Running Head: PLAY IN EDUCATION 1

Signature Assignment
Childrens Play as a Cornerstone of Education
Kathleen Lucchesi
Fresno Pacific University
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A traditional educational system is built on the accepted value of literacy and

mathematical skill over any other subjects. In these educational systems, many with foundations

as old as the subjects they are teaching, students are frequently mislabeled as outside of the

acceptable curve. Children born with gifts and tendencies outside of the realm of traditional

academia, such as the arts, physical activity, and others, are largely misunderstood and labeled as

either failing or incapable. The introduction of various formats for education and increases in

physical activity are showing time and time again that students can be reached most effectively

through their preferred activities, bringing to light talents that would have otherwise gone

unnoticed. A stark contrast from the failing child they were once interpreted as, these students

are using their other pathways to learning to develop and hone the same skills that policy makers

are attempting to bolster by misguidedly cutting their programs from school funding. The future

is rife with an emotionally intelligent and well-rounded student population. The most pertinent

steps to achieving this reality are implementing classroom based physical activity into the school

day, accessing choice-based art education, and a climate of positive inclusivity. It will no longer

do for the students of tomorrow to be strapped to a desk memorizing flashcards. Rather, the

eventual inclusion in every classroom of these proven methods for success will birth a brighter,

more capable generation of professionals.

Often the conversation revolving around physical activity and education pits the two

concepts against one another. Many traditional educators believe that time spent playing or being

physical during the school day is wasted and detracts from the necessary focus on academia such

and math and literature. New studies are beginning to empirically show what the theorists of the

early 1900s have been implementing in their works even after death: that this fear is not only

completely unfounded, but frequently counter-productive to the goal of imparting knowledge to

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students effectively. Theorist and educator Jean Piaget was a pioneer and visionary in outlining

the direct and profound connection between a childs physical experiences and his ability to

develop intellectually. In Play at the Center of the Curriculum, the text says of Piaget,

In Piagets constructivist theory of development, the ability of the child to effectively

function in the world is entirely dependent on what the child can do The dynamics of

assimilation and accommodation is tied to the childs development of play, which goes

through a number of stages from functional play to symbolic play to games with rules

(Van Hoorn, Monighan Nourot, Scales & Rodriquez, p. 54, 2011).

Piaget believed that for a child to learn and internalize information, that the process must

not be completed passively. His theories that all knowledge must be experienced physically lead

to the development of incorporation of physical activity inside curriculum and as a basis for that

curriculum. In a post-Piaget educational system, separating play from education is not only

unnecessary, it is counterproductive.

Programs such as Take 10!, a classroom integrated physical activity regiment that

involves ten-minute physical activity breaks regularly throughout the day, are proving wildly

effective at improving classroom productivity levels. One studied demonstrated a significant

increase in on task classroom behavior and participation, adding,

Incorporating physical activity during the school day can help reduce students off-task

behavior; however, schools are not likely to lighten academic standards to allow teachers

to address physical activities in schools The TAKE 10! program represents a positive

intervention where teachers can integrate movement with academic learning during the

school day. Consequently, participating in classroom physical activity can help to

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promote positive on-task behavior among students throughout the school day (Goh,

Hannon, Webster, Podlog & Newton, 2016).

Not only is the research showing that children need physical activity in their daily lives to be

well, they also need it incorporated into their educational hours to promote learning and

development.

In an effective yet relatively anecdotal thesis, M.Ed. Samantha Varian outlines a study

she conducted with her own students contemplating the value of choice-based art education in

her classroom in an effort to create authentic art instead of recreations. Varian believes, as do

many of her contemporaries, that art is necessary to create an inclusive environment in a

classroom. Varian states, students with disabilities report a sense of exclusion in their

classrooms, [but] within the visual arts field, diversity is celebrated (Varian, p.13, 2016). The

study, consisting of 12 students all from various levels of educational prowess, varied from

students with a special needs diagnoses to those in the gifted program. Throughout the study, the

students were repeatedly offered different studios in the classroom where they could create art

that suited them and expressed their feelings. The rubric designed by the studys coordinator

beautifully outlined the progress from the first data analysis to the last, showing a vast

improvement across the board for all students involved, with very few discrepancies. In every

situation, with every student, the freedom to choose and create are inside their classroom not

only helped with their creativity and their confidence, but also their interpersonal skills and

attitude toward their fellow students.

Studies like Varians thoughtful, poignant work are the tip of the ice burg in the turning

tide of inclusion and child centered education. The classroom of the early 20th century is being

hastily replaced by educators and administrators that see not only the value of art, tolerance, and
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inclusion, but its absolute necessity. Theorists like Vygotsky, Piaget, Montessori and their

colleagues did not seek out contrary or arbitrary ways to reinvent the wheel in regards to

education. They saw a flawed system with incredible room for improvement and drew from their

expertise in psychology and medicine to craft systems sophisticated enough to educate a whole

brained child. The child of tomorrow, the brighter and more capable child that is heading into

the educational system at present, will be a child who knows few limits. Classrooms that

incorporate physical activity and natural play into their curriculums will foster the development

of socially and physically adept adults. These adults will have a well-rounded educational

background touching not only on literacy and mathematics, but also fine arts, and other more

creative subjects. These highly tolerant adults will hail from classrooms that taught the necessity

of inclusion and as such will see differently abled persons as entirely capable and worthy of

recognition. The future belongs to these children, and it is the singular goal of burgeoning

educators to help them take hold of it.

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References

Van Hoorn, J., Monighan Nourot, P., Scales, B. and Rodriquez Alward, K. (2011).

Play at the center of the curriculum (6th Ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ:

Pearson Education, Inc.

Goh, T. L., Hannon, J., Webster, C., Podlog, L., & Newton, M. (2016) Effects of a TAKE 10!

Classroom-Based Physical Activity Intervention on Third- to Fifth-Grade Children's On-

task Behavior. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 2016(13), 712-718.

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2015-0238

Varian, S. (2016). Choosing Creatively: Choice-based art education in an inclusive

classroom (Master's thesis). August. Retrieved from

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED567778.pdf