Other topics
About the Playground
Education is more about outcomes (what people actually do and
experience) than about learning outputs (what they could do).
Thus the most authentic appraisal of education takes place in 'unmanaged' situations such a the playground.
What is Happening?
Before we can begin to improve a situation we need to understand it. Copying some 'good practice' from somewhere else will only be successful if the significant factors in both places are the same. Without knowledge (of both situations) this remains largely a matter of luck.
Things to know
- Purposes? What should be happening in the situation, viz, what should it look like, sound like feel like?
- What is happening? Events, incidents, people's experiences: what does it really look like, feel like, sound like? Who Knows and who can tell? Collect data!
- Collate & analyse the data
- Identify issues and opportunities
On this basis it is now possible to
- Plan: (re)-design for an improved situation
- Do: develop the capacity for everyone concerned to achieve the purposes…
- Study: monitor progress
- Act: to achieve further improve or just maintain
Tools & tasks
- Record sheets
- Collate & Analyse
Various Levels
Individual, class, grade, school - Make the elements explicit
- Work from real experience
- Enable authentic learning by all concerned
- Contribute to improvement
- Benefit from improvement
Training: Participation requires training and agreement on purposes, methods...
- What these things means
- Making an overall assessment
- Sharing Responsibility
- Everyone contributing
Collecting data on quality in the playground
Develop frameworks, measures & categories
- Good day or bad day?
- Being Hurt
- Being Harassed
- Problem areas
Sample results
See the some sample results from Riverside Primary School
Redesigned Playground
- Problem prevention – not counter measures, easier then better
- Knowledge & Skills - Rules & agreements + capabilities
- Systems - Spaces, things, processes, equipment, monitoring, assistance, Safe School Committee playground development, participation……
- Culture - Purposes, activities, relating, agreements, cooperation ……
Curriculum
- Agreements
- Coaching, Program Achieve…
- Knowledge: harassment, inner experience…
- Skills: play, conflict resolution…
- Systems - making priorities, purposes & procedures explicit
See Also
Broken
Windows a comprehensive strategy to prevent problems