“Creativity is intelligence having fun.” A quote from Albert Einstein that I love. Fun and play are often referenced as activities of the carefree, frivolous and sometimes careless. Albert Einstein places it exactly where it needs to be. Front and centre in learning. In order to play, you are committing to action. To participate. To risk the unfamiliar. To hypothesize. To imagine possibilities. To adjust to the unexpected. To find humour. To enjoy. To appreciate. To communicate.
I was at a conference recently where the speaker was casting aspersions on blanket statements about the merits of play. He referenced that play needed to take a specific form in order to result in meaningful learning. I don’t disagree that play can be structured to meet specific learning outcomes. Teaching kindergarten was very much about structuring play activities to guide children to learn specific skills or develop background knowledge. Opportunities were designed to encourage children to ask questions and go about finding the answers. However this is looking at play from a narrow perspective.
A willingness to be playful is a habit that opens up the world. It presumes a stance in the world that is positive and open to wonder and to other people. One of the learning teams at my last school would meet on the balcony on Friday after school to drink a pop, debrief the week and chat about the upcoming weekend. There was always laughter, a litany of responsibilities and plans for play on the weekend with family and friends. There was a shared belief that those “play” opportunities were an important part of how we experience new things and open ourselves up to getting to know people and come back to school refreshed.
At times I bemoan the fact that middle school students stay late after school to congregate around their handheld devices. I regularly prompt them to go play outside. Yet, when I step back, they are collaborating on best strategies to use in the game or mediating turn taking. When my nephews explained their fascination with the world of Minecraft, I finally came to the realization that higher order thinking skills were at play. They were engrossed in the possibilities before them. They were not focussing on the academics preferred by educators but they were learning things that mattered to them.
Roy Lichtenstein – Girl with Ball – 1961
Assuming a playful stance is engaging in structured play activities and more. It reflects a belief that having sense of curiosity and engagement and wonder and appreciation of successes along the way allows us explore new pathways to learning. Show me someone who is playful and I’ll show you a learner. I’ll show you someone who is having fun!
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