For Your Binder
The public playground paradox: "child's joy" or heterotopia of fear?
Is the playground a community within a community? How do we familiarize children with their community while also making sure the community is familiar with children, their presence and their play? #playgrounds #play #outside
The Vital Importance of a Strong Foundation: Why early learning matters
In this Not Just Cute blog post, author Amanda Morgan taps into the house metaphor I use in my PLAY book and uses true-to-life language (they were building a home at the time) that invokes both literal and figurative images of the importance of a strong foundation! #play #DAP #teaching #learning #parenting
The Having of Wonderful Ideas
An excerpt from her book of essays of the same title, it'll whet your whistle and make you realize you need to get the book! #DAP #teaching #learning #theorists
Dressing the Part
Are we disguising bad teaching with nice clothes??? #teaching
Do Preschool Teachers Value Block Play?
Get a bigger carpet! I'm making a track!!! In this session Lisa gives an overview of her masters thesis! #blocks #play #DAP #theorists #handouts
A Randomized Control Trial of a Statewide Voluntary Prekindergarten Program on CHildren's Skills and Behaviors through Third Grade
This 2015 report provides preliminary findings from the longitudinal Vanderbilt Study, which started in 2009. This study set out to identify whether or not children who participate in Tennessee PreK programs make greater gains than children who don't. #teaching #learning #DAP #pushdown
The Defining Characteristics of Play
Most of this essay is about defining the characteristics of play, but before listing them, author Peter Gray offers three general points that are worth keeping in mind. #play #teaching #learning
School Has Become Too Hostile to Boys: and efforts to re-engineer the young-male imagination are doomed to fail
Growing intolerance for boys' action-narrative-play choices may be undermining language development. #DAP #gender #teaching #learning #play #powerplaying
An experimental study of the effects of autonomy support on preschoolers' self-regulation
Autonomy is defined as a form of voluntary action (read: choice), stemming from a person’s interest and with no external pressure. When teachers support autonomy, students improve their academic performance, are more creative, better adjusted & feel less stress. But what about at home? Does parental support of autonomy influence the development of executive function and self-regulation skills? #DAP #parenting #learning #teaching
Purple Hair I Don't Care!
Let's stop using personal preferences as a measurement tool of "professionalism." #teaching
Hugs, Not Drugs
This is a bit lengthy and quite dated. Of Note: there is no publication date provided, but it references stats from the 1990s so while I wouldn't advise quoting the numbers, the general overarching premise is timely: the wildest colts make the best horses. Are we medicating to truly assist? Or to increase compliance within a broken system? #teaching #learning #DAP #movement
Monkey Bars Are a Menace! They broke my daughter’s arm. Why are they still around?
Short of cocooning our darlings in bubble wrap, nothing’s going to keep them completely safe. #play #outside #risk #movement #parenting #teaching #playgrounds