EDUC and CNS faculty host workshop on Creative Play in Elementary STEM Teaching
Jeanne Brunner & Darrell Earnest partner with Shubha Tewari of the Physics department.
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Associate Professors Jeanne Brunner and Darrell Earnest, mathematics, science, and learning technologies, joined with Senior Lecturer II Shubha Tewari, physics, to host a workshop on Creative Play in Elementary STEM Teaching on October 28.
During the workshop, teachers engaged in free play, experienced playful learning during a STEM activity, and ended with collaborative planning to incorporate play in their own teaching. This workshop was held in collaboration with the College of Natural Science’s STEM Education Institute’s Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars. Tewari serves as director of the STEM Education Institute.
"Children naturally learn about the world through play," says Brunner. "Understanding how to incorporate playful learning in STEM fields, which are often seen as more difficult to teach, helps make STEM accessible and meaningful to students. Teachers will have the chance to review some of their own lesson plans for effective incorporation of playful learning approaches, allowing them to have an immediate impact on their classrooms."
Access to STEM education is also a social justice issue, says Brunner, because people from historically marginalized populations tend to be underrepresented in STEM fields.
"Additionally, STEM classes tend not to have the same time devoted to them in the early grades as other subject areas," said Brunner. "Focusing on STEM in the early grades, using methods that align with how children naturally learn about the world (i.e., play) can help to address these issues."