Playfulness in classroom language

1. 3/10/13
1
Play and Playfulness in the
Language Classroom
Helena Curtain, Ph. D.
FLESFEST 25th Anniversary
March 2, 2013
Play and Playfulness in the Language
Classroom
FLESFEST 2013
Helena Curtain, Ph. D. hcurtain@uwm.edu
helenacurtainswiki.wikispaces.com
Slides will be available at:
Enduring Understanding:
Play and
playfulness are at
the heart of human
experience.
Focus Question:
What are the elements
of play and how can
we incorporate them
into our language
teaching? Language
Culture Content

2. 3/10/13
2
Can Dos:
At the end of the Session I can:
1. Identify three benefits of
play for language learners.
2. Adapt one idea for my own
classroom.
“Simple can be harder than
complex: You have to work hard
to get your thinking clean to
make it simple. But it’s worth it
in the end because once you get
there, you can move mountains.”
Imagination is more
important than
knowledge.
Albert Einstein
Middle school kids don´t have a lot of
patience for dry, pointless activities
that are not connected to real world
tasks (actually, does anyone have this
sort of patience?)
Lori Langer de Ramirez
"What do most Nobel Laureates,
innovative entrepreneurs, artists
and performers, well-adjusted
children, happy couples and
families, and the most
successfully adapted mammals
have in common?

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“They play enthusiastically
throughout their lives."
~ Stuart Brown, Institute of Play
A survey of 250 undergraduate
students found that playfulness
was the usually the most
important thing people looked
for in a long-term partner
What do
Learners
Need?
Playfulness

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Men do not quit playing because they
grow old. They grow old because they
quit playing.
Oliver Wendell Holmes
The Mythic Layer (Fantasy)
(Ages 4/5 to 9/10 years)
The Romantic Layer (Heroes)
(Ages 8/9 to 14/15 years)
The Philosophic Layer (Meaning)
(Ages 14/15 to 19/20 years)
The Ironic Layer (No one scheme is true)
(Ages 19/20 through adult)
Kieran Egan
“Leave Nothing
Behind”
Kieran Egan
Benefits of Play for
Kids
Singer, Golinkoff & Hirsh-Paskek, 2005
Emotional
Developmental
Educational
Emotional benefits
Emotional
Developmental
Educational

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Developmental benefits:
Singer, Golinkoff & Hirsh-Paskek, 2005
Emotional
Developmental
Educational
Developmental benefits:
Cognitive development
Affective development
Social development
Physical development
Attentional development
Language Development! Emotional
Developmental
Educational
Singer, Golinkoff & Hirsh-Paskek, 2005
Educational benefits:
Emotional
Developmental
Educational
Educational benefits:
• Meaningful context
• Making learning fun and
enjoyable
• Encouraging experimenting and
risk-taking
• Collaborative learning
• Opportunities to
practice a skill
Emotional
Developmental
Educational
Benefits of Play for
Adults

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Play makes us
!!
Dichotomy between
Play and Work
Dichotomy between
Play and Work
Play and “Heart”

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When describing playfulness in
a study, Japanese and
American teachers related it
to “their hearts.”
Izumi-Taylor, Samuelsson and Rogers, 2010
Japanese and American teachers
used such words as “lighthearted,”
“mind,” and “spirit” to explain their
concepts of playfulness.
Izumi-Taylor, Samuelsson and Rogers, 2010
, “Playfulness means that I find
fun in doing something, and my
heart finds everything I do to
be enjoyable.”
Izumi-Taylor, Samuelsson and Rogers, 2010
“Playfulness means that my
heart enjoys what life offers,
and while playing, it is okay to
be mischievous.”
Izumi-Taylor, Samuelsson and Rogers, 2010
“Playfulness is pleasurable,
refreshes, and renews the
human spirit.”
Izumi-Taylor, Samuelsson and Rogers, 2010
Play and Vygotsky
(Scaffolding)

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Types of Play
Physical Play
Social Play
Pretend Play
(Dramatic/Fantasy)
Pretend Play
(Dramatic/Fantasy)
Pretend Play (Dramatic/Fantasy)

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Pretend Play (Dramatic/Fantasy) Pretend Play (Dramatic/Fantasy)
Flat Stanley!
Constructive Play Games with Rules
Learning
Play
!

