Greeley Master Plan

7/28/2019 Greeley Master Plan

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PLAY.

LEARN.REPEAT.Imagining a new world of play for

The Greeley School.

Masterplan conceptVersion 2

August 31, 2012


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Excite and ignite creativityand love of play

Transfer learning into a

playful experience.

Susan Hugebeck, PrincipalOn the role of the Greeley Dream Green Project


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oneOur Process 5

twoLanguage of Play 7

threeMaster Plan Concept 38


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1. Connect the experiences of play andlearning in an organic and unstructured

way.

2. Re-apportion the space to facilitate theGreeleys valued behaviors and character

traits.

3. Be a leader in the community for

innovative, natural play.

PROJECT VISION


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Our Process

An inclusive process o deep inquiry and co-creation was

central to creating a robust and sensitive master plan or The

Greeley School. As we went deeper into our exploration o

play and learning, it became more apparent the importance

o employing a diversity o research, engagement, and design

methodologies. With the uid nature o play, this portolio

o approaches allowed us to explore the metaphors (and

aspirations) o the community.

Discovery

Parent coffee conversations

Met with ten Greeley community parents to discuss

memories, patterns, and aspirations o play and their

connection to amily and home.

Teacher focus groups

Met with a representative cross section o Greeley core

teachers, elective teachers, educational support proessionals,

and sta to discuss observations and aspirations o play and

their connection to the classroom.

Survey of the Adult Learning Community

Qualitative survey given to supplement interviews with

teachers and parents.

Activation

Childrens Learning Lab

Dynamic morning o engagement with 22+ students rom

K-4th grade encompassing imaginative play, visual listening,

and the creation o worlds rom which we devised metaphors

and patterns o play amongst Greeley children.

Dynamic Programming

Programming session engaged teachers to test emerging

drivers and qualities o space rooted in desired behaviors.

Collaborative teams mapped out these descriptions and

eatures o space.

Master Design Workshop

Family workshop to test core zones (Retreat, Make, Make

Believe, Gather, Stretch, Team) emerging or the design team.

Strategy

Concept Scenarios

Presentation o three distinct planning scenarios to Greeley

teachers and parents. Feedback collected and key strategies

synthesized to create master plan concept back in the studio.

Master Plan

Creation o strong vision, programming, design drivers andstrategies to guide the development o the Greeley outdoor

play environment over the years to come.

discovery a tivation trateg

childrens

learning labteacher

focus groupssurvey of

adultsparent coffeeconversations

dynamicprogramming

master designworkshop

conceptscenarios

master planpresentation


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Wouldnt it be great if this outdoor spacebecame the pride of everyone involved and

the shining example of our communitys

leadership in public school education?

What if people were to come from all around

to learn in - and from - what weve made

GREELEY PARENT


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Language o Play

One o the most powerul design artiacts that can be

created by a community is a language with which to

speak about their values and behaviors. This language,

built rom the collection o stories, the observation o

behavior, and the products o workshop engagements,

sets the oundation or talking about the design drivers

and values. It is powerul primarily because it transcends

any specifc design concept, instead acting as a platorm

rom which to co-create and analyze together.

We intend this guide to be a living document to spark

critical conversation about play and play environments

or Greeley children and amilies. This document is a vital

complement to the master plan and continued design

process. In it, you will fnd a conceptual ramework o the

patterns and purpose o play at The Greeley School with

integrated examples rom current research and rom our

process with your school.


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WHAT WE HEARD:

The Greeley Child

or truth is not simply what happened but how we

elt about it when it was happening, and how we eel

about it now.

The Stories We Live By

Who is the Greeley graduate? What is she like? How does

he take on the world? The Greeley community told us many

stories: stories o memories, stories o amily and stories o

play at Greeley. From these stories, we have extracted and

synthesized common values o the Greeley community. The

stories tell us that Greeley parents, aculty and sta strive to

help children become secure, imaginative, cooperative and

independent.

Secure

Security means basic saety, but it also encompasses

emotional security that develops through experimenting

without ear o consequences and surmounting challenges.

We want Greeleys Outdoor Classroom to enable this

condence in every child, o every demeanor.

Its ok to ail, ailure isnt because youre alone, its because

its part o play and we can fx it Susan Hugebeck

For these kids who have so much pressure on them

its important or them to have opportunity to be proud o

something they themselves did and accomplished Greeley

teacher

Recess is the calming period or those with high anxiety.

