THE PLAYING UP OF EDUCATION Carol Kahar

THE PLAYING UP OF EDUCATION

Carol Kahar Vineland, Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada

Play. Does play matter? Is it important to the welfare of the child? Should play have an important place in the school curriculum?

The General Assembly of the United Nations answered these questions by declaring play a human right of the child. Along with the basic needs of nutrition, health, and shelter, the United Nations considers play vital to the development and potential of the child. Play is a legitimate right of childhood, a crucial aspect of physical, intellectual, and social development. Play should be an integral part of the child’s education (Article 31 of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations, November 20, 1989) https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/crc.aspx

“Play is the work of childhood.” Jean Piaget, Swiss child psychologist (1896–1980)

Jean Piaget emphasized that for children play is not a relief from serious learning, “play is serious learning.”

COVID-19, the Coronavirus, has radically changed our world for some time to come. It has necessitated a remodelling of society as we know it today. Parents in many countries find themselves in the position of homeschooling – monitoring their children’s online lessons, a component of homeschooling – while coping with the many challenges of working from home. There is a heightened need to liaise with the family unit during this stormy period of enforced self-isolation and social distancing.

How best to cope with these major changes to the lifestyle of families? Child psychologists and other experts in the field recommend that leisure time be set aside each day. Children are very aware of their surroundings and experience worry, anxiety, and fear, as do adults in their world. Family downtime is essential and can take many forms: role-playing and board games, free play, nature walks, virtual tours of museums and other age-appropriate use of the Internet. There are many online activities that can make learning fun. Time for free play is also essential as it allows children time to explore on their own without the constraints of parental supervision.

Parents, as well as their children, need some diversion from their ‘workday’. Today’s parents are urged to provide some quiet time but, most importantly, to have fun with their children in an ageappropriate context. Minimizing family stress is essential in these disquieting times.

This remodelling of society will in all likelihood be permanent.

The daily routine of the family has been pleasantly affected. Not only is the child’s day more inviting with the inclusion of leisure time but also that of their parents. All family members need a time out

A major reworking of society is an essential part of this pandemic. It will continue to drastically alter all aspects of life as we knew it, from the largest bodies of authority to the smallest family unit. What can we as educators learn from this pandemic?

What we have come to realize is that education will never be the same again post-Coronavirus. Online learning and distance education will inevitably become incorporated into the school program.

Inadvertently, COVID-19 has equipped parents as well as teachers with the necessary tools to cope with the many difficulties that currently complicate their lives: homeschooling and working from home with the resulting pressure, stress, and angst.

Schools have always allotted time for play in the primary grades. Teachers can learn from the tips given to parents today. All children need to have fun and we need to ensure that play is incorporated into the programs for students of all ages. Teenagers should not be excluded.

Classroom teachers already have their hands full: large classes comprising students at varying academic levels, ongoing pressures to adopt the latest change of direction but with insufficient time and/or equipment to do so. All that is to say that being stretched to the limit is nothing new.

Classroom teachers are very familiar with stress, and on a daily level. The demands and obligations confronting parents during this pandemic will inevitably become apparent through the students.

So many of the very strategies put into practice by parents today will benefit teachers when schools finally reopen.

Play activities already familiar from home can be integrated into the classroom schedule at all levels of instruction. Every child needs engaging and fun ways to learn. New strategies can be included into the daily program with ease, as children love – and thrive on – games and role-playing. Let’s let kids be kids.

Here in Ontario, Canada, the new generation of teachers has come under increased pressure to adhere strictly to curricula. This has greatly constrained most teachers’ creativity and ability to introduce elements of play into the classroom.

I would hope that playful learning habits and routines could potentially provide an effusion of fresh air when schools reopen in Ontario.

For the activities listed below, informal groupings or pairings are preferable to traditional rows. Roleplay and a variety of language games can be carried out with ease if the students are seated in groups as opposed to regimented arrangements.

These activities can be easily modified for the teacher of English (or any other language) and adjusted to be age-appropriate or dependent on language fluency.

Bingo

Children will match the spoken word (of the target language) to the picture on their bingo card. As with regular bingo, the winner will be the student who successfully completes a row on his/her card.

Complete the sentence

This game will encourage young students to increase their vocabulary in the target language. E.g. I love spaghetti because […].

Who am I?

One student has a word taped to her forehead. She must ask questions of the class until she determines who or what she is. The teacher (or another student) will limit the number of questions and offer guidance, depending on the age group involved.

Role-play

Children love to mimic adults, and role-play activities allow them to do just that. Role-play activities can be adjusted to the age, language proficiency and fluency of any particular class.

Fairy tales

These culturally rooted stories always spark the imagination of children. Children can easily relate to fairy tales and enjoy recreating them. Students would enjoy making simple costumes or sets. “Three Little Pigs” or “Goldilocks” are perfect play ideas for the students to learn in the target language.

Grocery Store

In this role-playing game, students will experience shopping for groceries and paying for them. A pretend grocery store can be easily constructed using the imagination and creativity of the students. This is an entertaining and interesting way to teach related vocabulary. Social as well as communication skills are enhanced. In role-playing situations, students are highly motivated and develop fluency with ease.

Playing Detective

Children put on their Sherlock Holmes deerstalker hats for this activity. Their task is to investigate the loss of a specific object somewhere in the classroom. Helpful clues are given by the teacher. This activity can help fuel the child’s inquisitive mind and boost problem-solving skills, while keeping them fully engaged in the activity.

Telephone Conversation

This role-play is best if the students have reasonable proficiency and fluency in the target language. The topic of the conversation will be provided by the teacher.

Create a Class Board Game

Use the model of such board games as Trivia, Quest, etc.

Word-finder crosswords

It only takes a few minutes to draw a crossword puzzle graph. Compose a series of questions in columns on either side of the puzzle graph. Then write in the answers to the questions in the puzzle graph – single words, phrases, titles, lyrics – and then let the child have a go at it. While most kids

love the challenge of finding the words, they also need nimble minds and sharp memories to answer trivia questions. The advantage of creating one’s own crossword puzzle is that the questions, answers and themes can be tailored to the interests of the young player. Older students will be able to put together their own word-finder to challenge the class.

In closing, I would like to add a favourite quote that resonates with all adults:

“A child who does not play is not a child, but the man who doesn’t play has lost forever the child who lived in him and who he will miss terribly.”

Pablo Neruda (1904–1973)

Here is a sampling of online adventures for students of all ages:

Louvre Online Tours https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne

Vincent van Gogh comes to you https://vangoghmuseum.nl/en/whats-on/we-bring-the-museum-to-you?v=1

Gemäldegalerie in Berlin with paintings from the 13th to 18th century https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/gemaldegalerie-staatliche-museen-zu-berlin

Discover the British Museum to explore the history of humankind https://www.britishmuseum.org/closure

Google Arts & Culture (a variety of options that change weekly) https://artsandculture.google.com/explore

Versailles: The Palace is yours https://artsandculture.google.com/project/versailles

The Dali Theatre-Museum https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=K5MKrKcfyRW

Eureka! The National Children’s Museum https://www.eureka.org.uk/

National Museum of Finland https://www.kansallismuseo.fi/en/kansallismuseo/frontpage

Webcams in Estonia https://www.geocam.ru/en/in/estonia/

Carol M. Kahar Retired teacher and computer coordinator with fond memories of all grades from kindergarten to university. She has lived and taught in several Ontario cities (Canada) and in Estonia.