play - maths

Leslee recently shared the video below on her Number Agents facebook page.  I'm really interested in how Leslee teaches and admire her willingness to share her thoughts and philosophy.  Leslee is the principal of Kaurihohe School in Whangarei and teaches a junior class.  Her school uses Mantle of the Expert school wide - two of her teachers also attended Mantle Summer School paper I did this year.  I am interested in how she uses and values play in her junior classes.

Leslee Allen's Number Agents blog

notes from the TedX talk - The Decline of Play by Peter Gray
Play is self controlled and self directed - that's what gives it it's educative power.
Decline of play - 'schoolish' view of child development - that children learn best from adults. 
Spread of fear (by media, experts)- warning us of dangers if children not monitored. 
Worse world for children now - decline of play over last decades correlates with increase of depression, anxiety, suicide rate.  Decline in sense of young people having control of their own lives/internal locus of control.  These are effects we'd expect with loss of play (as in research with animals) 
Play provides - problem solving, experiencing joy, getting along with peers, empathy, creativity, innovation.
We can do something - recognise it's a problem.  Examine our priorities - what do we want for our kids.  Neighbourhood play.  Places for children to play.  (open up school for free play)  Supervised to keep safe but not intervened.  Bring play back.

I have noticed this term how important it is for the students we have in Room 1to play.  I set up equipment in the morning during 'maths' time (maths games and activities and open ended stuff such as blocks, play dough, boxes, 'making table' - cellotape, paper, stapler, glue etc., marble track etc.).

 I attempted to pull back on the 'play' side of things earlier on in the term and move to a more structured 'maths programme'.  I was feeling like I should be teaching more maths, or collecting more data maybe and questioning myself about whether I doing enough.  When I attempted to structure things more and pull back on the play, we had a pretty bad couple of sessions.

upon reflection and chat with Michelle I realised how much the students need this time to play.  I am teaching maths - I don't have fixed math groups and I am being responsive to the children's needs.  Susan (science PD) spoke with us recently and encouraged us to ask ourselves are we teaching to get through our planning, or are we putting the children's learning journey first?  So for example if Jason is unable to sit still and bouncing around the room - is there any point me trying to bring him to a maths group because that's on my timetable.  Or maybe I do need to bring him over and do some maths together or play a game with him for a few minutes because that might make all the difference to the next two hours.
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I am making notes on my planning re what maths knowledge and strategies the children are learning or need to learn.

Some next steps for me are to

• use Seesaw and other iPad apps to document and share learning
• to have more student learning displayed around the room
• to make time at the end of sessions to reflect on our learning and play and talk about what has been happening.  We have been having a few 'circle sessions' which have gone quite well.  Children have come up with good ideas and solutions that we've put into practise.
• consider how I can extend the play to incorporate maths concepts  - without controlling it or making it mine.  I'm following how Leslee is setting up her Mantle for her maths learning and had a go at with similar hook to what she had done (a letter from a zoo needing help designing an enclosure for a stick insect).  This resulted in some really creative ideas, collaboration and excellent language from the children.  Leslee class had received a letter re designing aquariums for specific sized fish - a great hook for measurement learning/play.  I need to have a play with some maths related 'hooks'.
• keep track of our time in class and commitments - twice now I've forgotten about Kiwican and had to pack up quickly to get there on time which makes for an unsettled Kiwican session.  This also means we didn't get milk and fruit done so that affects Alida's time in class.  I'll try a weekly visual timetable for me and students so we can help each other with this.  Get the kids involved with planning what we're doing too.  Maybe I'll just have the fruit freely available like it was in Room 6.
• reflect more regularly