Greeley teacher

Imaginative

The possibilities o a childs imagination are endless. Greeley

adults recounted an array o imaginative games rom their

childhood and, interestingly, the games they describe their

children playing are not too dierent. Although popular culture

shits and brings new role models, the underlying ability to

create antasy worlds and explore possibilities remains.

The more basic the prop, the more interesting their play.

Greeley parent

Cooperative

Social nuances o the school yard prove to be another

commonality between adult refections and the current

Greeley experience. Sometimes the schoolyard is harsh and

sometimes it is ull o joy and riendship. How can we helpstudents join in each others play and negotiate with peers to

nd an experience that benets all?

I was looking or cooperative playground gamesI know

my daughter has had a really tough time this year at recess

whether it has been during the school day or at lunch.

Greeley Parent


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One guy had the ball and the other 25 would do their best

to catch him, tackle him and inict maximum punishment or

daring to carry that ball. Once the frst boy met his demise,

another boy would willingly pick it up and the carnage would

begin again. ...and we LOVED it!

In a time when things are so structured and supervised,

children look to adults to resolve their issuesthey dont know

how to navigate play without rules. Greeley teacher

Independent

Greeley adults worried that the programmed and structured

nature o modern childhood might negatively aect a childs

independence. They gloried the times in their own childhood

when they were on their own and ree rom adults. Are we

preventing children rom shaping their own world? How can

we nurture a sel-directed, independent child?

Exploring the woods behind our house with my younger

brother. I liked the sense o adventure, looking at wild placesand eeling we were on our own. Greeley sta member

We want to make lie or our children so sae and un. They

dont experience disappointment. But they have to experience

that - difculties are preparing you or something. Susan

Hugebeck


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A CHILD-CENTRIC

LANGUAGE OF PLAY

The Greeley Child


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WHAT WE FOUND:

Behavior Zones

To complement our research with the Greeley

community, we dug into literary and academic

resources that gave us insight into child development,

psychology and neuroscience. Jonah Lehrer and Robin

Marantz Henig are journalists who excel at translating

rich neuroscience fndings into easy to understand

descriptions. Jean Piaget and Jerome Singer are

developmental and cognitive psychologists respectively,

whose work laid the oundations or discussions o

modern play and child development. Contemporarypsychologists and neuroscientists like Dan P. McAdams,

Ut San Sio and T.C. Ormerod, Daniel Gilbert, Jonathan

Schooler and Sandy Pentland rom Northwestern,

Lancaster University, Harvard University, UC Santa

Barbara and MIT all add strong studies to this oundation.

Additionally, advocate and author, Richard Louv adds a

deep investigation o the balance o play, development,

society, and nature. We strive to have our work test and

examine these fndings and encourage you to explore

these resources as well.


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RetreatWhen I see birches bend to let and right...

I like to think some boys been swinging them

Robert Frost


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Retreat

In the midst o a ull day o school, children need time to disconnect.

Studies are showing that mind wandering is not only rampant, but also

productive. We all need break time to let unconscious thought make sense

o and solidiy new concepts.

50% o our thoughts while were awake are concerned with

something separate rom what were doing essentially hal o the

time, our mind is wandering.

(Killingsworth and Gilbert)

We always assume that you get more done when youre consciously

paying attention to a problemThats what it means, ater all, to be

working on something. But this is oten a mistake. I youre trying to

solve a complex problem, then you need to give yoursel a real break,

to let the mind incubate the problem all by itsel. We shouldnt be so

araid to actually take some time o.

(Lehrer)

Nature can help people recover rom normal psychological wear and

tear but nature also improves the capacity to pay attention.(Richard Louv quoting Terry A Hartig, applied psychology proessor)

Recess is the calming period

or those with high anxiety.

TEACHER

I miss Willoughby Woods acted as a retreat... Magical

place... Hidden gem....

Quiet conversation.

TEACHER


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contemplative courtyard

zen garden

overhang

personalized. perching space.

How do your children play and

explore the outdoors?

They like to create stories

and hide in the bushes.Both love the beach and can

enjoy solitary play or hours

digging in the sand and

swimming.

What should the new outdoor

classroom be able to provide forGreeley classrooms?

