A review of "The Best Schools" will be coming soon and posted on the Book Review section of my Portfolio. In the meantime, I can't help but point out some quotes relative to my post on April 28, 2007.
- "This process of play may be the single most important thing that humans do." On mixing imagination with contents of the real world (e.g. block play). (Chapter 3, p. 74)
- "It may be that virtually every significant contribution to culture originally stemmed from a playful act that had its seeds in childhood." (Chapter 3, p.75)
- "...soccer games or other competitive sports events that take place on a regular basis in every community [are not play]. Play is an open-ended experience initiated by children that involves pretense, rough-and-tumble activity, or the spontaneous use of real objects for creative activity." (Chapter 3, p. 75)
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Thursday, June 7, 2007
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Have Children Forgotten How to Play
With a bucket full of plastic chain links and a few minutes to spare, as a child I can recall putting as many of those links together for the sole purpose of seeing how long of a chain I could make. It was fun!
Children today, when presented with a bucket of links, often have to be taught how to play. Is is our job as educators to teach them play when we are already accountable for the academics. What does this say about the world... our world? Where are we going that we have forgotten how to play? Are we so saturated with electronic and instant gratification that we no longer find value in basic entertainment? Or is it that we are rushed so quickly out of our developmental comfort zones as such a young age that we miss that point where we teach ourselves to make our own fun?
Children today, when presented with a bucket of links, often have to be taught how to play. Is is our job as educators to teach them play when we are already accountable for the academics. What does this say about the world... our world? Where are we going that we have forgotten how to play? Are we so saturated with electronic and instant gratification that we no longer find value in basic entertainment? Or is it that we are rushed so quickly out of our developmental comfort zones as such a young age that we miss that point where we teach ourselves to make our own fun?
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Math Operations - There's Only One
In my exploration of the Base Ten System under the Building a System of Tens program, I have been developing a theory that there are not four Operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division). There is actually just one.
The relationship between these four processes (multiplication is repeated addition, etc.) is so strong that I purport that there is only "operation" with four strategies for operating. I intend to explore this further but would enjoy shared thoughts on the matter.
The relationship between these four processes (multiplication is repeated addition, etc.) is so strong that I purport that there is only "operation" with four strategies for operating. I intend to explore this further but would enjoy shared thoughts on the matter.
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