Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Super Summarizer 5: Play

Super Summarizer 5 on “Play”
p.185-215
By Deb Schnell
This part of the book is entitled “Play.” It focuses on three important ideas. They are games, humor, and joyfulness. The reading elaborates on each.
Games: This section spoke about video games and their benefits. In the U.S. video gaming is larger than the motion picture industry. People now spend more time and money on video games than on movie tickets. For a generation of people games have become a tool for solving problems as well as a vehicle for self-expression and self exploration.
James Paul Gee argues that games can be the ultimate learning machine. He states that “Learning isn’t about memorizing isolated facts. It’s about connecting and manipulating them.” One study found that playing video games at work can boost productivity and enhance job satisfaction. In the gaming industry there is more demand for artists, producers, storytellers, and designers.
Humor: The right hemisphere plays an important role in humor. When the right hemisphere is impaired, the brain has difficulty with humor. Shammi and Struss maintain that humor represents one of the highest forms of human intelligence. Fabio Sala in the Harvard Business Review writes, “It reduces hostility, deflects criticism, relieves tension, improves morale, and helps communicate difficult messages. It is a marker for high emotional intelligence.”
Joyfulness: Madan Kataria, a physician in Mumbai, India believes that laughter has many benefits. He started a laughter club that allows adults to be more playful. Laughter activates the right side of the brain. Kataria says the source of laughter is not outside the body, it’s within us. If you’re laughing, you cannot think. Laughter has aerobic benefits. It activates the cardiovascular system, increases the heart rate, and pumps blood to internal organs. Socially, people who laugh regularly are healthier and happier. They are more creative and productive.
Many businesses are finding laughter beneficial to employees. A quote that I found interesting was from the company, Southwest Airlines that claims, “People rarely succeed at anything unless they are having fun doing it.” Play is becoming an important part of work, business, and personal well-being. Its importance manifests itself in the three ways mentioned: games, humor, and joyfulness.
The reading is concluded with suggestions on ways to include “Play” in our lives.

5 comments:

  1. I loved this section! I need to 'play' at work. I went to the web site given for laughter clubs. There is a laughter club in Sioux Falls! I plan to go on my way to MN this summer. I ordered "Laughter Friends, a laughter yoga workout for kids" CD. I came yesterday. I can hardly wait to use it in my 4th grade classroom. In the November scholastic book order, there was a humorous poet, Kenn Nesbitt, featured. Download the free audio tracks at www.sourcebooks.com/extras/tighty-whitey-spider.html and laugh to track 2! Our building really needs to add joyfulness, humor, and games to our workday. I'm going with "Be the change you wish to see in the world," and sharing my joy, humor, and games in my class and with my staff.

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  2. I really liked this section. It drove home how important it is to incorporate play into what we are trying to teach. This makes sense to me then why we have games to reinforce student learning.

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  3. This chapter reminded me of a Kindergarten Academy I attended 5 years ago about the importance of play and how we can use play in our learning. So often it is overwhelming the amount of standards we need address. We keep cutting things in order to meet the required time for reading and math. This reminded me of the importance of including play in my day. I also fully believe laughter can reduce stress in the workplace. I agree with the quote on pg 198 from Fabio Sala "Humor reduces hostility, deflects citicism, relieves tension, imporves morale, and helps communicate difficult messages." Our atmosphere in our school impacts the the students. It is important we strive to have the most positive atmosphere to support learners.

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  4. This chapter reminded me of a Kindergarten Academy I attended 5 years ago about the importance of play and how we can use play in our learning. So often it is overwhelming the amount of standards we need address. We keep cutting things in order to meet the required time for reading and math. This reminded me of the importance of including play in my day. I also fully believe laughter can reduce stress in the workplace. I agree with the quote on pg 198 from Fabio Sala "Humor reduces hostility, deflects citicism, relieves tension, imporves morale, and helps communicate difficult messages." Our atmosphere in our school impacts the the students. It is important we strive to have the most positive atmosphere to support learners

    ReplyDelete
  5. Not sure how it happened that I posted twice and once with my maiden name - did even know I had a google account with that name. Hmmm sorry Now I can't seem to get back in with that name to delete the double entry. Sorry

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