Once again it struck me as I read Chapters 2 & 3 the importance
of play – this free exploration time in which we're creative, curious, and operating with a sense of freedom! Petroski reminds us (page 11) “And though many of us forget how
much we once know about the principles and practices of engineering, the
nursery rhymes and fairy tales of our youth preserve the evidence that we did
know quite a bit.” In addition to play
helping us build knowledge, I also was reminded the role play affords in developing
what we might call engineering practices and experiencing informally elements
of the engineering design process.
Petroski got me thinking about they way I played – building
snow forts with networks of tunnels in the winter, constructing elaborate sand
castles with moats and drawbridges, making buildings out of cardboard boxes and
laying them out into elaborate cities for my brother and I to visit via
roadways traveled by our bikes, using scrap wood fastened together with left over
nails and screws to build furniture for dolls and stuffed animals – and the
list goes on. I also thought about the
way my own kids, now high schoolers, played when they were younger and wondered
how their experiences in play shape what they understand and influence the way
they problem solve.
Undoubtedly the way kids “play” will continue to change – what
thoughts do you have about the changing nature of play as
related to developing understandings in engineering?
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ReplyDeleteBlock City
ReplyDeleteby Robert Louis Stevenson
What are you able to build with your blocks?
Castles and palaces, temples and docks.
Rain may keep raining, and others go roam,
But I can be happy and building at home.
Let the sofa be mountains, the carpet be sea,
There I’ll establish a city for me:
A kirk and a mill and a palace beside,
And a harbour as well where my vessels may ride.
Great is the palace with pillar and wall,
A sort of a tower on the top of it all,
And steps coming down in an orderly way
To where my toy vessels lie safe in the bay.
This one is sailing and that one is moored:
Hark to the song of the sailors aboard!
And see, on the steps of my palace, the kings
Coming and going with presents and things!
Now I have done with it, down let it go!
All in a moment the town is laid low.
Block upon block lying scattered and free,
What is there left of my town by the sea?
Yet as I saw it, I see it again,
The kirk and the palace, the ships and the men,
And as long as I live and where’er I may be,
I’ll always remember my town by the sea.
Judy,
DeleteI had to smile when I saw your entry, Block City by Robert Lewis Stevenson. Years ago I copied this poem onto poster board and laminated,it was 8 or 9 feet by 4 feet. Eventually, it simply fell apart,and I didn't remake. The children would cover the classroom floor, working in groups to build their Block City, using among other items, pattern blocks. What a great learning experience for all.
Maybe I'll incorporate the activity based on the new standards, and revisit this year.Thanks for the memory,
Nice!
ReplyDeletePlay!!! My favorite subject. I teach Kindergarten and you should see what the kids do during "choice time". And I have found they learn in both free explore type play but also in a more structured play time. Put a child in a room with "stuff" like egg cartons, tubes, yarn, plastic tubs, tape, glue, paint, etc and you will be amazed at what they create. I had a little boy last year create a stand up raodside mailbox out of those materials. I watched him build, get frustrated, rip apart, frantically search the classroom for different materials, and use lots of my tape and staples. But he did it. It was so cool. It reminds me of the historical moon flight and movie Apollo 13 when they needed to build a new air exchanger, or something like that. They could only use what they had with them. They did it.
ReplyDeletePlay builds imagination. Isn't imagination the foundation for learning, especially engineering?
DeleteWhat would happen if we didn't allow our children that opportunity? Could they answer those questions we pose to them every day..."What would happen if...?"
One thing saddens me as we age or teach older students. We lose that play. We seem to think manipulatives and hands on materials aren't ok anymore. We may not allow that "free" time anymore. What do you think?
Linda,
DeleteI often think about the days when I taught Kindergarten and we allowed so much "choice/play time". Now as I teach second grade there is limited time for free exploration or play time because of the demands of our curriculum. Is that progress? Is that in the best interest of the child?
