In A New Culture of Learning, Thomas and Brown make the case that we live in an "ever-changing, expanding world" (2011). They argue that just as children us play to deal with change, we ought to as well. I find this argument easy to embrace on many levels. It feels true, makes sense, and matches my own experiences. The difficulty is in defining and describing "play" in my own life.
I "play" when I play, that is when I spontaneously engage in activity without the need for a particular result or outcome. During this form of play I experience joy, community, and a feeling of wonder. I can't pin down how this play relates to embracing change outside of perhaps helping to foster a mindset that is positive and open to change.
I "play" when I engage in design thinking, which provides me with the tools and mindset to creatively explore solutions to problems (www.Edutopia.org, July 25, 2012).
I "play" when I'm gaming, using the architecture of gamification to motivate and inspire myself and others to accomplish task and solve problems. Jane McGonigal has written extensively on the power of games. I play her SuperBetter game which she designed to help herself recover from a traumatic brain injury. In her book Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World (2011), she states that all games have four traits: a goal, rules, a feedback system, and voluntary participation. Currently at work, many teachers are feeling frustrated by the rocky implementation of our ELA pilot which, by the way, contains exactly zero of these traits, yet we are all giddy about using a fitness tracker to earn points towards a gift card. Both are about embracing change, but the one involving play is much more enjoyable and likely to be successful.
McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken: Why games make us better and how they can change the world. New York: Penguin Press.
Thomas, D., & Brown, J. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. Lexington, Ky.: [CreateSpace?].
What Is Design Thinking? (n.d.). Retrieved September 27, 2015.
I "play" when I play, that is when I spontaneously engage in activity without the need for a particular result or outcome. During this form of play I experience joy, community, and a feeling of wonder. I can't pin down how this play relates to embracing change outside of perhaps helping to foster a mindset that is positive and open to change.
I "play" when I engage in design thinking, which provides me with the tools and mindset to creatively explore solutions to problems (www.Edutopia.org, July 25, 2012).
I "play" when I'm gaming, using the architecture of gamification to motivate and inspire myself and others to accomplish task and solve problems. Jane McGonigal has written extensively on the power of games. I play her SuperBetter game which she designed to help herself recover from a traumatic brain injury. In her book Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World (2011), she states that all games have four traits: a goal, rules, a feedback system, and voluntary participation. Currently at work, many teachers are feeling frustrated by the rocky implementation of our ELA pilot which, by the way, contains exactly zero of these traits, yet we are all giddy about using a fitness tracker to earn points towards a gift card. Both are about embracing change, but the one involving play is much more enjoyable and likely to be successful.
McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken: Why games make us better and how they can change the world. New York: Penguin Press.
Thomas, D., & Brown, J. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. Lexington, Ky.: [CreateSpace?].
What Is Design Thinking? (n.d.). Retrieved September 27, 2015.