The Power of Play

In March of this year I posted a TED Talk by Peter Gray entitled The Decline of Play.  Then in July I posted this story about a school in Australia that "ditches the rules" for the playground and how it reduced bullying.

Today I saw an article in the Atlantic entitled The Joyful, Illiterate Kindergartners of Finland- Forget the Common Core, Finland's youngsters are in charge of determining what happens in the classroom, which I greatly enjoyed.  This is a lesson Americans certainly should take to heart.

The article on kindergarten in Finland contained links to some excellent articles and research reports which I would like to share with you.

Is Kindergarten the New First Grade? - a working paper by EdPolicy Works at the University of Virginia

The Power of Play - a Research Summary on Play and Learning_ by Dr. Rachel E. White for the Minnesto Children's Museum
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The Importance of Play, by Bruno Bettelheim

Also, please see this excellent video about the damage the CCSS are causing in early childhood and early elementary education.

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