I created my Book Creator book #How2Part_e as a response to helping my own young children actively engage in video calls with children of a similar age. It then morphed into my go to games night activities for adults of a similar age to me! The result is over 30 games that actively engage all participants on the video call but they also develop some key skills. There is an opportunity to learn through play.
"Children play
to practice skills, try
out possibilities, revise
hypotheses and discover
new challenges, leading to
deeper learning." (UNICEF, 2018)
The power of learning through play is known by many parents, caregivers and early years practitioners. The research and the evidence in the field supports the deeper learning that happens when skills are learnt through play. Looking at the current landscape of education, who wouldn't want to include a bit more play in their education?
I am very active on Twitter (@WhatTheTrigMath) and have been sharing my book on there. I have responded to requests to give students a break by teachers. Requests by educators for go to starter activities to get learners engaged. Requests by practitioners for reward activities for hard working learners. I am even now seeing the book shared by others who have found it online and it is being re posted across many platforms, not just Twitter. This is great to see. Yet there is an opportunity to use these games to develop key skills, 21st century skills through play.
The 4Cs are some of the key skills our students will need for the future. These 21st century skills have been researched and developed, some iterations have 6 but the 4 core always remain: communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking. Now that a significant amount of teaching is happening online these skills are coming more to the fore. Yet collaboration may have become more of a challenge in the traditional sense because of physical distance. Screen fatigue is now real and the novelty of schools being closed has almost certainly worn off. Are students active or passive in lessons? The longer they are passive the more disengaged with the content you may find them but how do you get them active?
I think join the band above sums up a great opportunity to develop creativity skills, not just in the making of the instruments but in creating original songs too!
Many of these ideas will need to be collaborated on. Most of the games require teamwork elements. This isn't without thought. My initial aim was to engage and maintain positive relationships for my own children with their peers. My natural solution to this was through teamwork and collaboration. What could be more fun than working together on inventing a new product out of paperclips? For learners of any age! The relationship bonds that learners may be missing or those feelings of isolation we all experience in this new lockdown world can be balanced and hopefully resolved by playing these games.
There is great power in giving students a voice. There is greater power in hearing learners find their own voice. In playing Never Ending Story learners will be working as a team in their breakout rooms devising a strategy through critical thinking. Developing their independence away from their teacher alongside their peers through collaboration and communication.
This game seems like a creative story telling game from the page and it is but the added element of each team continuing the story brings in strategic thinking. Let's say something about the moon and then the other team will say about a planet then we can say the names of them apart from one and then they will have to know all the planets! The creativity in the story, combined with the critical thinking of their words. They will have to actively listen when they return to the main call and be ready with their creative response. This all as individuals whilst playing as a team. Not wanting to let others down but feeling supported by the team discussion in the breakout room before.
These are just a few examples of how my games book bit.ly/How2Part_e can be used to develop the 21st Century 4C skills through play. There are many more in the book and as my #VIA20 Google Innovator continues more will be added, including any you may have to share?
