TED演講者：Jesse Ilhardt / 杰西·伊爾哈特

演講標(biāo)題：How play helps a kid's brain grow / 玩耍如何有助于孩子的大腦發(fā)育

內(nèi)容概要：A little bit of playtime can have big benefits for a child's developing brain, like a superfood -- but adult participation is a crucial ingredient for best results. Early-education leader Jesse Ilhardt makes the case for you to put down the phone, pick up the make-believe tea cup (or that blanket-superhero cape) and take the time to experiment with imagination during kids' most formative learning years.

一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)玩樂時(shí)間能讓孩子正在發(fā)育的大腦受益匪淺，就像超級(jí)食物一樣，但是大人的參與是達(dá)成最佳效果不可或缺的一部分。早期教育領(lǐng)袖杰西·伊爾哈特（Jesse Ilhardt）給你創(chuàng)造了一個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)，讓你放下手機(jī)，拿起假想的茶杯（或者毯子做的超級(jí)英雄斗篷），花點(diǎn)時(shí)間在孩子最重要的學(xué)習(xí)階段嘗試運(yùn)用想象力。

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【1】Fifteen years ago, I walked into a classroom as a first-year preschool teacher.

十五年前, 我走進(jìn)教室, 成為了一名幼兒園小班教師。

【2】Ambitious and eager to impress, I created this Excel document to track the things I thought mattered most for my students: letters, numbers, shapes and colors.

我斗志昂揚(yáng), 很想做出一些成績, 于是做了一個(gè)表格, 記錄那些我認(rèn)為對(duì)我的學(xué)生 最重要的一些事: 字母、數(shù)字、形狀、顏色。

【3】Looking back, though, with what I know now, I wish I wouldn't have bothered with Excel or rote memorization.

雖然就我如今所知 回首往昔, 我多希望當(dāng)時(shí)沒有糾纏于 做表格和死記硬背。

【4】I wish instead I had leveraged the power of brain-building interactive play.

我多希望當(dāng)時(shí)充分利用了 健腦互動(dòng)游戲。

【5】For years, we've known that play-based learning is far superior to rote memorization.

長久以來,我們都知道 寓教于樂比死記硬背 效果要好很多。

【6】Harvard's Center on the Developing Child tells us, as well as countless other institutions, that play, and especially the back and forth interactions, the serve and return, the alternating comments, questions, gestures

哈佛兒童發(fā)展研究中心 和許多機(jī)構(gòu)表明, 游戲,尤其是有來有往的互動(dòng), 你來我往, 孩子和成人一起玩耍時(shí)

【7】between children and adults when they play together, that's what helps build neural connections in the child's brain.

輪流產(chǎn)生的想法、問題和動(dòng)作, 有助于在兒童的大腦中 建立神經(jīng)聯(lián)結(jié)。

【8】And in particular, they build the brain's prefrontal cortex.

尤其有助于 前額葉皮質(zhì)的發(fā)育。

【9】That's the executive control center of the brain.

前額葉皮質(zhì)是大腦的 控制決策中心。

【10】The part that manages emotions, solves problems, makes plans - all things that children have to do when they play.

控制情緒、解決問題、 制定計(jì)劃 都是兒童在玩耍時(shí) 需要完成的任務(wù)。

【11】So when we think of it that way, play is actually hard work.

這么一想,玩耍還挺難的。

【12】If learning is like a workout for the brain, then play-based learning is the heavy lifting.

如果學(xué)習(xí)可以看作 大腦的健身, 那寓教于樂就類似于舉重。

【13】And just as heavy lifting builds muscle, play-based learning builds the brain's architecture.

如同舉重可以增肌, 寓教于樂可以搭建起大腦的結(jié)構(gòu)。

【14】So then where do us as grown-ups come in?

那我們作為成年人 該扮演什么角色呢？

【15】It's those interactions when a child says something and a parent or teacher says something back, those interactions help the child to persist, to stick with their plan, to keep rebuilding the block tower each time it falls.

我們?cè)摷尤脒@些互動(dòng), 孩子說了什么, 家長或老師作出回應(yīng), 這些互動(dòng)能讓孩子 堅(jiān)持自己的計(jì)劃, 就算積木小樓塌了也能 不屈不撓,重新搭建。

【16】So it's the play paired with the adult interactions.

