Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Play is important everywhere, even in the classroom



The article "Don't Forget to Play!" was about how play is more than just a fun activity. I linked this article to a TED talk that also discussed how play biological and important. 

It talked about how play is an important skill that many drop, as they get older thinking it’s a child thing. However play is more complex, as a child we learned the world through play. Play teaches us how to learn from our environment, how to interact with others, how to be flexible and other skills. Play teaches us about our society, the norms of what is seen as good or bad, such as the fact that it’s good to be competitive but if you are a cheater all the time, no one will want to play with you. Play makes things interesting, it grabs your attention and you are more likely to learn/remember from an experience you enjoy. This is one aspect why play should be in the classroom, but another is the idea that play sets up creative and collaborative environments. These are two skills that Group Genius went to great lengths to explain as these skills are valuable and sought after in the job market. Keeping play in daily life, whether adult or child, is then important.

1 comment:

  1. Hi Priscilla,
    I loved this video! I think its interesting that we often forget that experiences as simple as play can teach us valuable skills. It also reminded me of Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology, when Collins and Halverson point out the many lessons that can be learned through video games, computer simulation games, etc. Such platforms are often overlooked and seen as "play", when in fact that are teaching students skills without them even realizing it. I think play is an important aspect of education that educators need to explore more deeply!

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