The Speed of Ideas

Considering that the schools in the Salt Lake Valley have only had Playworks programs since August, I find it absolutely amazing that students at each of our schools have begun to start up games and activities our coaches have taught them. They play spontaneously, on their own, in situations where there is no adult telling them what to do.  Several of our coaches have related stories about this incredible phenomenon.  Coach Raven at Stansbury relates this story:

I was walking into the gym to gather my equipment for recess, when I noticed a class was playing elbow tag during their PE time. I asked the teacher if she started the game, and she told me the students started it. They enjoyed the game so much during Class Game Time that they asked the PE teacher if they could play it. They taught her the game and started it themselves.

[Note: ClassGame Time is a weekly or biweekly time between recesses in which entire classes and their teachers join Playworks coaches. Kids learn basic sports, playground and cooperative games and the physical skills building through play.]

And here's another story from Coach Jaime at Meadowlark:

During indoor recess time yesterday, I walked by a class doing their indoor PE time playing Over Under Kickball! They had just learned it from Class Game Time and were using it on their own time. Great to see.

The thing that's so remarkable about these stories is not that the kids have memorized some fairly complicated games, but rather that their instincts to play, to try out new games, and to incorporate new behaviors are so wholly intact.

Play is how human beings learn skills, social norms, and interpersonal skills.  It is a deeply ingrained function of being a child, and perhaps of being human.  It is our nature to play; Part of our culture is carried in the games we pass from adult to child and in the roles played out as children teach each other games.  So what kind of culture is being passed on by having a focus on play in schools?  Coach Vee at Lincoln Elementary relates this story:

Since day one teachers have not just showed up to Class Game Time but also come fired up and ready to play. It has been such a joy to see the teachers and students having such a good time together. During our Class Game Time time everyone is engaged in play and the group morale is very high.

I would argue that an emphasis on play transmits a culture of mutual respect between students from different backgrounds and between students and teachers.  Cooperative learning through play emphasizes the fact that teachers and students necessarily work together to accomplish learning goals.  Students too often see their teachers as antagonists in a struggle that pits them against the other. Teachers work hard to transmit knowledge to resistant students, but when students and teachers play together, that illusion breaks down. Teachers and students are able to forge a bond because they understand that they are working towards the same end.

It's the power of play and it's a beautiful thing to see.