The article I chose to quickly summarize
and comment on is “The Power of Play in Learning” by Aran Lavesseur http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/01/the-power-of-play-in-learning/
When briefly looking at the name of this
topic, you can be forgiven for thinking… “Okay, this is going to be focused on
children and learning through physical play.” However this wasn’t the focal
point. The article states that we all learn best through trial and error,
pattern recognition, making a choice and seeing where that leads us. In a sense,
“Play.”
In this digital age we all need to learn
how to use and operate all kinds of new and innovative multimedia tools. Through
“Playing” with these tools, both students and teachers can learn and adapt. The
article pretty much tells us that students can become more creative through
playfulness and think outside of the box to solve problems etc.
I agree with the essence of this article
especially as to how it relates with multimedia and the classroom. I would hope
the use of the ipad for instance could encourage my students to become more
creative in class. My students are so used to memorizing what they are given.
Through this learning style, they have been deprived of the chance to explore
and experiment for themselves. If I could introduce this kind of technology
into my classes, then it will not only excite my students but they will start
to become coaches themselves, helping their classmates operate it. By making
mistakes and correcting them though “Play”, my students will hopefully become
more confident and creative and thus interact and use English more in my class.
In my
opinion play or playfulness with the use of technology is essential for both
students and teachers in the 21st century. It will encourage
students to experiment and explore answers
creatively.
You're absolutely right that this approach could steer students away from memorization and more towards experimentation and creation. Mastery of skills and knowledge should take precedence over being able to score well on a test. Allowing students to make mistakes and telling them that it's ok will make them better problem solvers and better able to cope with future situations where they are unable to find a solution immediately. I hope you can integrate some of the ideas from the article into your own lessons.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I thought it had something to do with hockey when I saw the words power of play.
I read the article as well and at first thought it would be discussing the importance of play in a physical sense. After reading though, I was happy that my first assumption was wrong. I think that Aran shares some excellent insights with our approach to education and learning how to use new technological devices.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that taking a playful approach when using technology, is essential for teachers and students. However I think this concept of play can be expanded and applied to life in general. For centuries we have learned through instruction, which creates a structure of instructor and student. This method can cause fear and stress for the student because they are worried about gaining the instructors approval. But if we change the method by which we learn, to learning through experiences, by trial and error, then the structure of instructor and student is illuminated. Learning anything new should be a pleasurable experience, not a stressful one.
Case in point, myself. When I enrolled in our course I was petrified, I knew I was incompetent when using any form of technology. But for the past month I have tried to learn by trial and error (ok, not always) and am pleased with the results.
I am posting this quote on every comment I make because I think it’s one of life’s truths.
“The more we do, the more we can do.” William Hazlitt