Creativity Is Contagious...

Let's Bring Playtime Back To The Classroom

Remember in kindergarten when you got to build or create something? You would bring home your creation, and your parents would be so proud of you and put it on the fridge. The satisfaction and sense of accomplishment it conveyed.

But where did this creativity and hands-on learning disappear?

Do schools kill creativity?

Check out this eye-opening TedTalk for an intriguing perspective.

As you progressed throughout your formative years, the transition to memorization and teacher-centered learning occurred, and education has not been the same. After reading Kindergarten Play, I realized that the learning experiences in kindergarten were practical (Resnick, 2018). They taught one how to think critically and be creative with 21st-century skills. So, how do we change the model?

Only one strategy comes to my mind to do this, the design thinking process (Plattner, n.d.). The five-phase model helps one ask a question to go through the steps to find a solution. If that solution isn't working, we improve. The cycle is continuously evolving to enhance the final product. We can always make something better.

Design Thinking Process

In the classroom, this intertwines with lesson planning and the use of TPACK. With student-centered learning at the forefront, the framework for TPACK brings the content, the teaching pedagogy, and the technologies used into one lesson (Mishra and Koehler, 2009). The overlap parts are also the key to the puzzle that holds it together.

My TPACK visual for my maker project

Within my Maker Project, I used this framework to explain my thought process for bringing student-centered learning back to play. My students would be able to play using the Squishy Circuit to form a hands-on model with working light and sound circuits. This experience was more meaningful because students would be designing their models and be able to take something insightful away from them.

Learning is about the experience and what you take away from them. So, let's bring back the play and enjoy the learning adventure hands-on.

Resources

Mishra, P. & Koehler, M. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record. 108(6), 1017-1054.

Plattner, H. (n.d.). An Introduction to Design Thinking Process Guide. Institute Design at Stanford. https://web.stanford.edu/~mshanks/MichaelShanks/files/509554.pdf

Resnick, M. (2018). Lifelong Kindergarten. Cultures of Creativity. https://web.media.mit.edu/~mres/papers/CulturesCreativityEssay.pdf

Terrar, D. (2018). What is Design Thinking?. Agile Thinking. http://www.theagileelephant.com/what-is-design-thinking/

Thoughtful Learning. (2022). What are 21st century skills? https://k12.thoughtfullearning.com/FAQ/what-are-21st-century-skills

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