Jason Driskill
Jason Driskill
“Learning Through Play”
Jason Driskill
Who am I?
Jason Driskill
Most of my teaching experience has
centered around teaching art.
Jason Driskill
I have had the pleasure of working
with students of all ages.
Jason Driskill
Children never fail to surprise me.
“We make learning fun!”
“We make learning fun!”
(of course we say this)
“We make learning fun!”
(of course we say this)
But is learning fun, really?
Play
Play
Play is an integral part of a child’s
learning process.
Play
Play affects all areas of growth
including, but not limited to, social
skills, communication development,
cognition, problem solving and
reasoning skills, and imaginative
thinking.
My objective today:
Talk about the importance of play.
Consider some different methods of using
play in the classroom.
Introduce you to games, songs, and nursery
rhymes that can help you in the classroom
Characteristics of Play
There is no universal definition of play.
There are certain agreed-on characteristics of play:
Positive affect
Active engagement
Intrinsic motivation
Freedom from external rules
Attention to process rather than product
Nonliterality
Characteristics of Play
Positive affect:
it must be enjoyable experience
Characteristics of Play
Active engagement:
A child is fully involved without
distraction
Characteristics of Play
Intrinsic motivation:
Children love to play - it is something
they do even without encouragement
Characteristics of Play
Freedom from external rules
The children determine their own
structure of rules to follow as they
play, rather than being told what or
how to do something.
Characteristics of Play
Freedom from external rules:
Please note this does not mean the
absence of all rules. The children
develop and agree on the rules that
guide them through their play.
Characteristics of Play
Process over Product
The activity is more important than
the goal. The goals can change, or
be repeated, or disregarded.
Characteristics of Play
Non-literality
The activities are not literal versions
of themselves.
(pretending to hunt a bear is not
actually hunting a real bear)
Relationships between children and with adults are
central to learning and teaching through play.
Two-way interactions and the exchange of ideas and
thinking between children and adults in play contexts
influence children’s continued motivation, sustained
interest in the experience and what they learn.
A child’s intense interest in watching some snails when
he is playing in the garden can be sustained by an
adult sharing his interest and asking questions or
making comments as they observe the snails
together.
Using questions such as, ‘Where do you think the
snails are going?’; ‘How do the snails move?’; ‘Look
Oliver, can you see a trail where the snail has been?’
will help to keep Oliver interested and extend his
understandings about snails.
The Benefits of Play: Cognitive and
Creative Outcomes
Play is associated with the development of intellectual
skills and understandings. In play experiences children
integrate emotions, thinking and motivation that
establish neural connections critical to effective brain
functioning.
The Benefits of Play: Cognitive and
Creative Outcomes
When children play they use imagination and imitation
which requires complex cognitive or intellectual
processes.
The development of cognitive skills, including
dispositions for learning (such as curiosity and
persistence), memory and thinking skills, and language
and literacy skills, have strong links to play.
The Benefits of Play: Cognitive and
Creative Outcomes
Play is associated with the development of creative
skills. Play fosters creativity of thought, imagination,
strategies for problem solving and the development of
divergent thinking ability.
The Benefits of Play: Cognitive and
Creative Outcomes
‘Creativity seems to express itself through cognitive,
affective, and imaginative processes. These come
together and support the skills for predicting and
arriving at unexpected solutions’
(Malaguzzi, 1998, p. 76)
The Benefits of Play: Cognitive and
Creative Outcomes
Play is associated with the development of social and
emotional skills and understandings. Research shows
that play assists children in building social skills that
support positive relationships.
The Benefits of Play: Cognitive and
Creative Outcomes
Playing also helps to teach children how to regulate
their behaviour, and understand others’ feelings, as
well as promoting a sense of independence.
Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, Ph.D., is a professor of
education at the University of Delaware and the author
of numerous books, including Play = Learning and
Einstein Never Used Flash Cards. She argues that play
is the primary vehicle that children use to explore their
world, learn critical social skills, and grow emotionally.
What Can Teachers Do?
So how can teachers successfully integrate play into
his or her classroom? “By embedding math, science,
and language skills in a fun, meaningful context,” says
Golinkoff. “Learning has to be enjoyable,” she says. “If
a child grows to dislike school, there will be
repercussions for years to come.”
What Can Teachers Do?
Teachers can facilitate play in all children by asking
questions, using new vocabulary, and encouraging
social cooperation with peers.
Drawbacks of Play
Drawbacks of Play
(and my arguments against them)
Play can provide opportunities to ignore or transgress
the normal rules of behavior. At times, some children
will play by spinning around and making themselves
dizzy. In play, one can disorient, or other-orient,
oneself. Obviously play can become disorderly and
chaotic.
