By Shannon Berghoff, Jackson R-2
Indoor recess can be so enlightening. I found myself deep in thought one day as I watched my students interact and began to notice some major gaps in their abilities to … play. They seemed to either be easily distracted by something, frustrated by a small setback with the materials or aggressive in their communication with peers. When did our learning needs shift to teaching children how to play?
As teachers well know, these life skills are not explicitly outlined in our state standards. However, they are exceedingly necessary to teach, model and learn. Students often have difficulty communicating their ideas in positive, productive ways and need more development in critical thinking. So, how can we address this need?
How about with cups and rubber bands? Balloons and tape? Marshmallows and igloos? The possibilities are endless. Every Wednesday, my class has a secret pocket of time that lasts about 30 minutes. This time does not have an outlined expectation: it is designated as a morning meeting or whatever the class needs that day. This time became a guided experience known as Wonder Wednesday.
Students work in groups, with partners or by themselves to complete a task, which could be as simple as building an igloo using mini marshmallows, or as complicated as creating a vision board using images and words to show goals for the future. This is unique because students have a clear goal with loose expectations.
For example, the first Wonder Wednesday exercise involved groups of four or five students, each with six cups and one rubber band with strings attached to it. Students were challenged to stack the cups into a pyramid using only the strings on the rubber band. This activity created a situation where students had to communicate clearly and work together to think creatively and critically. After the set amount of time (and checking in with each group), we gathered together to discuss what was difficult, what went well and what we would change if we did it again. This processing piece was crucial for growth in student understanding.
On another Wonder Wednesday, students were given balloons and tape with the goal to create the tallest freestanding tower. No replacement tape or balloons were given as the teams worked together to inflate and stack the balloons. They had to think through their plan before attaching tape, or a disaster would occur! Our debrief of this activity revolved around communication skills, feeling left out and the need to speak up during a disagreement. I loved the discussion!
Through Wonder Wednesdays, I began to see a change in my students. It allowed for controlled failure so students could fail in a safe place and then process that failure. Because I can model support in this process, my students have learned to give support to one another in their endeavors and offer strategies for improvement. Through these guided experiences, students have grown empathy and are able to use it to communicate with each other. The students don’t quit as easily anymore - they try to find a solution through productive struggle and have become more self-aware while communicating their needs.
So, find your secret pocket of time. Research team building activities and choose one that excites you. If you’re excited, your students will latch onto that excitement too. Take the time and teach your students how to play.
*Special acknowledgement to my 4th grade team who partnered with me in 2018-2019 to make Wonder Wednesdays possible: Loree Akers, Audrey Gendron and Cambree Pfau.