We want our Q and A’s to be rich, meaningful and create new perspectives and angles for our community, as well as provide practical ideas. This way, our content supports practitioners completely new to developing play as well those who are more experienced.
Play and creativity are intrinsically linked. In fact, perhaps one of the key “whys” behind play is that it is a natural fertile incubator for creativity. It makes sense, then, to explore the links between play and creativity and gain conscious competence in how to intentionally enhance creativity through play.
In this “live”, we will explore:
A Ph.D. in theoretical physics, Sugata Mitra retired in 2019 as Professor of Educational Technology at Newcastle University in England, after 13 years there including a year in 2012 as Visiting Professor at MIT MediaLab in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. He is Professor Emeritus at NIIT University, Rajasthan, India. His work on children’s education include the ‘hole in the wall’ experiment where children access the internet in unsupervised groups, the idea of Self Organised Learning Environments (SOLEs) in schools, the role of experienced educators over the internet in a ‘Granny Cloud’ and the School in the Cloud where children take charge of their learning – anywhere. He received, among many global awards, the million-dollar TED Prize in 2013 and the Bock Prize in 2022.
Lead play consultant, Julie Fisher, suggests that one of the most impactful ways to develop play throughout primary, is to start from Early Years and intentionally develop play upwards. This would mean, then, to develop a robust play-focused school, we would need to ensure play in Year One is water-tight. With this in mind, we have invited, lead play consultant, Anna Ephgrave, to explore how we can embed play into Year One.
We will explore questions such as:
Anna has been fascinated by babies and young children her whole life. She has volunteered in various capacities and also has ten years’ experience as a foster parent. She has over 27 years’ teaching experience, working for many years as an advanced skills teacher and also as an Assistant Head Teacher. When in school, she led her Early Years’ teams to four consecutive Outstanding grades from Ofsted. She promotes child-led learning in which children are given autonomy and respect. She now works as an independent author and consultant, supporting practitioners both in the UK and abroad.
She has had five books published including “Planning in the Moment”. Anna now lives in Bristol splitting her time between training work and looking after her grandchildren.
One of the biggest challenges with developing play and play-based practice is covering curriculum content and curating a powerful play-led curriculum. We are given the raw materials of curriculum objectives, but how do we thread them together to create meaningful learning experiences with play at their heart? This “live” will explore these grapples, empowering us to turn those raw materials into play gold.
We will explore questions such as:
Dr Debra Kidd trained as an English and Drama teacher, and has worked with every age group from nursery through to Post Graduate and still enjoys working with teachers and children every day.
Debra completed her doctoral thesis in 2014 and her first book, Teaching: Notes from the Frontline was published in 2014. Since then there have been another three – Becoming Mobius (an adaptation of her doctoral thesis); Uncharted Territories, co-authored with Hywel Roberts and the latest, Curriculum of Hope which explores how a curriculum can be as rich in humanity as it is in knowledge.
Debra has one mantra for learning and that is ‘Make it Matter.’ Not a single piece of knowledge that mankind has ever acquired came without a desire to know the answer to a question, or to wonder what might happen if… We have to give children the impetus to want to know, to understand the imperative that drove the discovery – the story behind the glory.
Having explored how to develop playful maths, we will now dive into strategies to thread literacy into play. Both maths and literacy are central to our current educational paradigm and secure, in depth understanding of both of these areas is essential to empower our learners to succeed in school and in life. This “live” will enable us to strategise approaches to playful literacy, making it more engaging, enjoyable and ensuring learning sticks.
We will explore areas such as:
Jonny Allams has been working in primary education for nearly 30 years. A former primary school teacher and Local Education Authority adviser to two inner-London authorities, Jonny now works as an independent teaching and learning consultant for schools and training bodies throughout the UK and overseas. He specialises in training teachers to find playful ways to explore deep ideas, not just to ‘engage’ but also to teach the skills, knowledge and understanding needed for children to make maximum progress across a broad and balanced curriculum. Mainly working in areas with a history of educational underachievement, Jonny is committed to ensuring that schools design and deliver a curriculum which is relevant, rigorous and which enables ALL children to experience the joy to be found in self-betterment through education. When he’s not talking to teachers and pupils in classrooms, he can be found in his wood workshop where he designs and builds bespoke play spaces for schools, libraries and theatres.
Learning and playing outdoors has all sorts of positive benefits for our mental and physical health, as well as being a unique context for developing certain aspects of play. In this inquiry we wonder:
Juliet Robertson is an education consultant. She’s the author of two books, Dirty Teaching and Messy Maths and has written many national documents for the Scottish Government and other key Scottish organisations about outdoor learning and play. She has been instrumental in the development of Forest Kindergarten in Scotland. Previously she was a school principal and primary teacher.