Drawbacks of Play
(and my arguments against them)
The teacher must always be asking, “How can I use
this situation as a tool for learning?” Life and language
is chaotic and our goal is to make sense of it. Chaos in
the classroom can be used as a learning tool, as
students learn how to effectively bring order to
disorderly behavior.
Drawbacks of Play
(and my arguments against them)
When chaos erupts, students are communicating a
desired shift in the lesson. Perhaps they do not
understand, perhaps they need a break, perhaps they
have more energy to burn than is being used in the
current lesson.
Drawbacks of Play
(and my arguments against them)
Is there a more interactive way to impart this lesson?
Is there a game to play that will burn some energy? Do
one or more particularly disruptive students need some
special attention, and is there an activity that will
harness their energy into something productive?
Drawbacks of Play
(and my arguments against them)
In verbal play the rules of phonetics (sounds),
semantics (words), and syntax (sentence formation)
are sometimes reversed, ignored, modified (to form a
play language), or overgeneralized or otherwise
applied purposefully incorrectly.
Drawbacks of Play
(and my arguments against them)
Many songs and poems are old and feature nonsense
words. How does this help children who are learning
English as a second language? Even nonsense words
can be helpful at building pronunciation skills. “Hickory
Dickory Dock. The mouse ran up the clock. The clock
struck nine, oh what a time! Hickory Dickory Dock”
Drawbacks of Play
(and my arguments against them)
The phrase “Hickory Dickory Dock” serves no practical
expressive purpose. It is important for Chinese
students to understand that it is nonsense. However, it
still serves a practical purpose for establishing better
pronunciation skills – specifically for “H” sound and
“ERR” sounds, and the rhyming aspect that plays out
through the rest of the poem is helpful with
pronunciation as well.
Drawbacks of Play
(and my arguments against them)
In “The Hokey Pokey” the title of the song is complete
nonsense but provides the structured framework for
students to learn body parts, left and right, front and
back, and practice the phonetic sounds of all the lyrics.
These terms are easier to commit to memory because
they are accompanied by a song as well as motions.
Types of Play
Types of Play
Sensory Play
Types of Play
Sensory Play
Creative
Types of Play
Sensory Play
Creative
Songs & Poems
Types of Play
Sensory Play
Creative
Songs & Poems
Performance
Types of Play
Sensory Play
Creative
Songs & Poems
Performance
Games
How Does Sensory Play Affect
Language Learning?
How Does Sensory Play Affect
Language Learning?
QuickTime™ and a
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How Does Sensory Play Affect
Language Learning?
We know that young children are oriented toward
sensory experiences. From birth, children have learned
about the world by touching, tasting, smelling, seeing,
and hearing. Sensory play also contributes in crucial
ways to brain development. Think of it as “food for the
brain.” Stimulating the senses sends signals to
children’s brains that help to strengthen neural
pathways important for all types of learning. For
example, as children explore sensory materials, they
develop their sense of touch, which lays the foundation
How Does Sensory Play Affect
Language Learning?
We know that young children are oriented toward
sensory experiences. From birth, children have learned
about the world by touching, tasting, smelling, seeing,
and hearing.
How Does Sensory Play Affect
Language Learning?
Sensory play also contributes in crucial ways to brain
development. Think of it as “food for the brain.”
Stimulating the senses sends signals to children’s
brains that help to strengthen neural pathways
important for all types of learning.
How Does Sensory Play Affect
Language Learning?
For example, as children explore sensory materials,
they develop their sense of touch. The materials
children work with at the sand and water table have
many sensory attributes — they may be warm or cool,
wet or dry, rough or smooth, hard or soft, textured or
slimy. Discovering and differentiating these
characteristics is a first step in classification, or sorting
— an important part of preschoolers’ science learning
and discovery.
How Does Sensory Play Affect
Language Learning?
As children play together at the sand and water table,
they converse with one another about what they’re
doing, talk about topics that interest them, and engage
in pretend talk. They describe materials and processes
(e.g., “The shaving cream is fluffy”; “I’m mixing mud”),
and learn new words from others (“I’m going to mold
my sand castle”)
How Does Sensory Play Affect
Language Learning?
Support children by conversing with them about what
they are doing. Describe what you are doing, and look
for opportunities to introduce new vocabulary about
how things feel (slippery, crumbly, pebbly) and move
(ooze, zigzag, trickle). Add materials to the table such
as small alphabet beads or letter tiles from old Scrabble
games to hide under the sand, which may spur
additional language and literacy experiences
How Does Sensory Play Affect
Language Learning?
