Sunday, November 22, 2015

Proposal Paper

Proposal Paper- Play is Important for Children
    In the field of education, there are very great things occurring, but then again, there are some not so great things. There are things that need to be reinforced, and things that need to be changed. I believe that play is an important part of growth in the early stages of education and learning. I believe that play is something that should always be allowed and required in the classroom. The overall theme of my paper will be how and why play is so important for the growth of children. There are a lot of teachers and researchers that are advocating for the importance of play. Play in the classroom varies throughout schools and teachers, but it should not vary because it is very beneficial. Simply put, play is important.
    As I stated before, I believe that the use of play in schools is crucial for a student's development. In the past several decades, schools are beginning to get more and more focused on getting the children to pass tests, rather than their overall growth and learning development. This even goes for students at the ages of five and six. In my opinion, five and six year olds should not be stuck sitting in a desk all day long. Yes they do need to learn basic things and complete their schoolwork, but on top of that, these youngsters need to be able to learn through play. They will develop social skills and other crucial things necessary for their age. Due to the need to pass tests, many schools are cutting down play time, or even eliminating it completely. Several elementary schools do not even have recess anymore. It is important to keep recess and other times of play in schools, while continuing on the path of successful learning. Often, school officials think that students will have time for play once the school day is over. But that is incorrect, students are often plagued with homework, and have other extracurricular activities to complete, instead of simply having time to play freely. This semester, I remember learning about the Summerhill School. A.S. Niell discussed how play was always a part of a student's schooling, and if they wanted to play, then they should. In my opinion, schools do not need to see play in the same way as the Summerhill School, but the importance of play should be known.
My mom is currently a preschool teacher and I was discussing this topic with her, and she said that she tries to incorporate daily activities where students are playing and learning. I became interested in this topic through those discussions with my mother. As I began researching how play is beneficial to students, I became even more interested with the topic, and I found that I agreed with what I was reading. Play is important for children to learn and it should not be eliminated from the school day.
    For this paper, my question will focus on play. I want to know and show why play is so important, and how we can increase the amount of play in teaching and the school day. I think that learning about the importance of play, will allow me to know what my students need more of when I become a teacher. From my research thus far, I do believe that play is important, and it is not something that should be eliminated from the school system.

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