Loose parts, used intentionally, can be such a powerful tool in the playful practitioner’s toolkit. Often misunderstood or not used to their full potential, loose parts can be used as powerful provocations, opportunities to unearth deeper and divergent thinking and be the spark for meaningful mathematical, scientific and verbal understanding.
With this “live” and inquiry, we gain a deeper understanding of:
Sean Walker is a lead PYP practitioner who regularly runs thought-provoking workshops and applies and develops his own pedagogy in his classroom in Paris.
As practitioners committed to play and play-based practice, it is important to gain definitions of “play” and explore different types of play. Many argue that the only “real” play is “free play”. In this “live” we will explore definitions of play and the unique potential “free play” has to offer, as well as exploring how this links to self-directed learning.
Amongst other questions, we will explore:
Peter Gray is a research professor of psychology and neuroscience at Boston College who has conducted and published research in behavioral biology, developmental psychology, anthropology, and education. He is author of an internationally acclaimed introductory psychology textbook (Psychology, Worth Publishers, now in its 8 th edition), which views all of psychology from an evolutionary perspective. His recent research focuses on the role of play in human evolution and how children educate themselves through play and exploration, when they are free to do so. He is one of the founders of the nonprofit Let Grow ,the mission of which is to renew children’s freedom to play and explore independently of adult control.
Play is a fertile ground for developing life-long learning habits - But how can we embed them, make them explicit and ensure growth, depth and breadth over time?
This "live" will explore how to intentionally deepen, broaden and strengthen habits of minds through play, whether you have "Learner Attributes", "Characteristics of Effective Learning" or "Elements of Learning Power" from the Learning Power Approach, these lifelong learning skills will transcend children's time in school. It's worth paying attention to how we cultivate them to maximise impact.
This “live” explores:
As co-author of "Powering Up Children" with world leader in learning-to-learn, Guy Claxton, and as an educator who has embedded learner habits in classrooms with 3-year olds to 70-year-olds across the globe, Becky is well-placed to inspire and challenge growth in habits of mind.
We start our journey exploring how we can become more playful and creative as adults - both in our lives in general and in our approach to our practice. As leaders of play, we know we need to model the values and approaches we aim to instill in our children, so it makes sense to start with us.
We couldn’t think of a better person to develop our approach to playful thinking than inventor, Dominic Wilcox. We are looking forward to getting inside Dominic’s mind, learning some tricks of a creative inventor’s trade and applying that to our teaching and learning.
Once we’ve warmed up our brains to more playful thinking as adults, we will be ready to dive into some playful practice. This second inquiry line will explore the nuanced links between STEAM and play.
This inquiry will build on our learning with Anne van Dam on developing play-based learning environments. Don’t worry if you missed this! All of the content is in our community to refer back to and Becky and Kym will help guide you to use provocations and content to deepen your journey and understanding.
In our community, we’re very interested in curricula and approaches that invite more playful learning and can also provide a supportive framework for learning, especially in upper primary. Trevor MacKenzie has develops inquiry-led learning, has written books and writes a blog about using systems and frameworks for inquiry. He is an advocate for learning through play and will therefore be perfect for exploring how inquiry and play link and how to develop robust inquiry practice steeped in play.
Amongst other questions, we will explore:
This will build on our learning with Kath Murdoch, which explored the links between inquiry and play. Again, you will have access to all of this content so will be able to also see these links and apply them to add depth and understanding to your practice.
During Mastermind discussions in our community last year, we often referred to the power of “Thinking Routines” to support, deepen and enhance play. Therefore, it made sense to invite in leaders from Project Zero, The Pedagogy of Play, who have spent years researching using structures, including Thinking Routines to deepen play. This inquiry will build beautifully on our learning with Trevor MacKenzie into inquiry and play, adding a layer to the robust systems for play we will be developing as a community.
During this inquiry, we will wonder:
This will build on our learning with Kath Murdoch, which explored the links between inquiry and play. Again, you will have access to all of this content so will be able to also see these links and apply them to add depth and understanding to your practice.
Arguably, one of the trickiest aspects of learning through play is documenting and evidencing the learning that is taking place. Anne van Dam is a world leader in developing meaningful documentation systems so that not a drop of learning is missed through play. This inquiry will build on our learning last year with Bill Lucas who supported us in thinking about how we might develop new assessment systems for play. Anne’s work will give more depth as to how we can develop this practically in the classroom with children as co-assessors of their learning.
We will ask:
I was born and educated in East London and have been Head Teacher for nine years of Highlands Primary School, the school I attended as a child. Highlands has been awarded The Mayor of London's Schools for Success Award for four consecutive years. I am currently Executive Head Teacher of two large primary schools and my title is Head Learning Leader.
