While many educators in higher education believe play is a method that is only used for primary education, University of Colorado Denver counseling researcher Lisa Forbes argues that play is important in post-secondary education to improve student learning outcomes.
Throughout the spring 2020 semester, Forbes observed students who signed up for three of her courses between the ages of 23-43. To introduce the playful method, Forbes included games and play, not always tied to the content of that day's lesson, at the start of each class. She then provided many opportunities for role-play to practice negotiation skills, and designed competitions within class activities.
During the study, students mentioned they saw more opportunities for growth while learning in a highly interactive environment. Students also described that the hands-on nature of learning through play established a means for skill acquisition, and they were able to remember the content more effectively.
“As we grow older, we're conditioned to believe that play is childish and a waste of time,” said Forbes. “This social script about play leads to it being excluded from higher education. A more interactive learning approach leads to a deeper and more rigorous (严谨的) connection to the material.”
To maintain what Forbes described as “rigor” within higher education, the most common approach tends to be lecture-based learning. However, according to Forbes, this mode of education is quite the opposite to the very outcomes educators set out to achieve.
The results of the study suggest there is a unique and powerful classroom experience when play is valued and used in the learning process. According to Forbes, students who participated in this study also indicated that play increased positive emotions and connections with other students and the professor in the course.
Forbes suggests educators re-evaluate their understanding of using play in graduate courses. The playful method creates an interactive and warm learning environment, resulting in greater understanding of the material.
【小题1】What's the purpose of Forbes' observation?| A．To analyze play's broad role in human life. |
| B．To explore college students' skill acquisition. |
| C．To prove play's importance in secondary education. |
| D．To assess play's impact on higher education learning. |
| A．It's the “same old song” that keeps play out. |
| B．Universities tend to “follow suit” and embrace play. |
| C．Educators “strike while the iron is hot” to introduce play. |
| D．Higher education “swims against the tide” by rejecting play. |
| A．It fails to meet its intended goals. |
| B．It's effective when applied rigorously. |
| C．It conflicts with her definition of “rigor”. |
| D．It's a top recommendation for most courses. |
| A．Prioritize its use in class. |
| B．Reflect on its role in teaching. |
| C．Compare it with other methods. |
| D．Recommend it to their colleagues. |
