After a couple of sessions focused on selecting our top dogs for the Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament, I've had a change of heart. First of all, it is a game entirely based on chance. If anyone thinks they have a strategy at winning, aren't they just ignoring the facts of the game? Kids compete with each other constantly in contests of speed, knowledge, and wit. Rock, paper, scissors is a game for everyone. Also due to the game's simplicity, I witnessed a beautiful thing among my students: They didn't need me. I was present, of course, but aside from my occasional comment or question, I was mainly enjoying their presence. They were the ones running the show. When establishing rules and procedures, they brought a couple of students from another homeroom to share what worked for them, demonstrating respect for each other and camaraderie. A couple of my kids organized the bracket on the board. Several kids decorated the margins with spirited doodles. Everyone participated. In rapid face-offs, everyone else huddled around with a level of engagement teachers only dream of capturing in their classrooms. We have two finalists and one equally happy alternate. There were no sore losers. It was just fun.
There's certainly much wisdom in Kohn's No Contest, but a rousing game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, was probably not high on his list of concerns.
Fun times in the classroom, who doesn't love that?
ReplyDelete