Through their choice of materials
and actions during sensory play, children have
opportunities to communicate both verbally and
nonverbally.
How Does Sensory Play Affect
Language Learning?
Choose materials that appeal to all senses: Thinking
about children’s tactile experiences are perhaps the
most important, but it is also useful to consider the way
sensory materials look and smell, and the noises
materials make when used together.
How Does Sensory Play Affect
Language Learning?
Provide different types of sensory materials in bins or
trays in addition to the material in your sand and water
table. Children have different sensory preferences, and
providing choices allows them more options and variety
in sensory and tactile experiences.
How Does Creativity Affect
Language Learning?
(Painting, drawing, sculpting, story-telling, dancing,
etc.. Activities in which a student creates something
using a craft)
How Does Creativity Affect
Language Learning?
Creative tasks allow students to interpret ideas in a way
that gives them ownership over concepts they have
learned.
How Does Creativity Affect
Language Learning?
For instance, drawing a picture from “Goldilocks and
the Three Bears” allows them to pick an aspect of the
story that they understood well (confidence) and
focuses on terms they choose.
How Do Songs & Poems Affect
Language Learning?
Repeating a simple phrase or sentence, and changing
only aspects of it, can give a sense of confidence,
security, and control to the language-learning speaker.
How Do Songs & Poems Affect
Language Learning?
Because songs are structured around rhythmic patterns
they can embed themselves into memory easier than
individual words or sentences. Children are more likely
to repeat songs by themselves outside of class, which
is practice.
How Do Songs & Poems Affect
Language Learning?
In children’s songs and dances, there is often a
statement and response, or a question and response.
These interactive routines present possible options for
thought, expression, behavior, work-roles, and
relationships in the community
How Does Performance Affect
Language Learning?
Performance is a very strong and valuable stimulant for
learning. When one knows one is going to be involved
in a public presentation, one often practices and
memorizes with special effort, and the results can last
long after the public performance itself.
How Does Performance Affect
Language Learning?
Language itself is performance.
How Does Performance Affect
Language Learning?
Performance helps define our understanding of
ourselves. Being able to perform language expands a
students understanding not only of language, but also
how he/she can use the language as an extension of
his/her own self.
How Does Performance Affect
Language Learning?
Performance often relies on audience, because our
understanding of self comes is more clearly defined on
how we think we are perceived (by audience). Even
speaking with just one person that person becomes an
audience.
How Does Performance Affect
Language Learning?
Putting students at the front of the classroom can help
reinforce their ability to use language skills with more
confidence when they are aware that they have an
audience. Of course some children are much more
shy about standing in front of their peers – for these
students perhaps speaking in smaller groups might be
necessary.
How Does Performance Affect
Language Learning?
Performance pairs language skills with physical
actions, which reinforces the understanding of what is
being communicated. For instance, having the children
perform the shape of a circle, they are working together
as a group to establish what a circle is, and they can
repeat the phrase with their peers so they can be more
aware of the proper pronunciation.
How Do Games Affect
Language Learning?
How Do Games Affect
Language Learning?
•Games have rules. Language has rules.
How Do Games Affect
Language Learning?
•Games have rules. Language has rules.
•Games have strategy. Language has strategy.
How Do Games Affect
Language Learning?
•Games have rules. Language has rules.
•Games have strategy. Language has strategy.
•Games are creative. Language is creative.
'Games encourage, entertain, teach, and promote
fluency. If not for any of these reasons, they should be
used just because they help students see beauty in a
foreign language and not just problems that at times
seem overwhelming.'
How Do Games Affect
Language Learning?
•Games have rules. Language has rules.
•Games have strategy. Language has strategy.
•Games are creative. Language is creative.
'Games encourage, entertain, teach, and promote
fluency. If not for any of these reasons, they should be
used just because they help students see beauty in a
foreign language and not just problems that at times
seem overwhelming.'
(Break)
Now that we have discussed the theory and methods of
play, we can take a short break. Afterwards, I will
introduce you to some games, songs, and nursery
rhymes that are very popular among American schools.
Games
Games
Games
Games
One Fish, Two Fish,
Red Fish, Blue Fish
One Fish, Two Fish,
Red Fish, Blue Fish
One fish
Two fish
Red fish
Blue fish.
One Fish, Two Fish,
Red Fish, Blue Fish
Black fish
Blue fish
Old fish
New fish.
One Fish, Two Fish,
Red Fish, Blue Fish
This one has a little star.
This one has a little car.
Say! What a lot
Of fish there are.
One Fish, Two Fish,
Red Fish, Blue Fish
Yes. Some are red. And some are blue.
