Play: Another Educational Hottie! |
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Play, one of the oldest ways to pass time, is among the newest topics in educational thought. It has become another HOT topic, especially in educational circles. But why do we spend so much time researching, evaluating, and disseminating information about a subject that comes to naturally to humans? Could it be that play, like the arts, has taken a back seat to “more productive” pursuits? In relegating play to the back burner of our lives and educational agendas, there has been a tremendous impact on children and adults. The experts tell us that the absence of play in the lives of children creates social, emotional, and physical deficits. The arts have suffered much the same fate as play, since neither directly provides the average person with food, clothing, or shelter. Play and the arts are not the sustainers of life, they ARE life. But play and the arts are connected in other ways. In fact, play is the tool used for creating the arts. Play is the internal vehicle for any artistic expression. It is what separates the artist’s production from the craftsman’s product. As play disappears from our home, education, and work settings, the arts become even more endangered in the 21st century. And who wants to live in a world void of the arts? So even though some may consider play just another hot topic for academics to discuss, it is critical to the creation of environments that allow children and adults to be contributing members of an appealing society. In this session we will take a serious look at this PLAY-FULL subject as we engage in physical, social, and intellectual play. Questions and issues that will be explored include: What is the value of play? How are the arts and play related? Why is play awareness even ore important in the 21st century? How does play fit with the other aspects of 21st century learning? How can play be incorporated into life? And what is the play message that most needs to be disseminated? |
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Dr. Jayne Griffin has served as the Director of Education at the Creative Discovery Museum in Chattanooga since 1997. Her classroom experience includes twenty years as a general education teacher in grades 3 through 8 in Walker County, Georgia schools. Her formal education includes a Bachelor’s degree from UTC in Elementary Education, a Masters degree from UTC in Educational Administration and Supervision, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from UTK. She has been married for 38 years and lives on a farm in Rising Fawn, Georgia where her favorite activity is driving the farm truck to the dump on Saturdays with her husband and black lab. She has one son, who teaches high school and coaches soccer at Southeast Whitfield High School in Whitfield County, Georgia and a daughter-in-law who is a kindergarten teacher at Fairyland School in Walker County. Jayne is also a playful grandmother with Hill, her perfect infant grandson. |
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Amy Barrett has served the Creative Discovery Museum for over three years in different positions within the education staff. Most recently she has held the position of being the Museum Experience Manager: Staff and Programs. Her classroom experience includes six years as a middle school teacher and five years as a lead teacher in Georgia schools. Her formal education includes a Bachelor’s degree in Family and Consumer Sciences from the University of Georgia and a Reading Endorsement through RESA for Georgia schools. She has also attended various national play conferences and serves as the play advocate for the Creative Discovery Museum. Amy has two beautiful children and a wonderful husband who is also a teacher. In her spare time, she likes to read, take walks in the outdoors, and teach ballroom dance lessons with her husband. |
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