Natural, comortable and

quiet spaces to read, observe

and learn.

hives. looking out through the trees.


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Make BelievePlay gives children a chance to practice what

they are learningThey have to play with what

they know to be true in order to nd out more,

and then they can use what they learn in new

orms o play.

Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers Neighborhood)


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Make Believe

The intricate worlds woven rom a childs imagination help the child make

sense o their actual, physical surroundings. These made-up worlds

contain bits and pieces o images, concepts and personas that they

have encountered. And in their imagination they can mix and match

to experiment with what makes sense and what helps them dene

themselves.

Piagetound in the childs world o make-believe a ertile terrain or

the making o meaning.

(Singer)

Throughout our preschool years, we are unwittingly busy collecting

and stockpiling images. By the time we reach young adulthood, we

have accumulated a veritable treasure trove o personalized symbols

and antasized objects. As adults, we draw creatively upon the

imagery in ashioning our personal myths.

(McAdams)

The loose-parts theory is supported by studies o play that compare

green, natural play areas with blacktop playgrounds. Swedish studies

ound that children on asphalt playgrounds had play that was muchmore interrupted; they played in short segments. But in more natural

playgrounds, children invent whole sagas that they carried rom day to

day to daymaking and collecting meaning.

(Richard Louv on Simon Nicholsons Loose Parts theory)

Themes: role playing, experimenting with

identities

connecting seemingly

unconnected

more basic the prop, the more

interesting their play

Journeys, Shelters, StoriesClassroom themes emerging

in imaginative play scenarios.


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It could be anything theywant it to be that day

TEACHER

Personal spacesMake believe spaces tailored to

individuals imagination opening on to

a collective community piazza.


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MakeFor many years I was sel-appointed inspector

o snowstorms and rainstorms...

Henry David Thoreau


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Make

An exploration o the material environment complements conceptual

discovery and make believe experiences. Children pursue their

curiosity surrounding the construction and deconstruction o objects

and ormations. To better understand how the world is assembled, they

experiment with and recombine pieces and parts.

Neurologically, this activity might also aid the production o unrelated

thoughts and ideas. As they construct and explore whats in ront o

them, their minds are experiencing a valuable balance o stimulation

and availability that supports creative thought and better classroom

perormance. And ater all o this investigation subsides, a relic and artiacto learning remains to testiy to the development o not only an idea, but

also a child.

In any environment, both the degree o inventiveness and creativity,

and the possibility o discovery, are directly proportional to the number

and kind o variables in it.

(Richard Louv on Simon Nicholsons Loose Parts theory)

Creative solutions may be acilitated specifcally by simple external

tasks that maximize mind-wandering. The beneft o these simple

tasks is that they consume just enough attention to keep us

occupied, while leaving plenty o mental resources let over or errant

daydreams.

(Jonah Lehrer)

Making creates evidence o learning.

(Dale Dougherty, MAKE Magazine)

Themes:More basic the prop, the more

interesting their play

playing with chalk is artistic

and kinesthetic a place to

create.

TEACHER

(we need to) Imaginate!

TEACHER


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How do your children play and

explore the outdoors?

My kids climb trees like

nobodys business. They

also make tons o orts using

allen branches, etc. They

love exploring and digging

in the backyard and recently

made a well to collect

water or their ort.


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GatherA community is the mental and spiritual

condition o knowing that the place is shared,

and that the people who share the place dene

and limit the possibilities o each others lives.

-Wendell Berry


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Gather

Providing places or gathering and interaction in the play area allows

or the strengthening o relationships amongst students. Face to ace

communication is key to the development o a team. Sandy Pentland at

the MIT Media Lab has ound that not only is communication critical to

team building, but in act, communication patterns are as signicant

as all the other actorsindividual intelligence, personality, skill, and the

substance o discussionscombined.

The inormal experience o the play area lets conversation and bonding

happen on the students own terms and at their own pace, leading to a

deeper and more personal connection than those orged in the classroom.

The best predictors o productivity were a teams energy and

engagement outside ormal meetings.

(Pentland)

Beyond that, the playground program is about giving residents o the

neighborhood a sae place to congregate.

I want to convince kids to goto the park or us [parents].

Not them.

PARENT

(on how they want to gather as well)


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This project should be:

A place to socialize

A communal classroom

A community backyard

Students are designing

A central courtyard

rom their individual

small retreat areas.