I am an international speaker on teacher professional learning and the development of structures and cultures in schools that maximise formal and informal teacher learning opportunities. My doctoral thesis, completed in 2016, examined the factors that influence teacher learning in schools. My research draws on theories of workplace learning to provide a practical model for schools. This model is designed to develop teacher learning activities that impact directly on pupil outcomes. The model has been used to shape leadership practice across the UK and Europe and can be applied to any school context. In 2019, my research was published in my first book, 'The Thinking School - Developing a Dynamic Learning Community'.
I am really excited about the opportunity to work with colleagues within an international thinking school community that empowers staff teams to think critically and creativity. It is not difficult to lead a thinking school of empowered, critical, creative, reflective independent thinkers. I'm looking forward to see how we can a develop a similar community internationally.
I am an experienced teacher, author, university lecturer and consultant in the field of inquiry-based learning in which I have taught, written and researched for over 30 years. Based in Australia, I work in schools throughout the world to support teachers and children in using contemporary approaches to teaching and learning. Never losing sight of the privilege of working with children, I remain most at home in the classroom. I am fiercely committed to working ‘on the ground’ with children and educators as I explore the delights and complexities of bringing an inquiry stance to education. I am the author of over 15 books for teachers most recently publishing the ‘Power of Inquiry’, and the inquiry coaching cards ‘The Art of Inquiry Teaching’ and my children’s book “The Wonder of Winsome.”
I have always regarded play as the purest form of inquiry. From my earliest teaching days, providing opportunities to children to explore, experiment and engage with open-ended materials as well as inquiring in the outdoors has been an important part of my practice. For me, play extends beyond engagement with materials, it is also about playing with possibilities and ideas - allowing the kind of intellectual dexterity and agility that leads to profound meaning-making. I love bringing a playfulness to my work with teachers and children. I believe a light-touch can uncover depth in uncanny ways. The act of inquiry-teaching itself is a kind of ‘play' in that it is responsive, creative and risk, challenge and delight in equal measure.
With 16 years in the education sector, my roles have included Secondary School Drama Teacher, public speaker and up until recently, Nursery Manager. I am the Director of The Black Nursery Manager Ltd - a training & consultancy company which focuses on anti-racist practice within education and childcare.My mission is to promote inclusive practice in the education sector, with a particular focus on how race, culture and ethnicity should be considered in this practice. During my career, I’ve developed a fantastic network of like-minded practitioners and professionals, creating content on my Instagram page, delivering webinars, working closely with Local Authorities to consult on developing anti-racist strategy and collaborating with national organisations to promote this important and urgent work that we all need to do.
Supporting and building upon children’s play that they bring from their homes and communities is key to my work, as is helping schools and settings to see how they can ensure anti-racist, inclusive practice through the play opportunities they provide.
I am an experienced consultant, conference speaker, trainer and author. As well as working with schools and local authorities, I am Visiting Professor of Early Childhood Education at Oxford Brookes University and have received a lifetime achievement award for my contribution to the early years sector.
I have observed, spoken and written about the power of play for many years. Not only for children in their earliest years but for those moving through the primary school too, where I believe children benefit just as much from play and playful approaches.
For me, the adult taught curriculum only introduces and develops certain skills and knowledge in children. Important though these are, they are not sufficient. Play provides countless opportunities for more rounded learners who can think for themselves, regulate and manage their actions and activity and use their creative and imaginative selves to engage in a whole range of learning situations. Play skills are life skills, and schools that do not embrace a play-based approach are not preparing children adequately for their lives in the 21st century.
I am an expert on learning, creativity and leadership. In pre-Covid times I would travel the world to present keynotes. I am an award-winning write and have authored and co-authored over forty books and chapters and many peer-reviewed papers.
In 2017 I was appointed by the OECD as co-chair of the strategic advisory group for the 2021 PISA test of Creative Thinking. In 2018 I was invited to join the Durham Commission on Creativity in Education as an academic adviser and was subsequently co-author of its first report in 2019. I am currently curating a new online platform, Creativity Exchange, for Arts Council England. I am an international adviser to the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority in Australia, to Vinnvard in Sweden and to the OECD/CERI research into critical and creative thinking in France.
Most recently, I co-lead "Rethinking Assessment" which is researching creative ways to reimagine assessment.
I have worked as a teacher, coordinator, head of school and vice-principal at international schools in China, Singapore and Switzerland. I have been working on the IB PYP review focusing on learner agency, early years, inquiry and several aspects of 'the learning community'. I still work as an IB workshop leader and collaborate with international schools as an independent educational consultant. I also work alongside 4,5 and 6 year olds at an inner city, local PYP school in my home town The Hague.
Play has been my passion for more than 30 years. I feel very grateful for the many opportunities I have had across the world to talk about the pivotal role of play in young children’s lives. These conversations often start with thinking about the identity we give to children and their learning. I believe teams benefit from developing a shared pedagogy that centres around play, relationships, engaging learning spaces and different ways that we can document learning.
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