玩樂加上成人的互動(dòng),

【17】It's like superfood for the brain.

就像是對(duì)大腦的超級(jí)食物。

【18】The research community in supportive play is so resounding, I would expect to see children in nearly every household, every preschool and kindergarten classroom playing for most of their waking hours.

針對(duì)支持性游戲的研究 卓有成效, 我覺得以后每家每戶、 每間學(xué)前班和幼兒園 教室里的孩子 都能在醒著的大部分時(shí)間里 一直玩耍。

【19】But that's far from reality.

但是這與現(xiàn)實(shí)相去甚遠(yuǎn)。

【20】We don't see widespread uptake of play among parents or teachers, and sometimes we even see resistance.

我們沒有看到家長或教師 廣泛采取玩樂教育, 有的時(shí)候甚至?xí)行┛咕堋?/p>

【21】So what's going on?

怎么回事？

【22】What's driving us as parents and teachers to ignore the overwhelming research when it comes to play?

為什么我們作為家長和教師, 一牽涉到玩耍, 就會(huì)選擇無視豐富的研究成果？

【23】After years of teaching preschool, coaching teachers, coaching parents and analyzing my own parenting,

多年以來,我從事學(xué)前教育、 指導(dǎo)教師、指導(dǎo)家長、 分析我自己做家長的方式,

【24】I've realized our best intentions are getting in the way.

我發(fā)現(xiàn),我們不甘人后的心理 就是罪魁禍?zhǔn)住?/p>

【25】We live in a comparison culture, and we worry that our child won't be good enough.

我們的文化就是凡事都要比較, 我們會(huì)擔(dān)心自己的孩子不夠優(yōu)秀。

【26】Won't be good enough for the soccer team, won't be ready for kindergarten, won't be as smart as their classmates.

不夠優(yōu)秀加入足球隊(duì), 沒準(zhǔn)備好上幼兒園, 沒有同學(xué)那么聰明。

【27】And we worry that if our child doesn't measure up, it will be our fault.

我們擔(dān)心如果孩子落后于人, 那就是我們自己的錯(cuò)。

【28】Our hyperfocus on our children and our students's success is backfiring.

我們對(duì)孩子和學(xué)生成功的過度關(guān)注 產(chǎn)生了事與愿違的效果。

【29】And it's exacerbated by two forces I see impacting the large majority of parents and teachers.

大多數(shù)家長和老師都會(huì)受到 兩股力量的影響, 從而使事態(tài)更加惡化。

【30】First, the need for immediate gratification and quick results.

第一,對(duì)即時(shí)滿足 和立竿見影的渴望。

【31】And second, our own discomfort with play, either because we don't have the time or energy, or because we just don't know how to play anymore.

第二,我們自身對(duì)玩樂的不適, 有可能是因?yàn)槲覀儧]有 足夠的時(shí)間或者精力, 也有可能是因?yàn)?我們已經(jīng)不知道該怎么玩了。

【32】On the topic of immediate gratification, I think back to that Excel document I created as a first-year teacher.

說到即時(shí)滿足, 我想起了當(dāng)小班老師時(shí) 做的那張表格。

【33】That document was the manifestation of my anxiety, because often when we feel anxious or out of control, we revert back to what we can control.

那份文件將我的焦慮暴露無遺, 因?yàn)槊慨?dāng)我們感到焦慮 或者失去控制的時(shí)候, 都會(huì)轉(zhuǎn)向我們能控制的東西。

【34】For parents and teachers, we often revert to fact-based teaching because we see pretty immediate results that affirm our efforts.

對(duì)于家長和老師來說, 我們總是會(huì)轉(zhuǎn)而采取 基于事實(shí)的教育方法, 因?yàn)槲覀兡芸吹?證明我們付出的即時(shí)成果。

【35】Whereas we can't see the connections in the child's brain that fire when they finally get that wobbly block tower to stay standing.

但是我們看不見 孩子腦中的聯(lián)結(jié), 在讓搖搖欲墜的積木小樓 穩(wěn)穩(wěn)站住時(shí)點(diǎn)亮的那些聯(lián)結(jié)。

【36】The immediate result of something like our child learning a new letter, it gives us this dopamine rush that then sets off a flywheel effect because as we see and feel the results of our work more and more, we subconsciously begin to prioritize that type of teaching.

