For Your Binder

This used to be part of the supplementary handouts for the Meet the Masters workshop which is being edited to present a more accurate (and diverse) time line of ECE influencers. The info is now embedded in the block play workshop.  Regardless, it is a good stand alone resource if you'd like a quick crash course in the history of the blocks you probably have in your program! #blocks #theorists #play #handouts #teaching

New research shows that teaching kids more and more, at ever younger ages, may backfire! #play #teaching #learning #pushdown

In this brief update from Boston College, guest editor Peter Gray gives an overview of the articles appearing in the August 2011 issue of The American Journal of Play in which he had a few pieces. #play #teaching #learning #parenting

I've included this resource mainly for the image you'll see when you click the link (although it's not an off-base blog post by any means!) I wanted you to see Mitch Resnick's Creative Learning Spiral without (full disclosure: forgive me) all of the MIT tech speak, including descriptions of the technologies he's created, that usually fill the articles that contain the image.  I love this image.  I also believe when children are playing they tap into this cycle of creativity without needing to scratch any crickets.  #play #DAP #creativity

Play in a mixed age group is more creative than competitive.  #mixedages #play #learning #teaching #DAP

Might some of the chaos found in the study of play theory be due to the lack of clarity about the popular cultural rhetorics that underlie the various play theories and play terms?    This link will take you to a stand alone chapter (written by Sutton-Smith) of The Game Design Reader:  A Rules of Play Anthology by Katie Salen & Eric Zimmerman, 2006.  If Sutton-Smith is new to you, this will be a good warm-up before you dive into his 1997 classic, The Ambiguity of Play.   #play #theorists

A wonderful introduction to playwork as well as some key concepts and phrases. It also provides an overview of the play types as identified by Bob Hughes as well as tons of resources & notes at the end.  It might only be 20 some-odd pages, but for a small little book, it packs a punch!  #playwork #DAP #play #teaching #learning

When we think we meet children who “don’t know how to play”, is our assessment accurate?  Is play a skill or an instinct?  Or both? #play #playwork #teaching #learning

In a nutshell - nope. Read it anyway and get the details! #DAP #teaching #learning #reading #play

The purpose of the paper is to explore the current state of recess, identify best recess practices and disseminate effective ways to advocate for recess. #recess #play #outside #movement #teaching

Books are sometimes windows to new worlds; real, imagined or strange. Sometimes books are sliding glass doors we walk through so we can join that world in our imagination. Books can also be mirrors; reflections of our own lives and experiences. This classic article reminds readers of the importance of offering books that provide all three.  All of our children suffer when stories only mirror the dominant social group. This article might perhaps a much needed conversation about the contents of your book center! When I first read it I ended up launching myself down a very interesting rabbit hole and spent a fine afternoon reading articles that, albeit very dated, are probably still timely regarding the all white world of children's books. #reading #books #stories #teaching #learning #equity #inclusion #diversity #DAP #language #literacy

Wordless books demand more from adults as readers: collaboration, improvisation and engagement. #books #stories #wordless #reading #KidLit