I have taught 4th & 5th grade for over 30 years and I know there is almost no time for play or free exploration now. Years ago there was always time in the schedule for kids to play in the puppet corner or with Legos or with varied art supplies. Now there is an enormous amount of pressure for kids to perform academically and virtually no free time. I hope including engineering will allow kids to play and experiment more without concerns about failure.
DeleteJudy,
DeleteI know for some children the perseverance would be a tough thing to overcome. The idea that it okay if it does not work the first time.
Yes, Kathy, I agree. We did some work with robotics and even when there was a set of directions to follow it was frustrating to the point of tears for some kids and others would just withdraw. Often they had to rebuild numerous times before they could get their robots to work. They had to figure out where their mistake was first. What was surprising was who had the patience for this type of work and who couldn't stand the repeated failure. The "A" students where often the ones who backed out or cried.
DeletePlay will definitely change as they get older but we still need that time to explore, try new things, have fun.
ReplyDeleteI would like to pose to my students more problems and see what they come up with. I would like to do this in more long term projects(for kindergarten students, long term is a relative term). This will allow them the opportunity to have time to attempt, change, try again, their ideas. It will also teach them that solving problems can be "hard" and that we need to keep trying to find a different solution.
I so enjoyed reading ch. 2. It reminds me of all the experiences children should have through their play to be builders and designers/engineers before they enter school. That leads me to think of how could I incorporate activities into my classroom to build upon that play theory. I would like to have more time for open ended projects over time.(Yes Linda) I would like to see them plan, design, try, perhaps fail, rebuild, try again, and change plans until success is reached. The trick is to find that time in a busy school day where each academic area must be covered. I know integrating is the way to do this. I am beginning to think of ways to make this happen.
ReplyDeleteI was looking through the resources and saw some awesome lessons and ideas for third grade and up. However I did not see any for the primary grades. Are there any resources available for K-2? Would love to see an example.
ReplyDeleteI was looking at the EiE materials (Engineering is Elementary). They look good, but expensive. The teacher's manual alone is $50 and that's just for one unit! The material boxes look overpriced.
DeleteI went on the NASA website and they had activities geared toward each grade level. Some are focus on a single discipline, however many are STEM.
ReplyDeleteLast year I had my middle school students analyze toys (and how they were powered) during a unit on energy. They later had to design and build their own renewable energy powered toy. There are also many plans on the internet for building very simple toys that might be appropriate for elementary students.
I think that NASA also has a lot of support materials for toys in space with videos of playing with toys in the space shuttle in low gravity situations. Could be a good extention
DeleteA bit ago we put together a list of resources for engineering. These are posted on the MMSA website (www.mmsa.org) under the Resources tab. I'm sure it's time to update the list - so if you find things to add, let us know but you might find this list helpful for starters! Also finding resources for you is one of the ways MMSA can support you through the SCITEC and TIES projects!
ReplyDeleteExcellent, Lynn.
ReplyDeleteAs you did, I also reflected on play. I played many of the games I see children playing now on the playground, but for longer time frames. We lived in a city, the neighborhood was our playground, and playing outside was an activity enjoyed until dusk, when called in by a parent.
ReplyDeleteWhen our children were young, we lived in a suburb, and our children would often play soccer games in our front yard, it being the flattest, ride big wheels in groups along the cul de sac, doing pop a wheelies, and investigate the woodlands out back, which is now, another development. Out of the three children, two daughters and a son, our son became an engineer.
Now we live in a rural area, and have frequent opportunities to observe our grandchildren at play.
The play continues to reflect the fun outdoor games of “old”, chase, hide and seek, creative organized type, and also includes a fair amount of tech type , DS, Leapster, Computer Sites.
The changing nature of play as related to developing understandings in engineering, I think depends on influences beyond the play. What kind of encouragement, positive reinforcement, constructive discussions occur with others, I think, influences awareness, reins in the seemingly random activities and provides for greater understanding of the patterns and applications around us.