Advocating Play
“The growing allocation of kindergarten time to academic content has firmly pushed play to the edges. What counts as play in many classrooms are highly controlled centers that focus on particular content labeled as ‘choice’ but that are really directed at capturing a specific content-based learning experience, such as number bingo or retelling a story exactly as the teacher told it o n a flannel board….It means that in-depth project work that involves research into child-initiated questions just takes too much time….”
“What’s lost with this shift? Attention to anything but clearly defined cognitive aspects of development….”
“…It’s no longer enough to argue that play is the work of children; we’re now required to prove what children get from play. What they get must translate to increased achievement or reduced risk. So let’s nail the evidence base.”
“Are We Paving the Paradise: In our rush to promote achievement, we’ve forgotten how 5 year olds really learn,” by Elizabeth Grauein; Education Leadership (April 2011)
No comments:
Post a Comment