Services
Creative Play and Scientific Inquiry: A Mandate to Make Learning Meaningful
By Anthony Cody
3/13/08This is the second part of a two-part entry. Click here to read part one.
In many of our schools, we have stopped giving our students real creative challenges because there is not enough time for anything open ended. Open-ended projects, by their very design, allow students to explore a wide variety of interests, concepts, and skills. That means we can't easily assess these projects with a multiple-choice test; therefore, schools suffer when they pursue them. Low-performing schools believe they must spend every available instructional minute focused on tasks that will raise standardized test scores.
So our kindergartners miss out on creative play. Our elementary school students lose opportunities to explore science by reading what interests them instead of the carefully selected readers we provide. Our middle school students spend their science-class time memorizing rather than investigating. And our high school students simply walk away because they no longer care what is on the test, having become disengaged years before.
At the same time, we expand the capacity at our prisons, already filled with people who lack self-control. We incarcerate more than 1 percent of the total population and more than 10 percent of young African American men. It may seem strange to make this juxtaposition, but I believe that the ability of our young children to play, explore, and satisfy their curiosity is far more than child's play: It is a matter of life and death.
I only hope the reexamination of the whole standardized-testing project that awaits us after the demise of the No Child Left Behind Act – and I do believe its days are numbered -- will yield some deeper questions about the nature of education. This shift does not mean we will ignore the ability to read. It means we seek to inspire students by having them read material they are interested in reading. It doesn't mean we do not teach math skills. It means we must be creative in developing a true interest for math in our students, so they develop their skills by solving real problems. It doesn't mean we make science easier. It means we challenge students to design and perform real experiments, rather than simply memorize facts.
For me, there are a couple of questions: How can we teach our students the most profound lesson of all -- to be responsible for their own knowledge? How can we teach them to have an awareness of and curiosity about the world around them? We need to evoke the scientist, the writer, the solver of mathematical conundrums, the historian, the musician, the dancer, and the athlete that resides within each student. Our students are waiting to be challenged by their own curiosity, by their own creativity, and by the thrill that comes from expressing their own unique humanity. My mission as a teacher is to get them to that point, not just to prepare them for a test.
Please share your thoughts.
Too Much Testing!?
Submitted by Stacy Nigro (not verified) on March 26, 2008 - 19:31.
Too Much Testing!?
I write an exclamation mark and a question mark in my title because I truly mean it as a statement and a question. Testing is obviously beneficial to figure out the levels of our students and to help us figure out what we have to do to make sure they are all on the right track. The problem is when is testing too much?
I am currently teaching second grade and it seems like every other day we are testing for something. Cramming in a section of the test whenever we have a spare minute. When testing becomes overwhelming for the teacher it makes me wonder how my students can handle it. I attempt to be as creative and hands on as much as possible but the truth is there is so little time. My goal is to produce life-long learners who will be productive citizens. It bothers me when it seems like administration and more so state are so worried about test scores that the "My Favorite Book" displays are simply wall hangings.
Teaching Lessons or Teaching the Test?
Submitted by Daydra (Greensboro, NC) (not verified) on March 25, 2008 - 20:33.
I too believe that students are spending most of their academic learning time being taught the test. Students spend so much time memorizing facts and details that they are not able to apply the material to real-world situations. They lack a very important skill--problem solving.
When I was in school I do not remember so much emphasis being placed on standardized tests. We did however learn a multitude of things in every subject--not just those being tested. The things we learned were used throughout the school year in many different situations helping us to retain the information.
I try to use similar methods in my teaching by relating concepts across subjects and using hands-on-activities. This is extremely helpful because I work with the special needs population who need ways to connect information in order to retrieve it later.
The hardest thing for my students to do is to take information they have learned and apply it to various situations and problems. If things are not word for word or number for number the same way they learned them, it looks foreign to them. I am sure this is not only a special education thing.
What do you all see among your student population?
Inquiry-based teaching
Submitted by jennifer (not verified) on March 25, 2008 - 17:03.
I have a good friend who works in a district very similiar to mine (very low-income, high risk students). He and his district have been conducting research on inquiry-based teaching and the effectiveness with high poverty students. From the limited population he is looking at it seems to be very important for their own movitavtion to learn. He teaches 4 middle school classes or periods of science. Two of the classes are hands on, inquiry-based. The other two classes are book dominant. In the past 2 years he has been conducting his research all 4 classes score about the same on his assessments. The class that is hands on, however, has many more students participating in everyday class work. He has also noticed a drop in discipline referrals in those classes. Many times his hands on class will get onto a topic unrelated to curriculum, but they get excited about it (i.e. a show on the national geographic channel). I think this type of motivation is essential to producing life long learners. That should be the goal of educator, not taking a test.
Classroom Experiences
Submitted by Rachel (not verified) on March 25, 2008 - 16:20.
Like Kimberly, I recently read how “experience shapes the brain” (Wolfe, 2003). This reminded me about a full-day kindergarten classroom that I am a guest teacher in frequently. This teacher has incorporated a free choice activity into her daily classroom schedule. It is amazing to see the mimicry and social/cognitive learning that takes place when students are playing in the house, art center, book den, computer center, etc. The students have the opportunity to choose what activity they participate in and, to some extent, the peers whom which they interact. From the house activity alone, I have seen the learning that takes place among the students. I have also seen the many things they have brought to the classroom from their observations outside of school.
Wolfe, P. (2003, Fall). Brain research and education: Fad or foundation? Retrieved March 17, 2008, from http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/forum/fall03/brain.html
Visual Arts - Allowing Creativity
Submitted by Luke A. (not verified) on March 24, 2008 - 18:28.
