Brad Gagnon

CEP 818
Module 7
12/4/11

The Power oI Play

As a cognitive tool Ior use in education, the Power oI Play should not be underestimated.
By incorporating Iun into an activity through the use oI a game or other Iorm oI play, the
students` participation, enjoyment, and overall success are all increased.
The Power oI Play can be experienced in many Iorms. In one way, it is a solitary
activity, in which an individual experiments Ireely with his or her surroundings, thereby learning
about previously unknown characteristics or abilities that are possible. This is reIerred to as
'practice play in the book 'Sparks oI Genius by Robert and Michele Root-Bernstein. A
second way in which one can experience the Power oI Play is reIerred to as 'symbolic play.
This type oI play is used in theater or other 'make-believe worlds. The third type is 'game
playing, and this type entails the making oI rules, the Iorming oI teams, and the element oI
competition. The Power oI Play can inspire curiosity or drive ambition that pushes students to
experience more, do more, and learn more than they would otherwise.
In the case oI brewing beer, the Power oI Play has had a great impact, and has led to an
enormous amount oI innovation. In the past two decades, the microbrewery industry has grown,
which means that a large number oI small breweries have opened creating smaller batches oI
beer or 'microbrews. The increase in microbreweries has beneIitted the customer by providing
a huge array oI beers to choose Irom. These beers are the creations oI brew masters who have
had the chance to 'play with the ingredients in beer, and have each created something unique.
Another way in which the Power oI Play has impacted the subject oI beer is through a
game called 'Beer Pong. This game is an example oI the Iirst and third types oI play described
earlier. It is a Iorm oI 'practice play, in which the act oI throwing a ball into a cup is perIormed
repetitively, leading to learning about the process, as well as that which Iills the cups (beer.)
Beer Pong is also an example oI the third type oI play described, or Game Playing, in which
rules, teamwork, and sportsmanship are involved. This game is a Iun way to experience beer,
and it is a game that almost anyone can play.
On the surIace the game is Iun, but in order to take the game to a deeper level, two
variations are possible. In the normal game, the player throws the ball into a cup Iull oI any type
oI beer. II he succeeds, the other team must drink the cup. In the Iirst variation, the cups would
be Iilled with diIIerent types oI beer, and correctly identiIying the type would lead to a bonus. In
the second variation, each throw would be accompanied by a trivia question, and each correct
answer would lead to a bonus. These two variations make the learning component much deeper
and make Iull use oI the Power oI Play as a cognitive tool.


Beer Pong OIIicial Rules:
http://www.bpong.com/wsobp/oIIicial-rules-oI-the-world-series-oI-beer-pong#I
Used with Permission.