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Learning
Play
Gouin (Action)
Series
Gouin (Action Series)Pretend
Play
(Dramatic/
Fantasy
Gouin Series
I take the fondue pot.
I plug it in.
I pour the chocolate.
I put in some cream.
I stir it.
I smell it.
I taste it.
I say: Yum, yum it's
good!
Making Fondue
Gouin Series
(Yukon-Koyukuk, Fairbanks, Alaska)
I catch the fish.
I scrape the fish.
I gut the fish.
I cut the fish.
I stretch the fish.
I hang the fish.
I wait. I wait. I wait.
I eat the fish.
I say anee.
Gouin Series
We Make Our Bed
• We are tired
• We open the closet doors.
• We take out the futon.
• We put the futon on the floor.
• We cover the futon with the sheets.
• We lay the pillow on top of the futon.
• We cover the futon with the quilt.
• We lie under the quilt.
• We sleep and dream.

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Gouin Series:
Pongo el CD.
Escucho la música.
Muevo las caderas a la
derecha.
Muevo las caderas a la
izquierda.
Doy una vuelta.
Digo: ¡Merengue!
Bailo Merengue
Learning
Play
Partner Small Group Work
One person does not know what the
other person knows. They must speak
to each other to find out. There is a
“gap” or missing information.
Jigsaw

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What’s in Your Sandwich Activity Partner A
Do you have
_____ in your
sandwich?
*****************************
Partner B
Do you have
_____ in your
sandwich?
Partner B
Yes/No
A
Yes/No
Where’s the
Teddy Bear?Where’s the Teddy Bear? Teddy Bear “Counters”
Partner A
Is your teddy
bear in the living
room?
*****************************
Partner B
Yes/No
A
Yes/No

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Botero
Finding Differences Activity
Van Gogh
Finding Differences: Mayan Corn Cultural Scene A

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Partner Group Work
Learning Play
Learning
Playfulness
Pattern Stories
¿Dónde vive
la llama?
Por: Señorita Griswold
¿Vive la llama en Wisconsin?
No, la ardilla vive en Wisconsin.

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¿Vive la llama en China? No. El oso panda vive en China.
¿Vive la llama en Antártida? No, los pingüinos viven en Antártida.
¿Vive la llama en Australia? ¡No, no, no! El canguro vive y
brinca en Australia.

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¿Vive la llama en la India? No, el elefante vive en la India.
¿Vive la llama en Zimbabwe? ¡No! La jirafa, el mono, el león y la
cebra viven en Zimbabwe.
Entonces…
¿DÓNDE VIVE LA LLAMA?
Vive en
Peru!

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Learning
Playfulness
The teacher is
is major
culture source.
Whose Culture?
Perspectives
Practices Products
The Culture Triangle Cultural Practices, Products,
Perspectives
Motorcycles

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Cultural Practices, Products, Perspectives Cultural Practices, Products, Perspectives
Cultural Practices, Products, Perspectives

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Learning
Playfulness
Cultural
Fantasy/
Virtual Trip
Airplane
Trip
Cultural
Fantasy
Airplane
Flight
Cultural
Fantasy/
Virtual Trip
Ocean
Exploration
We’re putting on
flippers diving
into the water!

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Cultural Fantasy/
Virtual Trip
Ocean Exploration
We are
walking on
the ocean
floor!
Cultural
Fantasy/
Virtual Trip
Ocean
Exploration
We see a
whale and a
seal!
Play and Playfulness in the
Language Classroom
Helena Curtain, Ph. D.
hcurtain@uwm.edu
Enduring Understanding:
Play and
playfulness are at
the heart of human
experience.
Focus Question:
What are the elements
of play and how can
we incorporate them
into our language
teaching? Language
Culture Content
Can Dos:
At the end of the Session I can:
1. Identify three benefits of
play for language learners.
2. Adapt one play idea for my
own classroom.

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What can participants do by
the the end of the session?
1. Identify three benefits of
play for language learners.
What can participants do by
the the end of the session?
2. Adapt one idea for my own
classroom.
Goal
Setting
Set a goal for yourself to
adapt at least one play
idea in your own
classroom!
Tell your partner what you will do !
One more thing...
Men do not quit playing because they
grow old. They grow old because they
quit playing.
Tell your partner!

22. 3/10/13
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helenacurtainswiki.wikispaces.com
Slides will be Available at:
helenacurtain@gmail.com
Helena’s Email: