Learning in Playful Environments

This is a recent article I wrote for Dunia , a magazine published by UWCSEA. You can find the digital version here. The version below is the original which was clipped slightly to fit into Dunia . It follows nicely from my reflections in my last post about the changing nature of teaching and learning in Middle Schools. Reading and Writing Workshop in the Middle School at East “Do you like the rhythm of this?” asks Ali, as he turns to his partner. “Yeah, but the mentor text is shorter, maybe you could cut out a few words.” The two boys look again at the lead they’ve been using as a model: There’s no dignity in poverty . They compare their writing to the mentor text discussing what they’ve been learning about meter and rhyme and the need for a catchy phrase to help anchor their audience’s attention. After a moment more of discussion, they return to the speeches they are writing as a part of their study of the Grade 6 Development Unit. This style of learning will be familiar to parents w...

The last two years have been the only two years in my teaching career when I haven't taught Grade 12 English or Literature alongside my Middle School classes. I miss the energy and momentum of this final year; it's hard work keeping up with the kids and making sure that I have given them the best chance to demonstrate their skills in the final exam, but it's very rewarding. What has surprised me about teaching only Middle School (G6, 7 and 8) at UWCSEA is how much harder it has been. At Grade 12 I had to think deeply about texts and how to connect students to the ideas but what I taught and what the students needed to be able to do was clearly defined - this part of the learning didn't require much thinking at all. At Middle School we have to think not just about the "what" of our teaching, but also the "how" and the "why". Over the last 15 years, Middle Schools around the world have been going through a curriculum revolution and it occurs ...