Open Discussion Forum

Carol,

Thank you for your questions. I, too, am a "Recovering Workaholic" and tend to take my work as a teacher educator very seriously. I think the best way to offer play in my work as a professor is to provide students with as much choice as possible and encourage exploration and opportunities to learn from "trial and error". The university I work with is dedicated to innovation and meeting student's individual needs in order for them to be successful. This is the same philosophy many Early Childhood Programs embrace for young children and I am proud to follow a parallel process with Early Childhood Professionals as well.

Another playful avenue is facilitating relationships between students. I incorporate as much interaction as possible in both synchronous and a-synchronous platforms. When I was an administrator of a group center the biggest deterrent to providing "play" for the educators was time. I think we, as administrators and teacher educators have a responsibility to make sure educators have time to talk with one another, whether it is joking, researching solutions, mentoring, or just "chillin".

I remember visiting a Reggio-inspired center in St. Louise and observing the results of a staff brainstorming session. I seem to recall that the educators spent about an hour each day in collaborative sharing of questions and ideas. The level of creativity and enthusiasm was compelling. Call it reflective practice, teamwork, or self-care. It boosts morale and satisfies the needs of the soul at any age.   

Carol,

Thank you for your questions. I, too, am a "Recovering Workaholic" and tend to take my work as a teacher educator very seriously. I think the best way to offer play in my work as a professor is to provide students with as much choice as possible and encourage exploration and opportunities to learn from "trial and error". The university I work with is dedicated to innovation and meeting student's individual needs in order for them to be successful. This is the same philosophy many Early Childhood Programs embrace for young children and I am proud to follow a parallel process with Early Childhood Professionals as well.

Another playful avenue is facilitating relationships between students. I incorporate as much interaction as possible in both synchronous and a-synchronous platforms. When I was an administrator of a group center the biggest deterrent to providing "play" for the educators was time. I think we, as administrators and teacher educators have a responsibility to make sure educators have time to talk with one another, whether it is joking, researching solutions, mentoring, or just "chillin".

I remember visiting a Reggio-inspired center in St. Louise and observing the results of a staff brainstorming session. I seem to recall that the educators spent about an hour each day in collaborative sharing of questions and ideas. The level of creativity and enthusiasm was compelling. Call it reflective practice, teamwork, or self-care. It boosts morale and satisfies the needs of the soul at any age.   

Carol,

Thank you for your questions. I, too, am a "Recovering Workaholic" and tend to take my work as a teacher educator very seriously. I think the best way to offer play in my work as a professor is to provide students with as much choice as possible and encourage exploration and opportunities to learn from "trial and error". The university I work with is dedicated to innovation and meeting student's individual needs in order for them to be successful. This is the same philosophy many Early Childhood Programs embrace for young children and I am proud to follow a parallel process with Early Childhood Professionals as well.

Another playful avenue is facilitating relationships between students. I incorporate as much interaction as possible in both synchronous and a-synchronous platforms. When I was an administrator of a group center the biggest deterrent to providing "play" for the educators was time. I think we, as administrators and teacher educators have a responsibility to make sure educators have time to talk with one another, whether it is joking, researching solutions, mentoring, or just "chillin".

I remember visiting a Reggio-inspired center in St. Louise and observing the results of a staff brainstorming session. I seem to recall that the educators spent about an hour each day in collaborative sharing of questions and ideas. The level of creativity and enthusiasm was compelling. Call it reflective practice, teamwork, or self-care. It boosts morale and satisfies the needs of the soul at any age.   

Great discussion and I find this angle on play really useful. I hope we can continue to gather concrete ideas, because I could really use them!

Directors I work with often complain about teachers texting during classroom time and bunching up and chatting during outside time, rather than interacting with students. 

Of course this is problematic, but as with children, "challenging behavior" needs to be seen as a form of communication, and what I "hear" is the isolation teachers feel in a room with children all day and the desperate need for meaningful interactions with adult peers. 

I'm interested in thinking about the structure of our profession, and how to build in social time for adults that fits within the mission of caring for and teaching children. I think that exploring the idea of adult play may lead to interesting new ways to conceptualize the job.

Carol,

Thank you for your questions. I, too, am a "Recovering Workaholic" and tend to take my work as a teacher educator very seriously. I think the best way to offer play in my work as a professor is to provide students with as much choice as possible and encourage exploration and opportunities to learn from "trial and error". The university I work with is dedicated to innovation and meeting student's individual needs in order for them to be successful. This is the same philosophy many Early Childhood Programs embrace for young children and I am proud to follow a parallel process with Early Childhood Professionals as well.

Another playful avenue is facilitating relationships between students. I incorporate as much interaction as possible in both synchronous and a-synchronous platforms. When I was an administrator of a group center the biggest deterrent to providing "play" for the educators was time. I think we, as administrators and teacher educators have a responsibility to make sure educators have time to talk with one another, whether it is joking, researching solutions, mentoring, or just "chillin".

I remember visiting a Reggio-inspired center in St. Louise and observing the results of a staff brainstorming session. I seem to recall that the educators spent about an hour each day in collaborative sharing of questions and ideas. The level of creativity and enthusiasm was compelling. Call it reflective practice, teamwork, or self-care. It boosts morale and satisfies the needs of the soul at any age.