Resonances/ Questions/Critiques (Shall We Play? )

Shall We Play?

When reading the article Shall We Play? I thought of how students in school have many times where teachers have to teach to the test. Some ways teachers try to get students to learn some material they have to sit at a desk why the teacher spits information on them. Many studies show the students don't really learn this way and it is ineffective for hitting them to maintain skills that would be lifelong.

When students, or youth, are given the opportunity to learn through play they learn more than one skill at a time. One example of this is having students create a project like to create a bridge that will hold so many pennies. By giving this challenge to a group of youth they have to mathematically figure out how much pennies weigh to design a bridge that is stable and work together a team. Doing this activity through play students will have to use problem solving skills, communicate with each other, and use math skills to create a bridge. This activity will have them using cause and effect and exploring different options on how they can make a bridge to hold so many pennies. This is not a one-step project or activity where the students can do this by trial and error and by having the opportunity to use play through learning to help them develop many other skills that the youth can use in other classes and teaching these skills to other youth. Sports are another way for youth to do through play. When the youth are playing sports they are learning how to play a game but other skills like teamwork and stronger leadership. 

When you are teaching youth through play they learn to use their voice and positive way to learn through other youth. Leadership, problem solving skills and so many other skills are not something you can just teach in a textbook. The more we use these skills the better these skills will become no matter the age someone is. A lot of the time youth can teach these skills to adults.