HANG OUT

SIT AND TALK

Globe theater in

Willoughby Woods?

TEACHER


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TeamThe child amidst his baubles is learning the

action o light, motion, gravity, muscular orce

Ralph Waldo Emerson


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Team

Sports and other team games provide a valuable opportunity to experience

the mechanisms o a group and practice the negotiation and bonding

necessary to support those mechanisms. Greeley adults describe a range

o nuanced competitive games that their 3rd and 4th graders were playing.

This is a common part o their developmental stage.

Play becomes more rule-governed as children grow older. The games

o later elementary school are less episodic and egocentric than the

younger childs world o make-believe. Behavior still operates in the

simulative mode, in that games are not supposed to be or keeps,

either. But games are organized by rules, goals and themes.(McAdams)

Similar to basketball and other sports, these games have rules, but

unlike traditional games, these have their own set o rules. Those who

understood them are clearly dened as a part o the group while those

who do not know the rules, are not. This distinction contributes to a

denition o social groups.

Games require that players adopt an objective, third-person

perspective, that they agree upon a common understanding o

reality. Episodes are organized within a meaningul, goal-directed

sequence. As we grow up, play becomes more complex, organized

and regularized. It becomes divorced rom ones private symbolism.

The private image o the moment gives way to the public sequence o

structured events.

(McAdams)

Its ok to ail, ailure isnt

because youre alone, its

because its part o play and

we can x it.

STAFF

Children today are so usedto structure that they dont

know how to navigate play

without rules.

TEACHERS


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Neighborhood Games

no adults around

on our own

pick-up

Themes:

KW and gross motor space

very important

Current ratio communicatesvalue of physical play.

Just need to get out and

play!

Create teaming areasProvide water & shade

Use colors and suraces to

break down space.


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StretchA child loves his play, not because its easy, but

because its hard.

Benjamin Spock (pediatrician, author)


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Stretch

Playtime is a time or children to push their limits and expand their abilities.

They are ree to pursue their curiosity and firt with risk to discover

new eelings, ideas and experiences. They can grapple with obstacles,

strengthen motor skills and practice behaviors theyll need throughout

lie. This invitation to new, but sae and consequence-ree challenge helps

them reach new levels o physical and mental ability.

Were most curious when we know a little about a subject (our

curiosity has been piqued) but not too muchwe eel a gap between

what we know and what we want to know. This gap has emotional

consequences: it eels like a mental itch. We seek out new knowledgebecause thats how we scratch the itch.

(Lehrer Wired)

Play might be related to growth o the cerebellum, since they both

peak at about the same timethe cerebellum needs the whole-body

movements o play to achieve its ultimate confguration.

(Henig)

One popular view is the play-as-preparation hypothesis. In this

perspective, play is a chance or young animals to learn and

rehearse the skills they will need or the rest o their lives, and

to do so in a secure environment, where mistakes will have ew

consequences. Proponents o this hypothesis say play is a way

and, not incidentally, a pleasurable way o getting into muscle

memory the generalized movements o survival: chasing, running,

probing, tussling.

(Henig)

We want to make lie or

our children so sae and

un. They dont experience

disappointment.

But they have to experience

that - diculties are

preparing you orsomething.

PARENT


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For these kids who haveso much pressure on them -

important or them to have

opportunity to be proud o

something they themselves

did and accomplished

TEACHER

dangerous

new and risky things

terriying and thrilling

eeling o being lost

Multiple Games

jumping of.


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HOW CAN WE DESIGN FOR IT:

Spatial Qualities

Reviewing the conditions in which ecstatic memories

are made, Chawla was struck by the ragility o their

setting. Ecstatic places require space, reedom,

discovery, and an extravagant display or all ve

senses.

Richard Louv reerencing Louise Chawla

Calming relaxing space that taps into onservation, green

spaces, and creating a sense peace

Natural tools or imagination, respite, exploratory,

history, teaching environmental impact

Curious intriguing, unexpected, mysterious, hidden

Open-ended open to interpretation, fexible to allow or many

dierent uses and imagination games

Multisensory rich, dynamic, intriguing or many learning

styles/perceiving styles

Connective cause and eect, relation between areas

Communal shared and co-owned and created by the

community

Challenging push your abilities and limits


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Greeley Master Plan

Documents

Transcript of Greeley Master Plan