“Play is a strategy for learning at any age.” – Mara Krechevsky, Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education.
It’s finally here! We’ve come to the end of 2021. Even though we may not be able to travel as easily as in the past, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t enjoy the end-of-year fun, holiday and festivities. In this issue, we focus on the theme of “Play to Learn” — an idea that might seem at odds at first. Playing is often unstructured, while learning tends to be methodical. Playing is associated with laughter and joy, while some may think of learning as drudgery. But here’s the truth: Play is central to how people learn. It provides a way for people to make friends, test ideas, make sense of the world, while nudging us all to be creative and curious.
Assistant Professor Azilawati Jamaludin, in her Essay, sees game-based learning as a way to incorporate the power of play into learning. As people experience digital fatigue through hours of home-based and online learning, gamification offers an innovative approach for engaging and motivating learners. Also exploring the idea of gameplay is Assistant Professor Geraldine Kwek, who encourages her students to apply theoretical knowledge and to become pioneers of a community of learners who not only receive but contribute to knowledge creation.
These examples demonstrate the power of play in learning through processes like choice, wonderment and discovery, whether intentionally or otherwise. In Excursion, we meet three PGDE (Secondary) students who sought to recreate the euphoric experience of accidentally learning something as part of Character and Citizenship Education. They developed a board game called ‘School Wars’ to create the environment and space for learning about values in life.
Indeed, teaching, at its core, is about creating an environment for students to learn. The recipients of this year’s Outstanding Youth in Education Award (OYEA) epitomise this ideal by sharing how they leverage the playing of games to develop fun and differentiated learning experiences.
As we take stock of 2021, let’s stay playful as we keep our learning flame ablaze for a better 2022. I’d like to end with these lyrics from the National Day Parade (NDP) song “The Road Ahead” which have been particularly uplifting in these trying times:
When the moments turn to hours
And the day's last light is gone
Look around us always and remember
There were times we were uncertain
But we just kept walking on
It's always darkest just before the dawn
See this island, every grain of sand
Hear this anthem, it's the voices of our friends
Come whatever on the road ahead
We did it before, and we'll do it again
Have a restful holiday and find time to play and learn!
