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Showing posts with label child development. Show all posts
Showing posts with label child development. Show all posts
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Designed to play!
During the "Sharing" portion of our daily "Morning Meeting" today I challenged my students to reflect on their weekend and then fill in the blank with a verb. "This weekend I ______ed." While it was a bit challenging for my 4th and 5th graders to stick to one verb (they all wanted to add more details), we managed to gather some fascinating data which fueled an interesting discussion. More than 90% of my students responded with, "This weekend I played!" We had fun asking specific questions to reveal more interesting details of our weekend adventures, however the discussions that followed were the most interesting...Is it important to play? Can we learn from playing? If so, what can we learn? Most importantly, how can we incorporate play in our instructional settings?
If indeed we can learn from playing, then...why isn't there time to play in school? I had a hard time suppressing a smile because that very question was the topic in the teacher's lounge among the kindergarten teachers during lunch earlier. However, I need to be honest...I was contemplating "the importance of play" this weekend myself, so I confess to "setting up" the conversations. I was eager to hear what the kids and teachers had to say on this topic. I wasn't surprised by any of their discussions.
I began to investigate my thoughts on this topic after I watched this video of a little boy named Caine that turned "play" into quite an exciting learning experience. After watching the video, I'm sure that you too will recognize the importance of play.
This subject has been the discussion of many psychologists and education gurus. Research points to these facts: humans are designed to play (those that don't play have serious mental issues), however the amount of time we spend playing has decreased since 1970. A revealing study of gifted children (the Terman Study) concluded that those who play actually live longer. It is believed that "play" is credited with building those all important executive function skills. Executive function includes the ability to organize, plan, pay attention and remember details, and the ability to self-regulate (use self-control).
So what are we waiting for? Parents, teachers, and all those that wish for joyful learning experiences in the classroom and home...let the play begin!
If indeed we can learn from playing, then...why isn't there time to play in school? I had a hard time suppressing a smile because that very question was the topic in the teacher's lounge among the kindergarten teachers during lunch earlier. However, I need to be honest...I was contemplating "the importance of play" this weekend myself, so I confess to "setting up" the conversations. I was eager to hear what the kids and teachers had to say on this topic. I wasn't surprised by any of their discussions.
I began to investigate my thoughts on this topic after I watched this video of a little boy named Caine that turned "play" into quite an exciting learning experience. After watching the video, I'm sure that you too will recognize the importance of play.
This subject has been the discussion of many psychologists and education gurus. Research points to these facts: humans are designed to play (those that don't play have serious mental issues), however the amount of time we spend playing has decreased since 1970. A revealing study of gifted children (the Terman Study) concluded that those who play actually live longer. It is believed that "play" is credited with building those all important executive function skills. Executive function includes the ability to organize, plan, pay attention and remember details, and the ability to self-regulate (use self-control).
So what are we waiting for? Parents, teachers, and all those that wish for joyful learning experiences in the classroom and home...let the play begin!
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Tuesday, March 1, 2011
What I Wish I Knew...
Today, I posted a response to a question on another blog: "What do you wish you knew when you first started teaching?" I quickly wrote a few lines, then as usual, I began to really contemplate this question. I thought it would be fun to answer alphabetically:
A - Always take the time to reflect on your day with improvement in mind.
B - Birthday cluster - graphing the students in your classroom is truly informative.
C - Caring for others must be intentionally taught in classrooms.
D - Don't be afraid to admit you don't know it all.
E - Everyone needs to feel a sense of belonging, significance, and fun!
F - Find the best teacher in the school - then watch them in action.
G - Greeting each student every morning is a simple way to build relationships.
H - Have high expectations and help your students meet them.
I - Ignore the "Negative Nancy's" - they are always on the look out for newbies.
J- Just breathe - realize that there will always be something left undone.
K - Know and apply the developmental characteristics of children to your teaching.
L - Learning happens best when you build a sense of community.
M - Model everything you can - the time will come back four fold!
N - Never use sarcasm with students.
O - Only have students sitting 2 x's the number of minutes equal to their age. Use energizers.
P - Praise such as "Good Job" is empty - be specific when telling kids what you notice.
Q - Quiet time after lunch - it just makes sense.
R - Relationships are important. Take time to invest in the lives of students & colleagues.
S - Sometimes you will make mistakes, admit it and move on.
T - Talk less and listen more - you can learn a lot from kids.
U - Understand the needs of your students - emotionally, physically, and academically.
V - Very engaging lessons result in fewer behavior problems.
W - Words are one of the most important tools that a teacher has!
X - Xeric - characteristic of too many learning environments, water your classroom with engaging activities that allow students to collaborate, opportunities for student choices and relevant, authentic learning!
Y - You can make a difference in the life of every child that you teach (emphasize a different word each time you say this sentence - amazing isn't it?)
Z - Zero in on the most important things - everyone is important and anything is possible!
What do you wish you knew when you first started teaching?
A - Always take the time to reflect on your day with improvement in mind.
B - Birthday cluster - graphing the students in your classroom is truly informative.
C - Caring for others must be intentionally taught in classrooms.
D - Don't be afraid to admit you don't know it all.
E - Everyone needs to feel a sense of belonging, significance, and fun!
F - Find the best teacher in the school - then watch them in action.
G - Greeting each student every morning is a simple way to build relationships.
H - Have high expectations and help your students meet them.
I - Ignore the "Negative Nancy's" - they are always on the look out for newbies.
J- Just breathe - realize that there will always be something left undone.
K - Know and apply the developmental characteristics of children to your teaching.
L - Learning happens best when you build a sense of community.
M - Model everything you can - the time will come back four fold!
N - Never use sarcasm with students.
O - Only have students sitting 2 x's the number of minutes equal to their age. Use energizers.
P - Praise such as "Good Job" is empty - be specific when telling kids what you notice.
Q - Quiet time after lunch - it just makes sense.
R - Relationships are important. Take time to invest in the lives of students & colleagues.
S - Sometimes you will make mistakes, admit it and move on.
T - Talk less and listen more - you can learn a lot from kids.
U - Understand the needs of your students - emotionally, physically, and academically.
V - Very engaging lessons result in fewer behavior problems.
W - Words are one of the most important tools that a teacher has!
X - Xeric - characteristic of too many learning environments, water your classroom with engaging activities that allow students to collaborate, opportunities for student choices and relevant, authentic learning!
Y - You can make a difference in the life of every child that you teach (emphasize a different word each time you say this sentence - amazing isn't it?)
Z - Zero in on the most important things - everyone is important and anything is possible!
What do you wish you knew when you first started teaching?
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