Empowered by Play » Rethinking Schools

Playful learning is more than just Sight Word BINGO

Geralyn — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 23:34:07 +0000

This weekend my sons had four days off from school. They played and built; wrote thank you notes and get well cards; did some baking with their dad and helped clean the house. An excellent time all around.

I am worried tonight, though, because I know tomorrow will be tough for my two five-year-olds. Kindergarten these days is not what it used to be, and my boys are not happy about it.

This weekend I also met other parents (from other schools) at the local playground. Their young sons, too, are feeling the stress of not having time to play at school. With all the current mandated assessments, it is getting harder and harder for teachers to keep recess, let alone incorporate child-directed and playful learning into their “academic” day.

At best, good teachers struggle daily to balance what they know is appropriate for their students with what they have to do to keep their jobs. At worst, confused and misguided teachers label behavior problems as emotional issues – when in truth, expectations are inappropriate and their students are visibly suffering. These days, there are kindergarten teachers who believe “playful learning” constitutes a few minutes playing “Math facts beanbag toss” or “Sight Word BINGO”. However, I am advocating child-centered, adult-supported play that leads to questions and discoveries. I am talking about dramatic play and block building that evolves over days and weeks, with the children making decisions. And the teachers involved can listen and ask questions in a manner that expands and deepens the play. These rich and playful moments in kindergarten classrooms are getting harder and harder to find.

Consider one kindergarten teacher’s story chronicled in the current issue of Rethinking Schools:

“The students in my classroom during the 2008-09 school year completed more assessments than during any of my prior years of teaching kindergarten:

Milwaukee Public Schools’ 5-Year-Old Kindergarten Assessment (completed three times a year)
On the Mark Reading Verification Assessment (completed three times a year)
A monthly writing prompt focused on different strands of the Six Traits of Writing
28 assessments measuring key early reading and spelling skills
Chapter pre- and post-tests for all nine math chapters completed
Three additional assessments for each math chapter completed
A monthly math prompt
Four Classroom Assessments Based on Standards (CABS) per social studies chapter (20 total)
Four CABS assessments per science chapter (20 total)
Four CABS assessments per health chapter (20 total)

I recently learned that my students will also be expected to complete four benchmark assessments beginning in the 2010-11 school year.

This list does not include the pre- and post-Marzano vocabulary tests (which I refuse to have my students complete because the assessment design is entirely developmentally inappropriate) or the writing and math portfolios we are required to keep.”

Click here to read Kelly McMahon’s full story, Testing Kindergarten.

Back in 2002 my friend Debbie Meier gave me a copy of Susan Ohanian’s book What Happened to Recess and Why are our Children Struggling in Kindergarten? I always remember the opening of the book where Ohanian talks about the protections that animals and insects have on Hollywood film sets. Apes on movie sets have time and space to play – and the American Humane Association is there to enforce the scheduled breaks. Why don’t our children have the same rights? Sadly, things have only gotten worse since Ohanian’s book was published. With Arne Duncan’s Race to the Top and the push for national core standards, I worry how much worse things can get. For more food foe thought, check out Alfie Kohn’s essay in Education Week - Debunking the Case for National Standards: One-Size-Fits-All Mandates and Their Dangers.

The disappearance of play is a systemic problem, and I’ll do what I can by talking with district leaders and sharing the Alliance for Childhood’s report Crisis in the Kindergarten: Why Children Need to Play in School. I am thankful for my sons’ teachers who are doing what they can to keep the learning playful, and I will do what I can to help kindergarten classrooms everywhere return to developmentally appropriate “kinder gardens”.

P.S. With the launching of the new Empowered by Play website (don’t you love it?!) I have crossed over from Blogger to WordPress. Some posts imported nicely, others are a little funky – with spacing issues, etc. If you see any links that aren’t working or anything else seriously amiss, please let me know. Thanks!

Why Empowered by Play…

Geralyn — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:01:00 +0000

Backing up a bit, here are a few thoughts about why I titled my blog “Empowered by Play”. If you read my piece Six, Going on Sixteen in Rethinking Schools, then you probably have a good idea. A few years ago, while teaching 5, 6 and 7-year-olds, I was caught off-guard by the needs of youngsters who were growing up way too quickly. They were stressed, and so was I. It was a complicated problem, and in the end, an explicit focus on play helped to turn things around. Because I could imagine a different kind of classroom, and they could tap into their own creativity and resourcefulness, we were empowered by play.

It happens all around us – all the time. Just stop and look. My son recently taught himself how to swing. Now he proudly runs to the swing set for time alone to hone and enjoy his skill. He is playing and working…a kind of work that is playful and intrinsically motivating. Even though he’s only five, he explains it expertly: “If it’s hard work, but if you like it, then it’s fun.”

Some folks like to play with ideas and imagine new possibilities. Others like to play with words and create poems and stories. And others like to play with numbers. For instance, I get a kick out of playing with the nine-times tables. Have you ever tried it? The patterns revealed are fascinating, and to me, fun. It works like this: multiply any number by 9, then add the sum of the digits. The answer will always be 9. For example: 9 x 13 = 117. 1 + 1 + 7 = 9. And that’s just the start of it – there are so many more patterns like this.

Grown-ups and kids need time to play and imagine…in the school day, in the work day, and at home. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Game On!

Geralyn — Fri, 08 May 2009 11:48:00 +0000

Here I am…launching my blog today! As a teacher and parent I am determined to bring healthy, creative and imaginative play back into the lives of children. I will post practical strategies, relevant research, and helpful resources for parents, teachers, and anyone else who is concerned about protecting children. I will include ways you can make a little bit of trouble here and there to shake up the status quo and bring attention to the issues. The battle against corporate encroachment into children’s lives has begun…and there is strength in numbers and knowledge. Keep an eye here for ways to fight back against marketers who exploit children and our mainstream media which is forcing children to grow up too soon. For more information about me, and my work with children and families around some of these issues, read my article, Six, Going on Sixteen in the spring 2009 issue of Rethinking Schools.
Game on!