The Serious Benefits of Fun in the Classroom

~-

Dan Rea, Kelly Price Millican, & Sandy White Watson

On the other hand, the lack of order and too much

fun, as with Ms. lacksidaisy's class, can also lead to a

reduction in learning and motivation (Good & Brophy,

1994; Rea, 1995, 1999). Chaotic floundering soon setS in

when studentS work on many different activities at dif-

ferent paces with very little teacher guidance. A class

that lacks struCtUre and organization jeopardizes learn-

ing and appropriate behavior (Rea, 1995, 1999).

The two contrasting classroom scenarios present

middle school teachers with a control dilemma (Rea,

1995,1997,1999, in press): How do we loosen up the

strict classroom without losing control, and how do we

add struCtUre to the out-of-control classroom without

losing student interest? The developing needs of mid-

dle level learners for more personal power, individual

freedom, peer acceptance, and active fun (Chance &

Bibens, 1990; Fanis, 1990) can threaten teachers' need

for classroom control. As a result, teachers like

Mr. Stiickland are reluctant to allow studentS to partid-

pate in fun group activities for fear of losing control. On

the other hand, teachers like Ms. lacksidaisy lose the

control and respect of the class in their eagerness to

please their studentS. In either case, the consequences

for learning and motivation are detrimental.

r. Strickland lectures every dayfrom his podium about an endlesslist of facts and definitions. His lec-tures vary little from the text, andhis daily routine of a long lecturefollowed by work sheets is very

predictable. The students sit silently in rows anxiouslyawaiting the change of class, a fire drill, or a spedalevent to disrupt their year-long sentence toMr. Strickland's class. "It is my way or no way," isMr. Strickland's dictum, and eyentuaIly students con-form or suffer the consequences.

Across the hall from Mr. Strickland's silent class isMs. Lac~idaisy's noisy class. She and her students canbe found sodaIizing everywhere in the classroom wherecourse materials are spread all over the place. She lac~organization, and students are fooling around with thelearning activities and each other. Most students lovebeing in Ms. Lac~idaisy's class because much of thetime they get to talk with their friends and do what theywant. The teacher appears unaware or unconcernedwith their off-task activities.

Control Dilemma

Motivation with Serious PlayWhen a class such as Mr. Strickland's is too strict,

students' spontaneous interest and curiosity suffer.

These teachers create a regimented classroom that stu-

dents soon find predictable and boring. External

forces-fear of teachers, fear of failing, and a desire for

good &'ades-d1ive students to please their teachersr-ather than a drive to learn for themselves (Stipek,

1998). Too much strictness and order lead to an overly

serious classroom where learning becomes drudgery(Good & Brophy, 1994; Rea, 1995, 1999). ~~

To resolve d1is control dilemma, we propose a bal-

ance between the two extremes. This balanced

approach combines the spontaneous fun of interesting

activities with the focus~d seriousness of meaningful

accomplishmentS. Such a balance is found in the

instructional methods of "serious fun" (Rea, 1993,

1995, 1997, 1999, in press) and "serious play" (Mann,

1996; Rathunde & Csikszentmihalyi, 1993; Wassermann,

Dan Rea is an associate professor of education at Geotgia Southern University, Statesooro.

Kelly Price Millican is a teacher at Statesboro High School, Statesboro, Geotgia.

Sandy White Watson is a teacher at Wayne County High Schoo4 Jesup, Geo1gia.

Middle School Tournai. March 2000 23

1992). Serious fun is "play with a purpose" (Rea, 1995,p. 22) and serious play is "fun but purposeful" (Mann,1996, p. 449). The tenns serious fun and serious playare synonymous in this article. Both represent a flexiblebalance of serious purpose and playful interest in learn-ing. On the fun side, teachers provide opportunities for

Many great inventors and Nobel Prize winners

followed the path of serious play.

meets one of middle school stud~nts' basic needs and

provides opportunities for greater learning satisfactionand success (Chance & Bibens, 1990; Farris, 1990).

Wassennann (1992) summarized the various ways

that play promotes learning. "Play is generative"; what

comes out of play is new and unseen; it does not con-

fonn to any set standards. It allows risk taking, and

those risks foster new ideas, inventions, and processes.

"Play builds autonomy"; stUdents have ownership in

what they 'are doing, and they enjoy a sense of control

and choice. "Play gives the hands something to do. And

when the hands are active, me mind engages" (p. 132).

Intellectual benefits such as generative thinking, risk

taking, autonomy, and mental engagement are essentialto the development of young adolescent minds.

