B247981 – EDUA11385– Assignment 1-Learning Journal 3 by

Bowen, Z. (2015). Play on the mother-ground: Children’s games in rural Odisha. South Asian History and Culture, 6(3), 330–347.

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Author Zazie Bowen conducted ethnographic research on children in rural Odisha to explore how children interact with their social, cultural, and natural environments through outdoor peer play (Bowen, 2015), thereby developing embodied knowledge of their locality (Cohen, 2010). This has reshaped my understanding of the role of games.Embodied knowledge (Cohen, 2010) posits that our cognition is constructed through dynamic interactions between the body and the world, aligning with perceptual-motor theory, which suggests that knowledge and behavior emerge through the interaction of perception and action (Leventhal, 1982).For example, in the text, children perceive and understand natural elements such as land, water, and plants through outdoor games, and they comprehend social roles and cultural traditions by simulating weddings, picnics, and family life through their performances. Linking abstract concepts with concrete sensory experiences leads to a deeper understanding and retention of information. In the high school where I previously taught, physics and chemistry teachers preferred to demonstrate classroom content through experiments, making abstract theories more vivid and tangible. During games, students are more likely to become interested in a particular subject area, thus becoming more motivated to explore and innovate. The impact of games has prompted me to focus on how to make students more actively engaged in learning. I will design more interesting tasks and challenges to stimulate their interest in learning.

Jirata, T. J. (2012). Learning through play: An ethnographic study of children's riddling in Ethiopia. Africa, 82(2), 272-286.

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This study focuses on how children in the Guji community in Ethiopia engage in riddle games as a form of social activity and a means of acquiring knowledge(Jirata, 2012).Using ethnographic methods, the study documented and analyzed how Guji children incorporate riddle games into their cultural practices. Many parents perceive games as mere pastimes, unrelated to learning and personal development, overlooking the educational significance of many games, which has sparked my reflection.

The "complex riddle" game described in the article, such as the series of questions like "What is ()?", requires children to associate numbers with objects they are familiar with. For example, children need to remember and correlate a series of items, from "one ring" to "ten members of a military unit," which serves as an excellent way to guide children in logical reasoning and creative thinking. This led me to realize that games are also a part of informal learning (Koutromanos & Avraamidou, 2014).Therefore, in future teaching, I will consider games as a multifunctional platform that serves not only as a source of entertainment but also as an important means for students to learn about society and understand their living environment. Additionally, I will adopt a more positive attitude toward informal learning environments such as games, community activities, and environmental learning because children not only enjoy entertainment in informal learning environments but also develop cognition without pressure.

Remorini, C., & Rende, M. (2014). Play and child development. The Oriental Anthropologist: A Bi-Annual International Journal of the Science of Man, 14(2), 241–266.

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The article, through comparative research methods, analyzed child-rearing and development practices in two rural communities in Argentina, as well as the interaction between games and the social and cultural backgrounds of the children's respective regions (Remorini & Rende, 2014). I believe this highlights the intergenerational function and social value of games, which sparked my contemplation. In the Mbya Guarani community, children use tree branches as substitutes for real musical instruments or make toys out of plastic bottles and pumpkins, reflecting the community's "traditional" activities and cultural practices. In contrast, in the Molinas community, children primarily use industrialized toys such as plastic animals and wooden blocks, aligning more with the community's emphasis on education and modern lifestyle. Apart from the differences in gaming materials, there are also comparisons of the social and cultural backgrounds of gaming activities, as well as adults' attitudes and expectations toward games. Through these comparisons, I feel that gaming activities are more closely related to cultural heritage and survival skills learning, representing the intergenerational function and social significance of games. This reminds me of children growing up on the grasslands of northern China, where they adapt to the local environment from a young age, herding and riding horses, growing up to be brave and bold. Through games, children gradually integrate into the community's way of life and prepare themselves to become capable adults in the future, representing an invisible mechanism of inheritance (Review Symposium 2: Generations, Culture and Society, 2003).

Watson‐Gegeo, K. A. (2001). Fantasy and reality: The dialectic of work and play in kwara’ae children’s lives. Ethos, 29(2), 138–158.