那些即時(shí)產(chǎn)生的成果, 比如孩子學(xué)會(huì)了一個(gè)新的字母, 會(huì)讓我們多巴胺飆升, 然后產(chǎn)生飛輪效應(yīng), 因?yàn)槲覀冊(cè)絹碓侥芸匆姟?感受到我們努力的成果, 于是就會(huì)不自覺地 優(yōu)先選擇這種教育方式。

【37】Recently, my staff was coaching a group of school principals on the importance of play.

最近,我的同事在 培訓(xùn)一群校長, 告訴他們玩樂的重要性。

【38】And one of the principals said that his teachers just weren't on board.

一個(gè)校長說, 他的老師們干不了。

【39】They said their students are too far behind to play.

老師們說他們的學(xué)生 進(jìn)度太落后了,不能玩。

【40】And those well-intentioned teachers, they were equating academic learning that their students needed with methods that would show quick, concrete results.

這些本意是好的老師, 他們將學(xué)生需要的學(xué)業(yè)教育 等同于那些立竿見影的方法。

【41】They felt really proud and accomplished when they could talk to the students' parents and say how many letters and numbers they learned that month.

他們?yōu)槟軌蚋嬖V學(xué)生家長, 他們的孩子那個(gè)月 學(xué)了多少個(gè)字母和數(shù)字, 感到十分自豪、有成就感。

【42】Because we as parents and teachers, we share this universal desire for our kids to do well.

我們作為家長和老師, 都懷有讓我們的孩子更好的愿望。

【43】And we will pour our energy and resources into making that happen.

于是,我們會(huì)傾盡精力和資源 實(shí)現(xiàn)這個(gè)目標(biāo)。

【44】And that's showing up in our spending habits.

這在我們的消費(fèi)習(xí)慣中也可見一斑。

【45】Marketers are preying on it as they advertise the latest and greatest toys, flashcards, iPad apps for brain development, even kits that claim to teach your baby to read.

營銷人員虎視眈眈, 借此宣傳最新最棒的玩具、 識(shí)字卡、iPad 益智應(yīng)用, 甚至是號(hào)稱能教你的寶寶 如何閱讀的工具包。

【46】Seriously, babies.

說真的,寶寶哎。

【47】And because we worry that our kids won't measure up, we fall prey to that.

由于我們擔(dān)心孩子落后于人, 所以我們心甘情愿任人宰割。

【48】The global market for educational toys surpassed 68 billion dollars in 2021 and is projected to reach 132 billion by 2028.

教育類玩具的全球市場(chǎng) 于 2021 年突破了 680 億美元, 預(yù)計(jì)在 2028 年以前 可達(dá) 1320 億。

【49】But those smart toys, they're a far cry from the interactive, playful learning that I was talking about earlier.

但是這些智力玩具, 和我之前提到的互動(dòng)、 充滿玩樂的學(xué)習(xí)方式相去甚遠(yuǎn)。

【50】That type of learning, the real gold standard of early education, it's not immediate.

這種形式的學(xué)習(xí)過程是 早期教育真正的黃金法則, 它不是立等可取的。

【51】It takes time and it doesn't lend itself to a checklist or an Excel document.

它需要時(shí)間, 而且不會(huì)依賴于某個(gè)清單或表格。

【52】The second force I see negatively impacting play-based learning is that we, as grown ups, parents and teachers, just don't always like hearing that play-based learning might require some of us.

第二股會(huì)對(duì)寓教于樂 產(chǎn)生負(fù)面影響的力量是 我們作為成年人, 作為家長和老師, 就是不想聽到寓教于樂 需要我們的付出這樣的說法。

【53】Because that means it will take time, energy and skills that we don't think we have.

因?yàn)檫@意味著我們得付出 我們自認(rèn)為沒有的

【54】But not only is it worth our time, it can be done in really small doses.

但是,這不僅值得我們付出時(shí)間, 而且并不需要付出很長時(shí)間。

【55】So take this simple example of bath time.

我們就舉洗澡時(shí)間 這個(gè)簡單的例子。

【56】If I'm a busy mom who has a few extra dollars to spend, I might pop my kiddo into the tub, remember that buying bath toys has been on my never-ending mental to-do list for weeks, so I whip out my phone and I use that five minutes to go over to Amazon and buy the top-rated bath toys.

