Creating Powerful, Playful Inquiry Projects in Early Childhood
BEN MARDELL & RUTH BAXTER HESSELDAL
- How can early childhood educators fashion compelling, developmentally appropriate inquiry projects?
- How can children’s natural inclination to learn through play be part of these projects?
- What is the role of pedagogical documentation in creating powerful inquiry projects?
In this three-day certificate course, Project Zero researcher Ben Mardell and International School of Billund teacher-researcher Ruth Baxter Hesseldal draw on findings from the Pedagogy of Play project (see: www.pz.harvard.edu/projects/pedagogy-of-play and www.isbillund.com/en-gb/pedagogy-of-play/about-pop) to help answer these questions.
Day 1
The first day of this three-day workshop is an orientation to playful inquiry projects: what they are, why they are important to young children’s learning, and some challenges teachers of young children face in facilitating them. The majority of the day will be spent examining examples of playful projects. The classrooms highlighted use a variety of curricula and learning standards, and involve children from three- to six-years-old.
Day 2
The Reggio inspired tool of pedagogical documentation is the focus of day two. What documentation involves, how it can help guide teacher decision-making to bring together learning and teaching, and the practicalities of collecting and analyzing documentation will be discussed. The concept of documentation will be unpacked through conversation, hands on activities, and looking closely at different artifacts teachers can use in better understanding teaching and learning.
Day 3
Day three’s theme is “Bringing Playful Projects Home.” Participants will be supported in planning a playful project through the use of a planning tool and receiving feedback from workshop facilitators and the Early Childhood Collaborative Core.
Target Audience: Early childhood teachers and administrators.
Continuum Level: 3
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