Furthennore, Mann (1996) contended that playfulcuriosity results in cognitive dissonance, which is a very

"powerful condition for learning' (p. 453). According toMann (1996), play promotes early reading ability,

advanced writing and IangWge skills, social compe-

tence, and divergent thinking (pp.. 466-467).

Fun is not merely for fun's sake, but for serious

intellectual benefits. Fun in the classroom refers to a

playful willingness to creatively e.xplore, experiment,

question, and discover. According to Carroll and

Thomas (1988), fun e.xperiences are neither too difficult

nor too easy. They are exdting intellectual challenges

that promote further learning and are "likely to have

powerful influences on what people will even try to do

and how long they will pe15ist" (Carroll & Thomas,

1988, p. 22). This is especially relevant for middle

schoolers who, based on dlcir initial exposure, are

establishing critical first impressions of fonnal subject

areas. If they experience these disdplines as boring and

meaningless during middle sdlool, they will likely avoid

electives related to them in high school (James & Smith,

1985; l4rson & Richards, 1991). On the other hand, if

they experience these disdplines as exciting intellectu-

al challenges worthy of mastery, they will more likely

pursue them in high school and hopefully beyond

(Rathunde & CsikszentmihaIyi, 1993);

studentS to experience playful challenges (Rea, 1999).

On the serious side, teachers structure and guide these

challenging experiences so that studentS gain mastery

of valuable skills (Rea, 1999).

Many great inventors and Nobel Prizewinners fol-

lowed the path of serious play. The Wright brothers,

Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, and Richard Feynman

have a common thread in their learning experience;

they "messed around," "tinkered," and "imagined pos.

sibilities" as they made discoveries (Wassermann, 1992).

Contrary to the stiff structure of typical classrooms,

these and other great minds developed their under-

standing of the world in atypical learning environmentS.

They playfully pushed the borders of knowledge and

comprehension to construCt their own ideas.

As with these great sdentisrs and inventors, seri-

ous play can help our studentS to make exdtingdiscov-

eries by stimulating their curiosity and creativity. This

instructional method engages studentS' senses, feel.

ings, and thoughtS. Serious play puts the fun back in

learning and provides serious educational benefitS.

Serious Benefits of Fun and Play

Glasser (1993) proposed that fun is qne of ourbasic psychological needs. When students do not saris-fy their basic needs, they are prone to frustration andfailure in school. If students do not experience fun inthe classroom, they will likely become bored and seekfun in off-task behavior. Block and King (1987) foundthat beginning in the upper elementary grades, stu-dents "have fewer opportunities to find 'fun' in rheirschoolwork" and often associate schoolwork ",ithdrudgery. As a result, th~e students "seek 'fun' outsideof instruction or even despite it" (p. 256). It 15 our COI1-tentioffthat integrating fun into the learning experience

Themes and !)'Pes of Serious Play

According to Wassem1ann (1~~2), the serious play

curriculum consists of intriguing "big ideas" or "integra-

tive themes" that invite students to playfully explore

24 Middle School Journal. Mard12000

ously reflect on their learning experience, and therebyconstruct a personal understanding of the subject mat-ter. In this section, how to app~' serious play with sa-ence examples will be illustrated (see Rea, 1999 forsocial studies examples). Two physical saence and twobiology examples that are suitable for middle schoolprograms are included. For each example,W:!Ssermann's (1992) curriculum topics (big ideas,themes), types of serious play (focused, open), andphases of serious play (play, debriefing) are identified.

Toy car raceA toy car rnce is a great way to introduce some "big

ideas" of ph}'Sics, such as motion, speed, avernge speed,and velocity (adapted from "Speed and Accelerntion,"1997). The teacher guides students through this

problems and to seriously search for solutions. Some

productive integrative themes for middle schoolershave included creating inventions (Ackennann, 1998),

improving physical health and preventing disease

(Hurd, 1998), saving endangered spedes, and prevent-ing pollution. The activities of this curriculum includenot only hands-on experiences, but also also minds-on

experiences, such as entertaining stories that make a

point and thought experiments that stimulate the imag-

ination. Both experiences actively engage students in

exploring and understanding big ideas an<;i themes.

To offer the serious benefits of play, teachers guide

students through the learning cycle of "play-debrief-

replay" (Wassennann, 1992). Initially, students "play"

with some aspect of a big idea. This play activity may bea role play, group game, simulation, creative design,

investigation, case study, field trip, or a reenactment

(Rea, 1999). During "debriefing," students seriouslyreflect on and discuss what they learned while playing.

For "replay," students return to the play situation to test

and conflnn their new learning and funher explore the

big idea. The replay begins a new learning cycle.

