POP Teacher Education Resources

Introduction

Welcome to the Pedagogy of Play (PoP) teacher education resource webpage. Here you will find materials for a 14-session course to introduce pre-service teacher candidates playful learning. Materials on this page include:

The materials were created with the support, collaboration, and feedback from over 30 teacher educators from around the globe. Feel free to adapt and hack the materials as you see fit, using all or some of the course sessions. The materials can also be adapted to use with in-service educators to promote their professional learning.

An instructor guide with detailed information about each course session
A course syllabus that can be shared with teacher candidates
PowerPoint slides for each course session
Activity Cards and Assignments that supplement information in the instructor guide
Suggested readings
Library of classroom videos from a range of age groups and geographies that can promote discussions of playful learning

Course Objectives

Here are the course objectives shared with students in the syllabus:

Through this course, you will learn:

WHY play is a core resource for learning
WHAT play looks and feels like in different cultural contexts
HOW educators can promote play and playful learning in schools, including practices and strategies for teaching and assessing learning through play
To understand and address social justice and equity issues associated with learning through play with teacher research and equity-centered teaching
To advocate for play as critical to children’s development and learning in schools
To use Playful Participatory Research to reflect on and deepen learning through play

Students will work toward these goals by exploring and discussing theoretical and empirical literature on play, engaging in playful learning activities, and viewing examples of play from real classrooms.

Syllabus (PDF)Download PowerPoint Version

Instructor Guide (PDF)Download MS Word Version

Act 1 Why do we need a Pedagogy of Play?

2 Frameworks and Theories to Understand Play

Through reading and class lecture/discussion, your students will learn about the neuroscience research that exists to understand how learning through play affects our brains
Through discussion, your students will learn about prominent theories about play and playful learning and understand that theories are tools that can help educators plan for and interpret playful learning
Through the Play Theory Gameshow, your students will practice using a range of play theories to interpret video examples of children’s play

Session 2 PowerPoint Slides (PPT)

Session 2 PowerPoint Slides (PDF)

4 Introduction to Playful Participatory Research; Advocating for Play

Knowing that students may face skepticism on the part of families, administrators, and/or colleagues about playful learning, students will explore ways to advocate for play
Introduce Playful Participatory Research through discussion of teacher research articles
Use an activity to learn about documentation and help students identify a research question for the semester

Session 4 PowerPoint Slides (PPT)

Session 4 PowerPoint Slides (PDF)

Act 2 What does learning through play look and feel like in different cultural contexts?

8 Play for All: Inclusive Playful-Classrooms

Students will learn or revisit definitions of inclusion, dis/ability, and bilingualism
Through reading, watching video examples, and discussion, students will build an understanding of what playful learning looks like in inclusive classrooms
In inquiry groups, students will begin to share documentation with colleagues and use the Looking Playfully at Documentation protocol to guide their Playful Participatory Research

Session 8 PowerPoint Slides (PPT)

Session 8 PowerPoint Slides (PDF)

POP Teacher Education Resources

Introduction

Act 1 Why do we need a Pedagogy of Play?

Act 2 What does learning through play look and feel like in different cultural contexts?

Act 3 How can we promote a Pedagogy of Play?

Resources

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