Some are old. And some are new.
Some are sad.
And some are glad.
And some are very, very bad.
One Fish, Two Fish,
Red Fish, Blue Fish
Why are they
Sad and glad and bad?
I do not know.
Go ask your dad.
One Fish, Two Fish,
Red Fish, Blue Fish
Some are thin.
And some are fat.
The fat one has
A yellow hat.
From there to here, from here to there,
Funny things
Are everywhere.
One Fish, Two Fish,
Red Fish, Blue Fish
Here are some
Who like to run.
They run for fun
In the hot, hot sun.
One Fish, Two Fish,
Red Fish, Blue Fish
Oh me! Oh my!
Oh me! Oh my!
What a lot
Of funny things go by.
One Fish, Two Fish,
Red Fish, Blue Fish
Some have two feet
And some have four.
Some have six feet
And some have more.
One Fish, Two Fish,
Red Fish, Blue Fish
Where do they come from? I can’t say.
But I bet they have come a long, long way.
We see them come.
We see them go.
Some are fast.
And some are slow.
One Fish, Two Fish,
Red Fish, Blue Fish
Some are high
And some are low.
Not one of them
Is like another.
Don’t ask us why.
Go ask your mother.
Three Little Kittens
Three little kittens they lost their mittens,
And they began to cry,
Oh, mother dear, we sadly fear
Our mittens we have lost.
What! lost your mittens, you naughty kittens!
Then you shall have no pie.
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.
No, you shall have no pie.
Three Little Kittens
The three little kittens they found their mittens,
And they began to cry,
Oh, mother dear, see here, see here,
Our mittens we have found!
Put on your mittens, you silly kittens,
And you shall have some pie.
Purr-r, purr-r, purr-r,
Oh, let us have some pie.
Three Little Kittens
The three little kittens put on their mittens,
And soon ate up the pie;
Oh, mother dear, we greatly fear
Our mittens we have soiled.
What! soiled your mittens, you naughty kittens!
Then they began to sigh,
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.
Then they began to sigh.
Three Little Kittens
The three little kittens they washed their mittens,
And hung them out to dry;
Oh! mother dear, do you not hear,
Our mittens we have washed!
What! washed your mittens, then you’re good kittens,
But I smell a rat close by.
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.
We smell a rat close by.
Jack Be Nimble
Jack be nimble
Jack be quick
Jack jumped over the candle stick.
Jack be nimble
Jack be spry
Jack jumped over the apple pie.
Jack be nimble
Jack jumped high,
Jack jumped up into the sky!
I’m A Little Teapot
I’m a little teapot,
Short and stout
This is my handle
This is my spout
When I get all steamed up
I will shout!
“Tip me over and pour me out!”
Three Blind Mice
Three Blind Mice
Three Blind Mice
See how they run!
See how they run!
They all ran after the farmer’s wife
She cut off their tails with a carving knife!
Did you ever see such a thing in your life?
as Three Blind Mice!
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Mary Had A Little Lamb
Little Lamb,
Little Lamb
Mary had a little lamb
It’s fleece was white as snow!
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Everywhere that Mary went
Mary went
Mary went
Everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go!
Mary Had a Little Lamb
It followed her to school one day!
School one day,
School one day!
It followed her to school one day,
Which was against the rule!
Mary Had a Little Lamb
It made the children laugh and play!
Laugh and play,
Laugh and play!
It made the children laugh and play
To see a lamb at school!
Mary Had a Little Lamb
And so the teacher turned him out,
Turned him out
Turned him out!
And so the teacher turned him out
And sent him straight away!
Here’s the Church
Here’s the church,
Here’s the steeple
Open the doors
and see all the people!
The Itsy-Bitsy* Spider
The itsy-bitsy spider
Crawled up the water spout
Down came the rain
And washed the spider out
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
And the itsy-bitsy spider
Crawled up the spout again.
*itsy-bitsy is an informal way to say “very very small”
If You’re Happy and You Know It
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands
If you're happy and you know it,
then your face will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.
If You’re Happy and You Know It
If you're happy and you know it, stomp your feet
If you're happy and you know it, stomp your feet
If you're happy and you know it,
then your face will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it, stomp your feet.
If You’re Happy and You Know It
If you're happy and you know it, shout "Hurray!"
If you're happy and you know it, shout "Hurray!"
If you're happy and you know it,
then your face will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it, shout "Hurray!"
If You’re Happy and You Know It
If you're happy and you know it, do all three
If you're happy and you know it, do all three
If you're happy and you know it,
then your face will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it, do all three.
Head Shoulders Knees and Toes
Head, shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes.
