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Alpha Stage
Playing at the Workplace
March 14, 2007
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The L.A. Times is running a story entitled, "More Employers
Allow Some March Madness at Work." The article's subtitle
reads, "More companies are allowing time for sports and
personal tasks to help boost morale."

The article states, "Recognizing that workers are toiling longer
hours and seeking to accommodate the most talented producers,
many employers are becoming more tolerant of employees who
use work time for playtime or personal tasks."

I can't help but wonder what teachers could learn from this
workplace practice, if anything.

Read a Similar Article!!


Discussion-Starters for Younger Children

  • If your students could play any game one day this week,
    what would they want to play? Why? What does it mean
    for something to be fun?
  • Consider asking your students to demonstrate the
    game that they would want to play through a silent
    skit, similar to charades. Other students can guess
    the game.

  • Do your students think that having fun is just for children,
    or can adults have fun too? Encourage them to explain
    their thoughts.
  • Consider developing a T-Chart with students. On
    one side they can explain why it is important for
    children to have fun. On the other side they can
    explain why it is important for adults to have fun.
    The entire class could develop a T-Chart together.

  • What do your students think their parents like to do for
    fun? Why do they think this way? What do they think you
    like to do for fun?
  • Consider asking students to interview their parents
    to find out what they like to do for fun. Students
    could make predictions on one day and then check
    the accuracy of those predictions on the next day.

  • What are your students' favorite Internet websites. Why
    do they like these websites?
  • Consider asking students to create their own
    Internet website. If you don't have the resources to
    make real websites, students could draw pictures
    depicting their ideal websites.


Discussion-Starters for Older Students

  • Vocabulary terms to discuss: "Vehicle for Building Ties";
    Morale; Festooned; and, Employee.

  • Do your students think that employees should be allowed
    to watch sporting events and surf the Internet, even as
    they are getting paid for being at the office working?
    Why/why not?
  • This question could prompt an interesting class
    discussion.

  • Ask your students to explain the following statement: "All
    work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy." Do they
    think that this is a true statement? Why/why not?
  • Students could respond to this prompt in an essay
    or a quick-write format.

  • Is it fair for the head of an architecture firm to call one of
    the architects who works at the firm, at home in the
    evening? Why/why not? Under what conditions might it
    be acceptable? Under what conditions would it not be
    acceptable? Explain!
  • Consider asking students to develop a list of rules
    explaining when it is appropriate for a boss to call a
    worker at home, after-hours, and when it is not
    appropriate. Do the rules change depending on the
    type of job? Why/why not?

  • Do your students think that students should be allowed to
    watch sports games on television at school during the
    day? Why/why not? In what ways are schools and
    workplaces similar? In what ways are they different?
  • Consider asking students to compare schools to
    workplaces using Venn Diagrams.
Google
 
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