Wassermann (1992) elaborated on tWO types of

classroom play: "open play" and "focused play." In open

play the teacher provides materials and the studentsmake creative use of those materials. In other words,

there are no rules or specific outcomes. Students are

free to explore and invent. There is no fear of failure

because there are no risks. On the other hand, focused

play is more structured, to provide clearer guidance for

students. The teacher provides more direction so that

students do not flounder and become too frustrated or

overexdted. Wassermann (1992) is careful to mention

that overly focused play can create student inhibition.

The distinction betWeen open and focused play helps

middle school teachers to adjust the openness of play

according to the maturity of their students and the cur-

ricular objectives being sought. This distinction also

helps teachers to overcome the misconception that play

is an all or nothing activity in which students are either

seriously silent (no play) or playfully 0ut of control.

"focused play" by explidtly defining the roles and rules.

A week before rnce day, the teacher divides the stu-

dents into groups of four. Each group collaborntes to

dedde who provides the cars and does each role. Roles

include the driver, flagger, timer, and recorder.

Acceptable cars include any store-bought car that does

not require pushing, such as battery-opernted, remote

control, or spring power. On the day of the rncethe

class gathers masking tape, a meter stick, a stopwatch,

and the cars and goes outside to a paved area. Using the

meter stit;kcand tape, students mark off a distance of

tWo meters. When the area is ready and all students are

aware of the procedure, the first group's driver places

the car so that its nose aligns with the front end of the

starting pQsition(zero). On the signal from the starter,

Examples of Serious Play

Serious play can be applied to any subject. It isexperience-based instruction that provides opportuni-ties for students to playfully experience learning, seri-

Middle School Journal. March 2000 25

the driver starts the car so that it travels past the two-

meter distance. As soon as the car passes the starting

tape, the timer starts the stopwatch. When the car pass-

es the second meter mark, the tlagger signals the timer

to stop the stopwatch. The recorder records the trial

number (each group gets three trials and takes the best

time) and the elapsed time in seconds. For "debriefing,"

the class returns to the classroom where each group caJ-

boat in front of the class. They add pennies, one at a

time, until water seeps into the boat or until it sinks.

During "debriefing," students construct bar graphsshowing the number of penllies mat each boat held and

discuss inferred reasons for buoyancy or lack of buoy-

ancy. Students may give each other symbolic awards for

various categories such as "the boat that holds the mostpennies" "the most orioinal boat ,. "the fastest sinker ,.

, 0-' ,"the one with most leaks," arid "the ugliest boat."

Mock epidemicThe mock epidemic is a hands-on simulation that

demonstrates the biological "idea" of how disease

spreads (adapted from]ones, 1993). The teacherexplic-idy structures the simulation to guide students through

this "focused play." During this activity, the teacher

gives students numbered test tubes (which identifythem as a possible host) that are half full of a clear liq-

uid. This activity works better with an even number of

parridpants, so the teacher may need to parridpate.

Initially.. all test tubes except one contain water. It is very

important for the diagnoses that the teacher remember

which test tube contains the pathogen, represented by

a weak base or alkaline solution (NaOH and KOH work

well). Using a disposable dropper, studentS rotate

around the room and exchange parr of their test tube

contents with other students. It is helpful to aid them in

their exchanges by directing an exchange pattern that

covers all parts of the room. Once three exchanges have

occurred betWeen parridpants, the teacher diagnoses

whether they "got it" or nor. This is done with an indi-

cator for a base. Clear phenolphthalein woo well, as it

remains clear in water but turns bright pink in a base.

The students are vitally interested in discovering who

"got ir." During "debriefing," a charr is drawn on the

board with all the students' results, who they

exchanged with, and in what order the excl1anges

occurred. The purpose of the chart is to figure out who

starred the epidemic that affected approximately 50% of

the class. Furthermore, students discuss their observa-

tions of how transmission occurs and how the type of

transmission affects the number of people infected.

They also conceptualize the methods used ro discover

how epidemics start and consider ways to restrict the

transmission of diseases. To make this activity more

realiStic and wluable, the teacher can include a discus-

sion about AIDS, smallpox, or another highly conta-

z~<~"§>~

g2..

cuIates itS cars average speed in meters per second.

Then studentS exchange data to construCt a class grapb

showing distance versus time for all the partidpants.Next, students discuss the observed relationship of time

to distance. This is a very popular activity with our phys-

ical sdence studentS because they are outside, compet-

ing, learning, and having a great time.

