Let's Play: Teaching Strategies for Playful Learning

Details

This event is from Project Zero — confirm details there before registering.

Who it's for

Subjects

Topics

Discover the core principles and practices of playful learning—and design and try out a playful learning approach in your own context!

Play is central to how children learn. Yet incorporating it into a formal school setting can be challenging because the nature of play and the nature of school are often at odds. Engage with the core principles and practices of playful learning, and based on these ideas, develop your own "Indicators of Playful Learning." Then, design and try out a playful learning approach in your context. Receive feedback on your experience and how you can improve.

Overview

• Consider the opportunities and challenges of incorporating play into the classroom
• Explore ways to bring more playful learning into your contexts through hands-on activities, illustrations from classroom and online practice, and experimenting with playful learning and teaching tools both online and in-person (when possible)
• Develop your own "Indicators of Playful Learning"
• Design (or redesign) a part of your practice, looking for ways to make it more playful and get feedback from your team
• Try out your designed/redesigned activity, then reflect and share with your team about how it went and possible next steps for improvement

Who Should Participate

• Teachers, teacher leaders, and school administrators and leaders from early childhood through the end of middle school grade levels
• Museum educators and educators working in informal learning environments
• Facilitators of early childhood through middle school grades

Time Commitment

• Team Meeting: This 1-hour live, synchronous team meeting happens every week, scheduled and facilitated by the team members with PZ-designed agenda.
• Reading, Practice, and Assignments: Plan remaining time for reading and individual reflections/assignments. If you are not currently working in a school or educational organization, you will need a classroom context or a consistent group of students with whom you can try out/practice the ideas you are learning throughout the course.

Tuition, Discounts, and Financial Aid

• $355 for educators joining as part of a team (three to six members from the same organization)
• $385 for educators joining as part of a team of two (from the same organization) who will be placed on a virtual team with other teams of two (as attendance allows)
• $399 for educators joining as individuals to be placed on a virtual team

Questions?

Visit the FAQs page for more information on PZ online courses, or email pzlearn@gse.harvard.edu.

Instructor

Megina Baker has over twenty years of experience as an early childhood teacher, teacher educator, and education researcher, both in the United States and in Sweden. Megina holds a Ph.D. from Boston College in Curriculum and Instruction, and degrees from Tufts University and Cornell University in Early Childhood Education and Human Development, respectively. She is currently a Program Developer for the Boston Public Schools Department of Early Childhood, where she designs curriculum and professional learning for…

Schedule

• Session 1 — Mon, Apr 5, 2027
• Session 2 — Mon, Apr 12, 2027
• Session 3 — Mon, Apr 19, 2027
• Session 4 — Mon, Apr 26, 2027