Introducing initial Sources

Once I started to ask the correct questions, it was easier to find sources. By using questions from the invention process it helped me to narrow down my research to the information I was looking for. The sources with (PR) means that they were peer-reviewed.

The article “Whatever Happened to Playtime?” by John Evans looks at the changes that have taken place in primary schools, those that are proposed, and the consequences going down the path of turning recess into a formal period of adult organized rule governed games. (PR)

The article “Play Teaches What Testing Can't Touch: HUMANITY” by Carol Chmelynski focuses on the benefits of unstructured play for school children. The removal of recess at school is addressed. Reasons for the lack of recess at school, according to the author, include increased academic standards and the fear of lawsuits over playground safety. The differences between physical education and unstructured play are also discussed. The author argues that unstructured play helps to develop social skills and imagination. (PR)

The news report by PBS “Schools reprioritize playtime to boost concentration and teach social skills” argues that Tight budgets and high-stakes tests can lead schools to cut time for the arts, physical education and even recess to make more room for academics. But taking away exercise may be counterproductive. The NewsHour’s April Brown reports on how nonprofit Playworks helps schools reincorporate play into their day.

The report “As Schools Cut Recess, Kids' Learning Will Suffer, Experts Say” by Stephanie Pappas, provides the example of a student that started to have problems because the recess cut and provides other statistics affecting children since No Child Left Behind Act.