A big thanks goes out this week to Michelle Ridlen, for always posting such insightful material and connections on the MU Grad House Facebook page. As a result, I came across a fantastic article entitled "When Checking out is Checking In" which speaks directly to this week's topic of facilitating engagement with materials and process. It's written by David Rufo, a fourth grade classroom teacher who noticed that when some of his more easily distracted students got off task and were not attending to assigned work, "disengaged" was not exactly the adjective he would use to describe them. In fact, he found that these students were often VERY engaged in a variety of creative processes that yielded significant discoveries and inspiring results.
(if the above link isn't working, try this http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/david-rufo)
One of my many ponderings on this week's topic had to do with how we make time for and facilitate play and experimentation without creating chaos in the classroom. I'm a little disappointed that in all of my field experiences so far, (all of them in the elementary setting) I haven't seen much emphasis placed on creating opportunities for play. I think it must feel like a big risk for many teachers, particularly from a classroom management standpoint, to allow students the freedom to explore, but I do believe this exploration can take place in an orderly, productive, and even elegant manner if planned correctly. For example, a few weeks ago a group of 5th graders in my field classroom were experiencing a lesson on making paper. When the students came in, the paper pulp that they would use was already mixed and added to tubs of water, ready for the students to take their turn pulling a sheet. They had a choice of three different colors and they came to the station in groups of two or three, dipping their screen into their chosen tub and lifting out a sheet. This was the extent of their involvement with the material. In the beginning of the lesson, the teacher did pass around a wide variety of handmade papers containing everything from wire to string to fish scales...different weights, colors, textures, etc. But why couldn't the students make some decisions about what their paper would be like for themselves? I would have liked to see tubs of different types of materials that the students could choose to incorporate; leaves, fibers, bits of rubbish, different scraps recyclable paper such as newsprint, construction paper, whatever you can think of. Perhaps students could work together in table groups to choose from these materials and design their own paper, thinking about what different materials might represent metaphorically, how they will interact together, and what kind of overall tactile and visual aesthetic they want their paper to have. The teacher could still then take it upon his/herself to prepare the student selected materials ahead of time so that the paper would be ready to pull next class. Students could then pull multiple sheets of a paper THEY had designed. Each table would have a unique product, and students could trade around in order to have a variety of papers to work with in creating the next step of the project (perhaps a print or collage). The students I saw were fascinated with the tactile sensation of the pulp. They clamored to dig their hands in, but most were refused. Several were eager to go home and try it for themselves and even espoused creative ideas about how to alter the process as they lined up to leave. Why not have that discussion right there in the classroom? Limited time, of course, is the most frequently cited obstacle, but I ping Mary Franco by saying, meaningful work takes time. Perhaps students don't need to make a finished product EVERY class period. Taking the time to engage in orchestrated play presents even more opportunities to cover those curriculum goals and academic standards in an organic and meaningful way, rather than just jamming them into prescribed activities.
In summary, perhaps my naivety and inexperience is showing, but I believe we can embrace creative exploration and play in our curriculum and if we attune ourselves properly to our students, we can capitalize on teachable moments, even when students seem to be "checked out".
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