Playing with English

           This month at Little Mountain, we’re talking about play – how we play, when we play, why we play. Taking the time to let students play is a central part of my own philosophy as a teacher, and it is also one of the hardest concepts to defend. It’s difficult to measure the success of play, and yet after years of teaching I am convinced of its importance.

Whenever I plan a class, I ask myself two questions:

“Am I giving students enough time to play with what I’ve taught them?” and “Am I giving them proper feedback?”

It’s easy to forget how important it is to play in the classroom, especially in language classes. I could give my students endless worksheets about grammar and verb tenses and spelling, and I’ve certainly worked in educational environments where that is encouraged, but that can only go so far. Writing is an incredibly difficult skill, and it needs to be practiced in unpredictable and enjoyable environments. Worksheets can help students learn the irregularities in the English language, but the greatest growth I’ve seen in students is when they’re given a blank piece of paper and a silly question. “Would you want a pet dinosaur? Why?” “Finish this story: My class was going normally when suddenly my teacher turned into a frog, then…” “If I gave you 3000$ for the weekend, and you had to spend it, what would you buy?” The ideas they create are wonderful, but, more importantly, they have to constantly adapt their writing skills to new challenges. They have fun and they learn.

The flip side, of course, is that students need immediate feedback. Play for playing’s sake is of course important, but we get faster growth if the writing is looked at and talked about. When someone hands in a short paragraph, I read it quickly and highlight their strengths, as well as one area I’d like them to work on. It doesn’t take long for either party, but we do this over and over. Next time, the students remember the advice because they’ve already taken ownership of what they write.

When we give students the time to play with their writing by keeping them on their toes, they grow rapidly as writers. But of greatest importance is the fact that they’re having fun. When we give them worksheets, they may learn a grammar rule or two, but when we ask them silly questions, they may just learn to love writing.

 Don't forget to head to www.lmacademics.com to read more about play!