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Little classroom on the playground : increasing student academic achievement through integrating the playground into academics
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Carey, Lora Ann |
| Copyright Year | 2012 |
| Abstract | Academic learning has long been relegated to the realm of the classroom. However, academic learning need not be limited to the indoor environment but in spilling out into the playground makes learning more relevant and engaging for students. However, few teachers regularly use the outdoors as part of academic instruction. This raised the question, “what hinders teachers from using the playground?” To better understand the attitudes and perspectives teachers hold about the playground's role in education, surveys were distributed to pre-service and in-service teachers. Most teachers felt that the playground should be used for movement activities like recess and physical education. Teachers stated that they were not sure how to use the playground academically and time constraints hindered them from using the playground. In order to effectively use the playground for academics, the playground infrastructure and school administration needs to be supportive of integrating academics. To support integrating academics, the playgrounds at Fort Portico Elementary School received an asphalt makeover. In creating an effective playground learning environment, the teachers are more likely to see direct academic applications. Little Classroom on the Playground: Increasing Student Academic Achievement through Integrating the Playground into the Classroom It was a beautiful sunny day, the birds were singing, there was a slight breeze. No one in their right mind would want to be indoors on a day like this. Inside Mrs. K's kindergarten class, Julian kept glancing out the window while bouncing in his chair. Alexa seemed to be daydreaming. The whole class felt fidgety or inattentive. Mrs. K kept looking at the clock and hoping that the weather held until she got home so she could work in her garden. Outside the Little Classroom on the Playground 3 windows lay the wide open playground. No one was there. The tree in the corner beckoned invitingly. The track circle and sprinting lines were waiting for little running feet to use them. The playground, foursquare and circle areas were quiet. Mrs. K was reviewing how to write a lowercase letter a, while using it in some simple sight words. Mrs. K looked up from her instructions to check on the students' progress. As she wandered around the classroom checking on students work, she noticed some children on the playground. She wandered towards the window to check on these seemingly delinquent kindergarteners when she noticed that an entire class was out there. Is Ms. R giving her students extra recess time? she wondered. In between helping students, Mrs. K continued to glance out the window and realized that Ms. R was not giving her children extra playground time. Instead, Ms. R had ropes laid on the ground in the shape of the letter b. The children were walking along the rope letter in the same way that they would write it. When they were done with the letter b, Mrs R had a student who was paying attention draw a letter from a container. Then the students had to decide how many ropes they needed to use to make the letter by holding up their fingers. Mrs. K was interested but didn’t think that her students would be able to stay focused on the learning activity if they were outside. She refocused on her students and dismissed the idea. Julian got up to exchange his dull pencil for a sharp one and noticed the children on the playground. “Mrs. K, why is Ms. R’s class on the playground?” he asked. Mrs. K explained that Ms. R took her class out to the playground to practice their letters. “Can we do that?” Julian asked? Mrs. K thought about it and told Julian that, “Real learning happens in the classroom, besides our class is so wiggly I don’t think you all would be able to focus outside.” Julian accepted the answer and returned to his seat quietly. When the day was over, Mrs. K reflected on what she had told Julian about Ms. R’s class. Was that really true? Did real learning happen Little Classroom on the Playground 4 in the classroom? Ms. R’s class seemed to be learning. They also seemed pretty focused for kindergarteners. At least none of the kindergarteners seemed to be day dreaming. Mrs. K decided she should at least ask Ms. R about what she was doing. Who knows, maybe there is some benefit to learning outside? How is this an opportunity? Children spend most of their academic lives sitting in classrooms. Teachers, like Mrs. K, spend a fair amount of their careers in classrooms. Yet, often just beyond the doors to school there is a neglected classroom, the playground. The playground is relegated to the realm of physical education (P.E.) and recess. However, playgrounds have large amounts of space. Sometimes, playgrounds have painted designs on the ground like the 50 states, number lines, grids, or shapes. This outdoor classroom has valuable resources that are underutilized by teachers. While Ms. R used the playground, most teachers keep their academic teaching confined to the classroom. This gives rise to questions, like what keeps teachers from using the playground as an extension of their classroom? What can be done to encourage teachers to use the playground as part of their teaching? And, what benefit is there for using the playground as part of the classroom? Let's get teachers thinking bigger! Common assumptions regarding education are important to identify as they color perceptions. Children receive an education at school. Academic learning happens inside a classroom. This was Ms. K's assumption about learning. After all, most people have gone to school and most of them sat in a classroom. Playgrounds are for recess and P.E. These assumptions were echoed in the preliminary survey results. In some cases, teachers held these assumptions or knew that the parents or school administration held them. Part of this project will include addressing these assumptions. Little Classroom on the Playground 5 Along with assumptions, identifying common definitions is crucial for a mutual understanding of the research. In this context, playground shall be defined as a space in which children may play during recess. It may also be used for P.E. It may contain grass, asphalt, sand, climbing structure(s), etc. A classroom consists of a room or space where traditional instruction takes place. This room traditionally contains desks, books, chalkboard or whiteboard. Traditional or direct instruction involves the teacher disseminating information to his or her pupils. The outdoor classroom is a place outside where instruction or academic activities take place. Academic pertains to the core subjects of math, English language arts, and state mandated subject specific grade content. Hindrances to using the playground for academics Playgrounds are a ubiquitous part of school, yet most teachers do not use them aside from P.E. or recess. Before attempting to encourage teachers to use the playground as part of their academic teaching, identifying the obstacles for teachers will inform any potential action. The major hindrances to using the playground are instructional hours, concepts regarding formal education, and standards based learning. Instructional hours. Teachers must make the most of their instructional hours (Allington, 2002; California Department of Education, 2006; Reyes, 2012; California School Board Association, 2007). Instructional hours dictate how teachers spend classroom time. School districts decide to implement the state recommendations (California Department of Education, 2007). Each grade has a required number of instructional minutes per subject area. The state recommends 40-50 minutes of math instruction 1st-6 grades (California Department of Education, 2007). For 4th -8 grades the recommended time for English language arts instruction is at 2 hours (California Department of Education, 2007). More instructional hours Little Classroom on the Playground 6 may be recommended due to the students’ performance on placement tests (California Department of Education, 2007). If the district is in program improvement status, more time will be required for English language arts. Good teachers maximize their instructional hours by engaging the students in doing real work not busy work (Allington, 2002). While incorporating the playground into academics is not a misuse of instructional time, it does involve leaving the classroom. Thus, teachers have to get students dismissed, lined up to go out to the playground, and give instructions on the playground, none of which counts for instructional time. A report by the California School Boards Association (2007) recommends maximizing instructional time by minimizing transitions and keeping students on task. A major concern of Principal R.S. Reyes was that the project would impact the instructional time of the teachers (Reyes, September 27, 2012). He suggested that might be easier to work with a kindergarten class as that grade level has the least amount of instructional minutes within the day. The kindergarten teachers would be more receptive to trying something new because of that flexibility. Formal education takes place in the classroom. The idea that formal education takes place in the classroom with a trained teacher is a common belief and assumption; as schools traditionally have teachers who impart knowledge to students inside a classroom (Callahan, 1964; Farnham-Diggory, 1990; Tokuhama-Espinosa, 2011). However, much of the internal structure of schools and classrooms are based on a systems approach which was developed in response to the United States’ need for workers (Callahan, 1962). The systems approach involves scheduling of time, classes rotating, and bells. The staggering of recess and lunch, and the division of the school day, all stem from the systems approach to education (FarnhamDiggory, 1990). This approach was based on the factory model of education. Teachers teach inside the classroom, and when the bell rings, the children go out to play. At |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1289&context=caps_thes |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
