The Current Investigation Supports the Value of Play: More Benefits to Play Than Drawbacks - Research Paper Example

 It is widely recognized that children, especially those in the elementary learning environment of early childhood, need play and recess. Children learn a lot of valuable lessons not just through academics and memorization, but also through interaction on the playground or play in the classroom. Regarding the issue of play as learning, or play as vital to early childhood education, some are against it, and others are for it. It is the basic assumption of this paper that there are more benefits to play than drawbacks, and therefore, backed by secondary research from reputable sources, the current investigation supports the value of play. “Learning is not simply a process of putting information into the child and then having the child put it out. The child must play with the new information to understand it. Children use toys and gestures symbolically in play as attempts to understand objects and experiences in their real world” (Wolfgang, 2003). Many agree that play is very important. Play encourages social awareness and cognition, and at the early elementary level, good teachers are able to encourage all aspects of growth and development in students. They use evenness and completeness to encourage in the students whom they are teaching. That is, they teach the students in the classroom to develop socially through sharing, playing and interacting, emotionally by learning to respect everyone equally in role playing and other exercises, physically by playing active games and getting exercise, and cognitively by learning key assessment requirements. Good teachers also follow a strong student-directed model that promotes development through play and the vital needs for taking a break and going to recess. This process of growth and development is framed by ideals in that it is the goal of the teacher to provide an atmosphere where everyone benefits through education and play is involved in the equation, where the students can learn socially and cognitively in an environment that encourages their curiosity and creativity. For education to really be a two-way street and for growth to occur successfully, the teacher must be secure and relaxed in their environment and be aware of the classroom as a place for social play and inquiry as well as academic learning- they must be able to have some fun and be able to equate education with having fun and making their own choices about including play in the classroom from a point of stimulation and motivation, not a point frustration. “Decades of research has documented that play has a crucial role in the optimal growth, learning, and development of children from infancy through adolescence. Yet, this need is being challenged, and so children's right to play must be defended by all adults, especially educators and parents” (Isenberg and Quinsbery, 2002). In many cases, it is a matter of play being used to help the student and the teacher derive more from the material, and in this regard, the main goal of the process is seen to be “empowering students in terms of self-direction, self-assessment, learner training, and self-access skills. Teachers thus have a very active role to play in learning, but this role is one of facilitator, counselor of autonomous learning, and visiting consultant in the language workshop” (Finch, 2003). It only makes sense to follow directions and comply with directives when doing so is useful, productive, and makes benefits. If someone wants their directives followed, they should try to make sure that the directives they are offering have actual value to the student, and the value of the student is often on fun. Many people are satisfied with their choice of teaching and educational work as a profession because it is philosophically amenable to them, and this philosophy, aside from guiding them on the correct career path, also reflects on their teaching methodology. But as a society, we must ask if this philosophy is really being rewarded as much as it optimally should be. It is a symbiotic and organic process of organization that stems from both the teacher’s effective leadership to achieve a state of not just professional respect and academic rigor, but also fun and risk-taking through games. “The young child needs many experiences of playing with symbols before he or she is ready to unlock the world of words (the letters C-A-T stand for the animal: cat), and this is required for success in beginning reading (Bruner, 1974; Garvey, 1977)” (Wolfgang, 2003). Games from this perspective are not just important; they are vital Students need to learn how to play in order to perform their social obligations as well. In some situations, there is a real lack of communication: everyone seems to be going in different directions without a lot of talking about what they are doing, and there are repeated tasks and a lot of redundancy. Other classes and teachers seek to make it all into a pressure situation and by the end of the class, these classes have a lot of members who are frustrated and burnt out about the process. The classes that seem to do best, in my observations during class, are the classes that are able to just casually talk to each other, have fun, play games, and take things somewhat light-heartedly, in order to make everything more informal and relaxed. This improves motivation levels. “Simulations, role-playing scenarios, and other forms of active learning are meant to enhance the learning process by providing alternate methods to convey knowledge to students” (Freeman, 2003). Motivation is a key factor for getting to the top of the situation of games in the classroom. Positive motivation is very important in quality assessment from the perspectives of class leaders and teacher members both: it may came up that the ideal leader as a dynamic and creative decision-maker is difficult to emulate, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from trying their best to spread their own gathered knowledge to the people who are learning from them and using what they have garnered to further the progress of the project at hand. “By understanding the benefits of play as a learning activity, principals can support teachers in their effort to maximize learning in classrooms serving children receiving special education services” (The value, 2001). Some key facets of a leader are calmness under pressure, relaxation, self-confidence, and the ability to make creative and dynamic decisions while still keeping an open mind to all possible solutions to a given problem. An open mind is definitely important, and leads to results that are often new and original. Research has shown that students in the classroom are more loyal when their leader or teacher communicates with them and treats them as a team with high expectations. If this teacher is an effective leader rather than a member or follower, student learning, game playing skills, social skills, and academic motivation is heightened exponentially. The best leaders in class have shown that effective leadership is based on teamwork and cooperation, and a willingness to explore play as a legitimate way of learning through having fun. “It is also through play with the senses of taste, smell, touch, sight, and hearing that feelings become coordinated and useful for testing and gathering information about the world. The sensorimotor play of preschool children helps them master both understanding of their bodies and the ability to control” (Wolfgang, 2003). REFERENCE Finch, A “Teachers—who needs them?” Academic Exchange Quarterly, Spring 2003. Freedman, L. “Simulation and role playing with LEGO(R) blocks.” Journal of Information Systems Education, Jul 2003. Isenberg, J, and N Quisenberry. “Play: Essential for all children” Childhood Education, Fall 2002. Wolfgang, C. “The value of play.” http://www.education.com/reference/article/play-emotional-intellectual-development/, created 2003. “The value of play interventions.” http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ806303&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ806303, created 2001. Read More