrial and impersonal “learning standards” that, while well-intentioned and designed to ensure a “common body of knowledge,” imply learning goals from the outside looking in. hubris the must exist to predetermine what the student will understand as a result of the learning experience! (I only pray Grant Wiggins doesn’t read this.)
Love video games“play” suffers from the definition of youth that’s unfortunate. Although more “professional” adults continue to play, such efforts are often hidden, or excused with absurd circumstances and explanations. Why bother creating your own terms and conditions of engagement?
3 Things That Make Gaming Fun
Finally, the game offers three important parts of the participating mind: independence, voluntarilyagain curiosity. None of this suggests that students should be given iPads, a box of legos, and every app they care to download and play with. But it does suggest marked shifts in how learning happens.
Charles Darwin’s teacher said that he will not have much money because he spends a lot of time “playing” with insects.
But as the video explains, it’s not just a joke.
Image description by flickr user bobbyjames; A Visual Assessment of Why Play Is Necessary for Learning
Source link