I teach in a rual, small school system in northwest Ohio. I have been teaching for six years. My job is interesting in the fact that I teach mostly k-6 visual art, but also have a jr. high and high school class.
I really liked the point you made about the growth of a child beginning at kindergarten and up through high school. I can see the effects of teaching to the test. I know what you mean by saying, "...our high school students simply walk away because they no longer care what is on the test, having become disengaged years before". I completely agree. I feel part of my job is to let the students be creative in their own ways. I do have guidelines, but these students do too much memorizing and preparing for a test that they do not have time to let their minds work in creative ways. Teaching art has been great in the fact that I allow them to do that. I do not think I would call it play time, but a time to let the students take part in the process of education. They all have so many creative ideas. Movement and expression is good for them throughout the day. School should be a place that elementary students enjoy and not dread. No matter the subject: Science, Math, Language, Art, etc., students need the chance to learn from their creative inquiries.
Real life experiences
Submitted by Danielle (not verified) on March 24, 2008 - 11:33.
Learning should be fun for students at any age. And I have tried to make lessons as enjoyable as possible regarless of the age group I have worked with. When I was in college I visited a school where they had built a mini town. The town had a bank, a pizza restaurant, store, and a couple other buildings. Each grade used this throughout the year to help learn real life exerpiences. Although I didn't get to see how well this worked I thought it was a great opportunity for students to understand the concept of money. The students were given a set amount at the beginning of the school year and there were ways to earn money and they were able to buy supplies at the school store, pizza for lunch, etc. The bank showed students how to deposit money to help save or for safe keeping. Each teacher kept track of the students money, however if a student was running low on money and wanted to buy something and didn't have enough they weren't allowed to buy anything until they earned money back. I think this form of play is very beneficial for children of any age. It helps teach responsibility as well as mathematical concepts.
After reading Kimberly's response about play and how "experience shapes the brain," this was the first thing I thought of. How this school was using real life experiences to help these students understand situations they would eventually encounter.
An experiment in the power of inquiry
Submitted by Kev Murray (not verified) on March 23, 2008 - 15:51.
Anthony, I have taught now for four years as a science educator. My experience is divided between urban and rural schools within the state of Colorado. Being a new teacher, inquiry based science instruction is an exciting approach for me to take when educating students. While I taught in Greeley, CO at a high school with a 50% hispanic/50 white populations I performed some action research.
Knowing that my school district was on watch by the state due to low standardized test scores I was careful at letting people into my "free for all" of a classroom but anxious to overcome the idea that inquiry based classrooms may lead yo lower standardized test scores.
During the first semester I taught 2 classes through student-initiated inquiry instruction and 2 classes (of the same subject) through a traditional style (lecture, demonstration and teacher-initiated experimentation). After teaching the same content in two very different ways there was not a significant difference in test scores of the 4 classes. Although no evidence in numerical data was found, convincing proof was discovered that the inquiry process increased students' ability to think creatively, solve problems, test solutions and respond to their findings.
They are supposed to play?
Submitted by Kimberly (not verified) on March 22, 2008 - 12:34.
As I started teaching Kindergarten in a new school district this year the other Kindergarten teacher and I sat down to discuss schedules. She mentioned that we needed to allow 45-60 minutes for playtime. Then she made it clear that playtime is in the classroom with their peers and is held daily in addition to their recess time. As I looked around my room at the kitchen center, blocks, art center, and dress-up clothes I marveled at the idea these tools would be used. Play time? To be honest it was a difficult idea to wrap my head around. How would I find the time.
Recently I read that “experience shapes the brain” and that learning is done through the connections that children make (Wolfe, 2003). While this particular article focused on how neuroscience can be utilized more effectively in teaching I felt that it can also be used to point out that play a way to make these connections. After some research I found that I wasn’t alone in my belief. Play has important role in cognition, language development, socialization, as well as emotional and physical development.
While there are times when I worry about covering everything I need to in Kindergarten and feel I could use that extra 40 minutes to teacher. Then I see how my students are learning to work together, to listen and believe that school can be fun. Now I join in the fun as well because after all who is a better model of play then their own teacher?
Resources
Frost, J. (1998, June 1). Neuroscience, Play, and Child Development. . (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED427845) Retrieved March 22, 2008, from ERIC database.
Wolfe, P. (2003, Fall). Brain-compatible learning: Fad or foundation? Retrieved May 24, 2007, from http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/forum/fall03/brain.html
Reprinted with permission. From the December 2006 issue of The School Administrator.
Schooling vs. learning
Submitted by jen (not verified) on March 21, 2008 - 13:41.
Anthony,
State mandates have put too much pressure on test scores. As a result, students are involved in more schooling than they are involved in acutal learning. State tests are making students spit back memorized information. Students are doing less actual learning. They are not able to solve problems and are not able to express themselves.
I feel that standarized tests take away from the learning experience and encourage less critical thinking.
Test scores
Submitted by Sue Fleming (not verified) on March 20, 2008 - 20:39.
Anthony,
In the district where I have worked for the past 11 years, our curriculum has changed dramatically. This has been because of a couple different reasons. The first was a change in our administration. We got a new Superintendent a few years ago who only cared about test scores, Then of course come NCLB. What is interesting is in my district; our old L.A. program did allow fun, and creativity. And our test score were about average. But the Superintendent didn't like average, he wanted above average, so we had to abandoned what we were doing and switch to a state approved program. We now have several schools with low-test scores. Maybe just memorizing facts is not enough.
I don't feel today's students are prepared to face the world. I feel like we are behind other countries, and high test scores are not to change that.
Post new comment