Why playing is an effective method of teaching

I'm not a facts and figures person. I'm hopeless at math and don't for goodness sake ask me to recite the names and dates of kinds and queens of England (thank goodnes for Google these days) consequently I hated history lessons. But I remember one history lesson vividly, our normal teacher didn't appear :-) Instead we got a relief teacher, straight out of university by the looks of him.

Predictably though he started the lesson with the usual

"I want you to take your text books out"

"groan", was our collective response.

"....and I want you to sit on them".

We didn't see that coming.

"Today we are going to be looking at the Battle of ... "

"But how are we going to do that if we're sitting on our books, sir ?...", someone interrupted.

By this time, the teacher had our attention - and we were itching to see what was going to happen next. Wide eyed, he told us to stand up, then divided the class into two, drew a battle line in chalk on the floor, moved tables and chairs to make barricades and made us defend our positions. It was THE best lesson I have ever had. It was such a shame we couldn't keep hold of that teacher.  Something tells me that he would have motivated any class he took if ours was anything to go by.

By making us participate in the story of the battle right there in the classroom, we became motivated participants in our own education. Even the shy kids got involved. Looking back on it now, it was a fascinating example of excellent teaching skills.

As David Kold would describe, years later, we learn by feeling, thinking, watching and doing.

    "Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand.
    ~ Confucius C.440 BC"