Aluminum foil boatsA refreshing and very effective approach to teach-

ing the "big idea" of buoyancy is the "open play" of

designing boats that float (adapted from Boat Building,1999). Each student or pair of lab partners obtains a six-

inch by six-inch piece of aluminum foil, a container of

water, 150-200 pennies, and a large cardboard box with

one side cut away. Lab pal1ners construct and test their

boats inside the cardboard boxes so that other lab pan-ners cannot copy their designs. Students receive 15 min-

utes to create an original "boat" that floats as many pen-

nies as possible without sinking. All designs are accept-

able. After 15 ,minutes has elapsed, the teacher .collecrsall the boats and moves them to a safe area so that no

one can change designs. Each pair of stUdents tests their

iWiddle School Journal. March 200026

gious disease. This aCtivity engages students on manylevels, and it provides a memorable context in whim theclass will learn important principles about how easilydiseases can spread in a population.

Endangered species advertisementThis biology activity involves a new twist to the old

.methods of research for reports and omI presentations

(adapted fromJurenda, 1997). Creating advertisementsbased on the "theme" of endangeredspeaes is "open

play" since it is an unstructured activity with many pos-

sible oUtCOmes. Students work together on this project

in groups of tWO to four. They are free to choose their

advertisement subjects from any of the recendy endan-

gered species lists. The goal of the project is for the stu-dents to create a convincing and appealing advertise-

ment that encourages their classmates to make an effon

to save an enCa.'1gered species. The students create fly-

ers and brochures about their topics using computer

programs such as Microsoft Publisher. Sometimes they

even direct and produce small video clips or commer-

cials promoting their topics. During "debriefing," stu-

dents share what they learned from each other, and

peers evaluate the effectiveness of the advertisements.

One or tWo students in the dass also act as reponers for

the entire class and create newsletters or PowerPoint

presentations using all the topics of the class. This activ-

ity takes about one to tWO weeks, depending on the

depth of the assignment and the aV<lilability of comput-

er;resources.

orner teachers and administrators may think of menoise level and movement of meir students. During seri-ous play, students often work cooperatively ramer thancompetitively, making assessment more difficult, andthe educational goals are less structured and sequential."As students become more empowered, mey becomemore independent, more assertive, more challengingthemselves" (Wassermann; 1992, p. 135). Some teach-ers would ramer not have students who are assertiveand think for memselves; mey prefer to be aumorirativedispensers of knowledge to passive students.

In response to mese concerns, teachers need torealize that it is possible to allow students to have funv-imout losing control. Furmeffi1ore, teachers need tounderstand that serious play is developmentally appro-priate and intellectually beneficial for middle school stu-dents. Finally, me serious play approach may be mQrechallenging for teachers than traditional approaches.However, it is an exdting challenge that yields enjoyableresults for born students and teachers.

Making clear me teacher's expectations of studentsduring fun activities is essential to maintaining class-room order (Rea, 1995, 1997). Rules and consequencesneed to be explidt and consistently applied. For"focused play," students also need dear guidelines fordoing me activity (Wassernlann, 1992). Teachers needto use a "partidpatory leadership style" in which meyare available and moving among me students, givingirifoffi1ation when necessary and offering encourage-ment and praise appropriately (Rea, 1995, 1997, 1999).They should be careful not to help students too much,but to allow them to creatively solve meir own prob-Identifying and Overcoming Teacher Reluctance

Teachers need to realize that it is possible to allowAccording to Wassermann (1992), there are sever-al reasons for teacher reluctance to serious play. Thisapproach is often open-ended; by giving students morecontrol, choice, and autonomy, teachers may experi-ence a loss of power. Also it requires more imaginationto generate ideas for serious play activities than to sim-ply supply facts for students to memorize. Furthermore,it requires physical labor and organizational skills toaccumulate and disperse needed materials and to putthose supplies away in an organized fashion after theactivities are coqlpleted. While students are involved inthese experiences, they may move around, talk, laugh,and get exdted. As a result, classroom management ismore challenging., and teachers may be afraid of what

students to have fun without losing control of their

classes.

lems. Teachers can use cueing and prompting when stU-

dentS stan to become overexdted or too frust1(l.ted.

Above all, teachers need to show stUdentS how to main-

tain a flexible balance betWeen seriousness and fun.

They can be serious when necessary and playful when

suitable. Also, they can show stUdentS both their serious

mastery and enthusiastic love of the subject matter.