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The understanding gained from the four examples above about the role of games, their intergenerational function, and social value has strengthened my confidence in integrating games with teaching. Children develop cognition through games. It's worth noting that Kwara'ae children engage in creative reconstruction through both games and practical work. (Ichii, 2019)

Susuli leads her mother on a garden tour in adult mode, explaining in detail the planting conditions of various plants (Watson‐Gegeo, 2001). Children engage in games to practice and understand adult social roles and responsibilities, forming their own ideas to share with others, which is the result of reconstruction. This has inspired me greatly. Assuming I want my students to understand the process of plant growth and the environmental factors affecting it, directly providing answers would be ineffective teaching. Firstly, I can provide materials such as seeds, soil, and planting containers, allowing students to plant plants themselves. Secondly, I can establish a series of tasks and challenges to guide students in observing the effects of different factors on plant growth, such as light, water, and temperature. Perhaps different students will try different planting methods and adjust environmental conditions, but this does not affect the results. Finally, through group discussions and exchanging ideas, we will obtain diverse and innovative results. So,going forward, I will pay more attention to incorporating games into teaching.

Eickelkamp, U. (2014b). Dingo, monster, rabbit, “I”: Personal and cultural meanings in sand stories by a young girl, central Australia. American Imago, 71(2), 99–129.

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Researcher Ute Eickelkamp observed and analyzed the game stories of a three-year-old girl named Lila in a natural environment, revealing the storytelling in the sand as a living cultural tradition (Eickelkamp, 2014b). What struck me the most is that games hold different meanings for children at different ages. From around the age of two, Lila began making marks on the ground with sticks or fingers, symbolizing independent symbolic memory development. At four years old, Lila interacted with her best friend in the sand, creating rhythms by tapping curved lines on the ground while singing together, where the sand served as a means of emotional expression. Later, when she drew a house in the sand, it was a reenactment of interactions with her mother, an attempt to alleviate the emotional distress caused by her mother's absence, using sand storytelling as a tool for emotional expression and psychological adjustment. This highlights the important role games play at different stages of development, from learning basic skills to social skill development, and further to the exploration of personality expression and identity. This also explains why the same doll, once a playmate in childhood, now embodies my longing for family as I live in a foreign land.

References

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Bowen, Z. (2015). Play on the mother-ground: Children’s games in rural Odisha. South Asian History and Culture, 6(3), 330–347. https://doi.org/10.1080/19472498.2015.1030871

Cohen, E. (2010). Anthropology of knowledge. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 16(s1). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9655.2010.01617.x

Eickelkamp, U. (2014a). Dingo, monster, rabbit, “I”: Personal and cultural meanings in sand stories by a young girl, central Australia. American Imago, 71(2), 99–129. https://doi.org/10.1353/aim.2014.0010

Ichii, Y. (2019). “Creative reconstruction” and the 2020 tokyo olympic games: How does the 2020 tokyo olympic games influence japan’s neoliberal social reform? International Journal of Japanese Sociology, 28(1), 96–109. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijjs.12102

Jirata, T. J. (2012). LEARNING THROUGH PLAY: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY OF CHILDREN’S RIDDLING IN ETHIOPIA. Africa, 82(2), 272–286. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0001972012000058

Koutromanos, G., & Avraamidou, L. (2014). The use of mobile games in formal and informal learning environments: A review of the literature. Educational Media International, 51(1), 49–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523987.2014.889409

Leventhal, H. (1982). A perceptual motor theory of emotion. Social Science Information, 21(6), 819–845. https://doi.org/10.1177/053901882021006003

Remorini, C., & Rende, M. (2014). Play and child development. The Oriental Anthropologist: A Bi-Annual International Journal of the Science of Man, 14(2), 241–266. https://doi.org/10.1177/0976343020140206

REVIEW SYMPOSIUM 2: Generations, culture and society. (2003). British Journal of Sociology of Education, 24(4), 527–534. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425690301921

Watson‐Gegeo, K. A. (2001). Fantasy and reality: The dialectic of work and play in kwara’ae children’s lives. Ethos, 29(2), 138–158. https://doi.org/10.1525/eth.2001.29.2.138