No one
way of playing is more important than any other.
No one way of playing is more important than any other
No one way of moving is more important than any other
No one way of learning is more important than any other
I think constantly we are being coerced into thinking about play, movement and learning in just one way, from one perspective - the one size fits all approach, uniform way of knowing.
The more I delved into the world of playing, learning, teaching and understanding the more I felt I was merely scratching at the surface of something beyond precise singular definition.
I am currently reading “are we human?: notes on the archaeology of design” by Beatriz Colomina and Mark Wigley that show that the evolution of humankind is not just how humans have explored and designed tools, machines, homes and infrastructure - but also how all of these designs have been designing our very humanness.
From a neuro-scientific point of view play is what the brain does to adapt to a complex world - our very actions and designs are changing the world - and therefore we need to adapt to these changes - the good, the bad and the unforeseen.
This means it is impossible to say that one way of moving, playing or learning is more important than another, especially when the world is not equitable and that for the most part this inequity is seldom taken into consideration especially when it comes to the education system.
So what do I think is important?
Autonomy and flow - there are many ways to achieve this in both play and learning. Autonomy is essential for wellbeing for humans of all ages. Flow is vital to experience as this is when we are truly motivated, absorbed by what we are doing and has maximum benefit for both participating individuals and the group as a whole. There is not one way to experience autonomy or flow.
Natural light - daylight is important for our physical and mental health, and good sleep hygiene. This can be done outdoors, and as well as designing indoor spaces with adequate windows. In countries with short daylight hours during the winter it is important to think about being outside primarily when there is daylight - for older children outdoor play in the mornings can be a great way for creating a healthy circadian rhythm. This is not about sunshine, but about daylight and more complex light. Artificial light does not have the same spectrum as natural light, and devices with screens emit blue light that can disturb sleep rhythms (circadian rhythm). It is about finding balance with your natural light diet. I am also a shade nerd - and over the decades noticed the shade complexity of trees and nature in contrast to human-made shade that tends to be more block like. This shadow complexity is also beneficial to brain development, sleep and healthy eye development. The same can apply to reflections - and right now I envisage the reflections of moving water.
There is not one way to experience natural light.
Relationships - creating opportunities for children to develop healthy relationships with other humans, peers, teachers, significant adults in their lives and others. But also to develop healthy relationships with nature and human-made landscapes, items and systems. There are many ways to interact in the world with humans and more than humans - and none are more important than another - we are dependent on other humans for care, friendship, support etc just as we are dependent on the environment for air, food, shelter and water etc. Healthy relationships are rooted in rights and responsibilities - if we do not take responsibility of the rights of others and only care about our own rights - then eventually we will have no rights. In a way rights are a reminder of our basic human ethics and values - and that it these rights that we must all constantly work for, through policies, through action, through teaching, through play, through knowing what they are and how to ensure they remain available to everyone. My rights should not come at the expense of someone else’s rights - we need to find reciprocal ways forward together… the is no one way that rights are experienced - and we must open ourselves to the whole truth.
Health - mental, physical, social health. There is not one way of being healthy, but what I do think is important is that children are accessing adequate for them nutrition so that they can not just survive but also thrive. That they are able to sleep well and enough in safe-to-them places. That they receive the care and love needed to feel both safe and brave, and are exposed to appropriate adventures and challenges that allow them to evolve physically, cognitively, socially and spiritually (the latter can be religious, but equally it can also be a person’s connection to nature and community) without feeling overwhelmed or inadequate. There is no one way to ensure the health of all children.
No one should be excluded from their rights. (health, care etc etc)
No one should be told that their play is behaviour and needs “correcting”. This said, if children are reacting to their environment in ways that is detrimental to the child themselves, or prevents others from being able to access their play - then we intervene to ensure the child can act and respond within play and not just react to the triggers around them; and also ensure there is adequate space and opportunity for others to access their play without being a negative trigger, or their play being cut short by the reaction of another. Often I find that we have one way solutions that exclude children who struggle decoding play, or with their self regulation, or with their language, or with trauma, or their disability or… because it’s not about creating spaces for autonomy and flow for everyone, but for everyone to experience “normative flow” - which a child might be able to mask and give the appearance of flow, but they are acting and not truly experiencing either autonomy or flow. This reminds me of when the doctor told me, when sharing the evaluation of one of my autistic children, that she would grow out of her autism because I was such a good parent… I retorted that she would always be autistic but that she would learn skills to mask it in public because that was the normative social requirement/expectation and that this would be at the expense of her out of school/work time when she would need to re-combobulate.
The doctor apologised. But even the “experts” are locked by one way of seeing things.
No one should be made to feel shame because they learn slower, learn differently, learn faster than what the curriculum allows or within the curriculum - and this is not just adults, this is also peers who shame their fellow class members if they are nerds, or cannot grasp concepts fast enough (but might grasp them better than others if given the time).
No one should be made to feel ashamed for normal mistake making in learning. It is in the mistakes that we often learn the most - and if there was more play, maybe there would be more permission for mistake making, testing, exploring, experimenting etc
No one should be forced into a position of permanent compliance.
No one should be prevented from experiencing flow.
The list could go on.
We need to consider what are the barriers for each child (and the group/class) that prevent learning, playing and movement? Because all three are natural an intrinsic to every human. And how do we remove those barriers so that children achieve learning and play autonomy and learning and play flow?
Below are two films where I share my nerdiness for light and shadow