如果我是個(gè)忙碌的媽媽, 有點(diǎn)閑錢, 我可能會(huì)把孩子丟進(jìn)浴缸, 幾周以來,購買洗浴玩具一直 在我腦海中那長長的待辦事項(xiàng)中, 所以我掏出手機(jī), 在亞馬遜上花五分鐘 購入了評(píng)分最高的洗浴玩具。

【57】And I'm not here to say that those bath toys are harmful for your child.

我不是想說 這些洗浴玩具對(duì)你的孩子有害。

【58】They're not.

它們不是有害的。

【59】But you're busy.

但是你很忙。

【60】So what you do with that five to 10 minutes, it matters.

但是你在那 5 到 10 分鐘內(nèi) 做的事十分重要。

【61】And you know what would be way better than scrolling Amazon and even better than those bath toys?

你知道有什么能比刷亞馬遜和 那些洗浴玩具更棒嗎？

【62】Three things that I can almost guarantee you have in your home.

我敢保證你家里一定有 這三樣?xùn)|西。

【63】Measuring cups, kitchen sponges and you.

量杯、 廚房海綿和你自己。

【64】Because a couple household materials dropped into the bathtub, and this mundane routine becomes fun and surprisingly energizing bonding time for you and your child.

因?yàn)槿绻堰@些日常用具 放進(jìn)你的浴缸, 這枯燥乏味的家務(wù) 對(duì)你和孩子來說就成為了 更加有趣、讓人振奮的聯(lián)結(jié)時(shí)間。

【65】And bonus, instead of the manufacturer-designed toy telling your child how to play, your child's brain has to do the heavy lifting.

附贈(zèng)一點(diǎn), 你沒有使用那些教孩子怎么玩的 流水線玩具, 而是依靠孩子自己的大腦 承擔(dān)重任。

【66】And that's that superfood for the brain.

這就是給大腦的超級(jí)食物。

【67】Now, over the past 10 years coaching parents, I have heard over and over again that parents don't feel good enough at their job, at parenting.

在過去 10 年的家長培訓(xùn)中, 我一次次聽到 家長感覺沒有勝任自己的工作, 即為人父母。

【68】And there's so much pressure on us, and sometimes it feels like we're supposed to innately know how to get down on the floor and build our baby's brains.

我們承受了很大的壓力, 有時(shí)候感覺我們天生就得知道 如何親身實(shí)踐, 增強(qiáng)孩子的大腦。

【69】And over the past few years, the social media world has exploded with even more advice for parents and teachers.

在過去的幾年里, 社交媒體的世界里充斥著 越來越多給家長和老師的建議。

【70】How to affirm children's feelings but still set clear boundaries.

如何判斷孩子的感受 又保持明確的界限。

【71】15 ways to use a cardboard box in your classroom.

將紙板箱用于課堂的 15 種方法。

【72】And DIY Halloween costumes that are sure to win the school costume contest.

動(dòng)手制作絕對(duì)能贏得 學(xué)校裝扮大賽的萬圣節(jié)裝扮。

【73】And as I rattle those off, I could just imagine the rolling eyes from parents and teachers, and I share that frustration.

我列舉了這么一堆, 都能想象到 家長老師的白眼, 我也知道這有多么讓人崩潰。

【74】Because sometimes all the chatter only makes us feel more pressured to get it right.

因?yàn)橛袝r(shí)這些滿天飛的信息 只會(huì)讓我們更迫切地想要做對(duì)。

【75】When it comes to our children's learning, though, we don't have to be the perfect Etsy parent or the perfect Pinterest teacher.

但是說到子女教育, 我們不必成為完美的 Etsy 家長, 或者完美的 Pinterest 老師。

【76】We have to prioritize interactions and be OK with them being imperfect.

我們需要把互動(dòng)放在第一位, 接受自己的不完美。

【77】Because it may seem silly to admit that we don't feel good at playing with our kids, but as adults, it's not always intuitive.

因?yàn)槌姓J(rèn)自己不擅長和孩子玩耍 似乎有點(diǎn)傻, 但是對(duì)于成年人來說, 玩耍并沒有那么容易。

【78】Sure, most of us played a lot when we were little.