Head, shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes.
Eyes and ears and mouth and nose.
Head, shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes.
The Hokey-Pokey
You put your right foot in,
You put your right foot out;
You put your right foot in,
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey-Pokey,
And you turn yourself around.
That's what it's all about!
The Hokey-Pokey
You put your left foot in,
You put your left foot out;
You put your left foot in,
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey-Pokey,
And you turn yourself around.
That's what it's all about!
The Hokey-Pokey
You put your right hand in,
You put your right hand out;
You put your right hand in,
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey-Pokey,
And you turn yourself around.
That's what it's all about!
The Hokey-Pokey
You put your left hand in,
You put your left hand out;
You put your left hand in,
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey-Pokey,
And you turn yourself around.
That's what it's all about!
The Hokey-Pokey
You put your nose in,
You put your nose out;
You put your nose in,
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey-Pokey,
And you turn yourself around.
That's what it's all about!
The Hokey-Pokey
You put your backside in,
You put your backside out;
You put your backside in,
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey-Pokey,
And you turn yourself around.
That's what it's all about!
The Hokey-Pokey
You put your whole self in,
You put your whole self out;
You put your whole self in,
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey-Pokey,
And you turn yourself around.
That's what it's all about.
“If You’re Wearing…”
If you are wearing red, shake your head
If you are wearing red, shake your head
If you are wearing red, then you gotta shake your head
If you are wearing red, shake your head
If you are wearing blue, touch your shoe
If you are wearing blue, touch your shoe
If you are wearing blue, then please touch your shoe
If you are wearing blue, touch your shoe
“If You’re Wearing…”
If you are wearing yellow, shake like JellO
If you are wearing yellow, shake like JellO
If you are wearing yellow, shake your body like it’s JellO
If you are wearing yellow, shake like JellO
If you are wearing green, start to lean
If you are wearing green, start to lean
If you are wearing green, then you’re going to have to lean
If you are wearing green, start to lean
“If You’re Wearing…”
If you are wearing pink, give me a wink
If you are wearing pink, give me a wink
If you are wearing pink, then please give me a wink
If you are wearing pink, give me a wink
If you are wearing white, look to the right
If you are wearing white, look to the right
If you are wearing white, look to your left and to your right
If you are wearing white, look to your right
“If You’re Wearing…”
If you are wearing black, pat your back
If you are wearing black, pat your back
If you are wearing black, you may gently pat your back
If you are wearing black, pat your back
If you are wearing brown, turn around
If you are wearing brown, turn around
If you are wearing brown, then spin all the way around
If you are wearing brown, turn around
“If You’re Wearing…”
(Nothing rhymes with orange)
If there’s orange on your clothes, wiggle your nose
If there’s orange on your clothes, wiggle your nose
If there’s orange on your clothes,
you can wiggle and jiggle your nose
If there’s orange on your clothes, wiggle your nose
Simon Says
“Simon” gives orders that are only to be followed when
he or she first says “Simon says…”
Students who follow the commands that do not begin
with “Simon says…” must sit down.
The last person standing becomes the next round’s
“Simon.”
This is helpful to identify body parts, actions and
practice listening skills.
Duck Duck Goose
Duck Duck Goose
(you can substitute other words for duck and goose)
This places each child in the coveted position of being
“it” making them look forward to speaking a word.
Learning the proper pronunciation before each round is
reinforced by the repetition “duck duck duck” and the
anticipation of being able to wield “goose” as a
dramatic surprise. Students who are not speaking the
word hear the word over and over again
Find the Object
“Find the object” can also be used for teaching anything
that needs chanting (e.g. counting numbers in different
languages). One person leaves the room and the other
pupils hide an object. As the person comes back in the
pupils start chanting louder as the person gets nearer
and quieter as the person is further away until the
object is found. When the object is found, another pupil
gets to go out.
Point to the Parts
All the children should be facing you and "copying"
what you are doing. Using your pointing finger, you tap
or point to the nose and say it in the target language
three times, then you tap or point to another part of the
face. (the nose, nose, nose, the mouth).
Point to the Parts
You repeat this and point to another part of the face.
But sometime later, you say the word for a part of the
face while pointing to another part. (the nose, nose,
nose, the eyes)
…but instead of pointing to eyes, you are pointing to
your ears!
Spinning Numbers
Spinning Numbers
(for learning numbers)
Have the children sit in a circle and place a spinner with
numbers on it in the center.
Start the game by spinning and naming the number the
spinner points to. Students pass a ball around the circle
counting up to that number. The person who ends up
with the ball initiates the next spin.