Putting play in the process: Is play rigorous?
From: Stacey Salazar
As noted in recent reports like this one, many educators equate ‘rigor’ with pain, rigid thinking, harshness, and extra homework – a view that can cause curricula to become narrow and dull. In fact, understood this way, ‘rigor’ has little connection to the inquisitiveness, perseverance, and creative thinking needed for lifelong learning. However, I encountered an exciting definition for rigor in Maryland’s Howard County Public Schools, where I recently led a workshop for K-12 art educators.
A group of Howard County artist-educators use their bodies to create a visual metaphor for collaboration.
Using a slight adaptation of a definition published by Mindsteps (2012), Howard County says:
Rigor is a quality of instruction that requires each and every student to: construct meaning, impose structure on information, integrate individual skills into processes, operate within but be at the outer edge of current ability, and apply what is learned to more than one context and to unpredictable situations.
In reading this definition, it occurred to me that play is rigorous. Consider the following correspondences between play in the art classroom and Howard County’s definition of rigor:
Play provides openings for the players (students) to construct meaning through individual choice making.
Play affords opportunities for players (students) to integrate individual artmaking skills into processes.
Certain types of play, such as Pretend Play, encourage players (students) to work at the outer edge of their ability.
Since play experiences have no predetermined end, play might inspire players (students) to operate productively in unpredictable situations.
As your September Monthly Mentor, it has been my pleasure to share thoughts, strategies, and resources for putting play in the process. I hope these posts support you as you endeavor to structure opportunities for play in your art classroom – not only because play might be rigorous, but also because:
play is authentic to contemporary art making practices,
play is conducive to creativity and lifelong learning,
and play makes learning fun!