誠然,大多數(shù)人 小時(shí)候總是在玩耍。

【79】We'd tie the blankets around their neck and bound around the house like superheroes.

我們會(huì)像超級(jí)英雄那樣 把毯子系在脖子上, 繞著房子跑來跑去。

【80】But as we grew up, that type of play wasn't encouraged anymore.

但是隨著我們長大, 這種游戲再也不會(huì)受到追捧了。

【81】And just as with any skill that we don't use, we risk losing it.

就如同我們不使用的技能, 我們有可能會(huì)喪失它。

【82】A couple months ago, my colleague and I, we were leading a workshop for parents and teachers.

幾個(gè)月前,我和我的同事 為家長和老師 組織了一場(chǎng)工作坊。

【83】And we brought materials like shaving cream and plastic straws and buttons and pipe cleaners and just asked the parents and teachers to play, to create.

我們帶來了一些材料, 如剃須膏、 塑料吸管、紐扣、 管道清潔刷, 然后讓家長和老師用它們玩, 用它們創(chuàng)造。

【84】Everyone froze.

大家都呆住了。

【85】Then, slowly but surely, people started to create.

但是大家確實(shí)逐漸開始創(chuàng)作了。

【86】And by the end of the session, their faces were lighting up as they shared their creations with the rest of the group.

在活動(dòng)結(jié)束的時(shí)候, 他們與大家分享了作品, 一臉高興的神色。

【87】And it reminded me that as adults, we have to let go of our expectation that we get it right.

這提醒了我,作為成年人, 我們得拋下必須要做對(duì)的預(yù)設(shè)。

【88】Because if we opt out of play, based on what we know about how important our interactions are to children's development, if we opt out of play, it has major implications for their brain development.

因?yàn)槿绻覀儾煌嫠? 根據(jù)我們所知 互動(dòng)對(duì)兒童發(fā)育的重要性, 如果我們不玩的話, 會(huì)對(duì)孩子的大腦發(fā)育產(chǎn)生 嚴(yán)重影響。

【89】Now I know that finding the energy to play with our kids and students can be hard.

我知道留出精力 陪孩子和學(xué)生玩可能會(huì)很難。

【90】Even in small doses, it takes our undivided attention.

就算是那么一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)精力, 還是會(huì)分走我們 全神貫注的注意力。

【91】But it's so worth it.

但這是值得的。

【92】Because in all my experience and research, I haven't found any evidence that making the homemade cookies for the school bake sale matters for your child's brain development.

因?yàn)楦鶕?jù)我的經(jīng)驗(yàn)和研究, 沒有任何跡象表明 為學(xué)校烘焙特賣 自制小餅干 對(duì)你孩子的大腦發(fā)育 會(huì)有什么幫助。

【93】I haven't found any evidence that sewing that winning Halloween costume means they'll do well in school.

也沒有跡象表明制作 獲獎(jiǎng)的萬圣節(jié)裝扮 代表孩子會(huì)在學(xué)校表現(xiàn)優(yōu)秀。

【94】But what does matter is that the interactions leave space for your child to learn, to persist, to play, to experiment.

但是重要的是, 互動(dòng)體驗(yàn)為孩子的學(xué)習(xí)、 堅(jiān)持、玩耍、試驗(yàn)創(chuàng)造了空間。

【95】You have the power to have an enormous impact on their brain development.

你有能力為孩子的大腦發(fā)育 創(chuàng)造重大影響。

【96】You are helping build the network of neural connections that lay the foundation for all of their future learning.

你在幫助他們 搭建神經(jīng)聯(lián)結(jié)的網(wǎng)絡(luò), 為他們以后的學(xué)習(xí)打下基礎(chǔ)。

【97】So this week at bath time, I hope that you'll put aside the top-rated toys, forget that mental to-do list for a moment, grab some measuring cups, some kitchen sponges, and give it a try.

所以,這周的洗澡時(shí)間, 我希望你能丟開 那評(píng)分很好的玩具, 暫時(shí)忘記腦海中的待辦事項(xiàng), 拿上幾個(gè)量杯、 幾塊廚房海綿,嘗試一下。

【98】Thank you.

謝謝。