Middle School Journal. March 2000 27

Conclusion

To instill a lifelong love of learning, it is imperativethat studentS in their formative middle years experiencethe serious benefitS of fun in the classroom. Serious playis a balanced method for motivating studentS to learnand to want to continue learning. On the playful side,teachers allow studentS to creatively engage in openquestioning, exploration, and discovery. On the seriousside, teachers guide studentS to the "big ideas" and con-ceptS that help them construct their own critical under-standings. Serious play makes learning come alive withfun activities that are personally relevant.

Serious play liberates studentS from mind-dulling,textbook-dommated, fact-memorization approaches. Itprovides fun, hands-on experiences in which studentSseriously reflect on what they are learning. When teach-ers use this approach, they encourage studentS to play-fully seek new intellectual challenges and to seriouslystrive to master them. This mastery gives studentS theconfidence and skills to playfully seek additional chal-lenges, thus creating a continuous spiral of moreadvanced learning (Wassermann, 1992; Rea, 1993, in

press).Serious play can motivate young adolescentS to

actively experience learning for themselves. To becomemore effective middle school .teachers, it is importantthat we do not overlook student enjoyment by requiringtoo much memorization of disconnected factS. Intoday'S information age, the ability and willingness toexplore, discover, analyze, and evaluate information isfar more useful than merely memorizing faCtS. Seriousplay helps build creative and critical thinkers at the mid-dle school level. Inspired middle schoolers will be morewilling and able to pursue their education at the highschool level and throughout life. 0

Carroll, J., & Thomas, J. (1988). Fun. Special Interest Group on

Computers and Human Interaction Bulletin, 19(3),21-24.

Farm, R (1990). Meeting their needs: Motivating middle level learn-

ers.ll1iddle School journal, 22(2), 22-26.

Glasser, W. (1993). The quality school teacher. New York: Harper

and Row.

Good, T., & Brophy, J. (1994). Looking in c/a.l:srooms. New York:

Harper Collins College Publishers.

Hurd, P. (1998). Asdence educator's answer to the middle level cur-

ricular question: "Wbat about us?" Middle School journal, 22(2),

37-41.

James, R, & Smith, S. (1985). Alienation of students from sdence in

grades 4-12. Science Education, 69(1),39-45.

Jones, R (1993). The plague generation. Science Teache7; 60(8),34-

41Jurenda, D. (1997). Endangered Spedes project. Science Teache7;

64(6),68-70.

Larson, R, & Richards, M. (1991). Boredom in the middle school

years: Blaming schools versus blaming students. American

journal of Education, 99(4), 418-443.

Mann, D. (1996). Serious play. Teachers Ct°llege Record, 97, 446-469.

Rathunde, K., & Oiikszentmihalyi, M. (1993). Undivided interest and

the growth of talent: AlongitudinaI study of adolescents.journal

of Youth and Adolescents, 22, 385-405.

Rea, D. (1993). Reversal theory explanations of optimal experience.

InJ.Kerr, S. Mu~troyd, & M. Apter (Eds.), Advances in rever-

sal the!?ry (pp. 75-88). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Swets and

Zeitlinger.Rea, D. (1995). Motivating at-risk students with serious fun. In D.

Rea & R Warkentin (Eds.), Youth at risk: Reachingfor Success

(pp. 22-36). Dubuque, Iowa: Benchmark & Benchmark.

Rea, D. (1997). Achievement motivation as a dynamical system:Dancing on the "edge of chaos" with "serious fun. " College Park,

MD: Oearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation. (ERIC

Document Reproduction Service No. ED 415 287)

Rea, D. (1999). Serious fun in social studies for middle schoolers.

Social Education, 63(5), M2-M5 (Middle Level Learning

Supplement).Rea, D. (In press). Optimal motivation for talent development.

Journal for the Education of the Gifted

Speed and acCeleration. (1997). In G/encoe Physical Science

Laboratory Manual (Teacher Edition), (pp. 13-16). New York:

GlencoelMcGraw-Hill.

Stipek, D. (l998).ll1o1ivation to learn. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Wassermann, S. (1992). Serious play in the classroom. Childhood.

Education, 68(,3), 133-139.

ReferencesACkennann, B. (1998). Interdisdplinary teaching with stUdents as

inventors. ,Middle School journa/, 22(2). 18-2;.

Block,J., & King, N. (1987). School play: A source book. New York:

Garland Publishing, Inc.

Boat building. (1999, September 11). [Posted on the \Vorld \\'ide

Web]. Retrieved October 11, 1999 from the World Wide Web:

http://paIs.sn.com/paLs/taSkst9-12/ -

Chance, E., & Bibens, R. (1990). Developing quality middle schools:

An interview with Dr. William Glasser. ,\-fiddle School joumal,

21(4), 1-4.

28 Middle School journal. March 2000