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What Keeps Alison Gopnik Up at Night?
The professor of psychology worries about children growing up poor (1:34)
Courtesy of: Big Think
Related:
Let the Children Play, It's Good for Them!
A leading researcher in the field of cognitive development says when children pretend, they’re not just being silly—they’re doing science
July 2012 |
By Alison Gopnik
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Comments (2)
I have had the privilege of more than three decades of building an understanding of the importance of play as meaningful work for early learners. Reading your article is a continued affirmation that we must take play as a serious foundation for formal instructional settings like kindergartens and other primary school settings. In my home province of Ontario we are encouraging educators of traditional strategies for school readiness to embrace play based learning. We are just beginning to support parents in their understanding of the value of play, this appears to be a particular challenge for a successful outcome. In my conversations with teacher colleagues and families there is an urgency in connecting the practical benefits to children's literacy and numeracy, play allows them to imagine and without imagination they cannot move forward as readers and they cannot visualize and make sense of numbers and the language of mathematics. More importantly, access to rich, meaningful play is an opportunity to spend the rest of ones life engaged with curiousity and wonder irregardless of the externals. Thank you Alison.
Posted by Cheryl White on July 25,2012 | 07:44 PM
Alison, thank you for writing the great article on the importance of letting children play! As a former elementary school teacher, preschool teacher, and Art instructor, I couldn't agree with you more. Sure, I had a set curriculum to follow as a second grade teacher, and all expectations and goals were met, but once that door was closed, we engaged in multiple ways of exploration, creative drama, play, and movement to music. Please keep addressing this issue, as more legislators, administrators, teachers, and parents need to hear this.
Posted by Suzanne Gene Courtney on July 20,2012 | 09:23 AM