Play Studio for Teachers is a new learning resource designed to help early childhood educators practice the art of teaching through dramatic play. The website, which is available now and accessible to anyone, features written strategies as well as videos showing educators teaching their students through play. Narrated videos explain concepts such as planning, playing and reflecting, as well as other ways of working with students, while showing these interactions between teachers and students in a real classroom setting.
Inspired by the lack of support for early childhood teachers learning how to teach through play, Jolyn Blank, an associate professor of early childhood education at the University of South Florida, and Cassidy Lee, director of the USF Preschool for Creative Learning, began collaborating on the issue. Supported by a grant from the Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood, the project began exploring what teaching through children’s play looks like in practice and how teachers could be better supported in learning to use these strategies.
“We tell early childhood teachers that play is central to children’s learning, but we spend much less time supporting them in learning how to teach through play,” Blank said. “The Play Studio makes that work visible. Teachers can watch real classroom interactions, explore different ways of stepping into and out of children’s play, and build a repertoire they can draw on while still honoring children’s ideas, agency and the integrity of their play.”
Development of Play Studio took place at the USF Preschool for Creative Learning, where teaching strategies could be worked through, discussed and revised in relation to the actual experiences of teachers and children. The process led to videos that allow teachers to explore bite-sized techniques they can bring into their own teaching.
The Play Studio also is designed to help teacher educators work with their preservice and practicing teachers, allowing these groups to watch interactions that lead to discussion, analysis and rehearsal of teaching through play.
“The Play Studio gives teachers a low-stakes space to practice the complex work of teaching through play,” Lee said. “They can see the roles and strategies in action through classroom video, think through the possibilities before entering children’s play, and practice moving in and out of different roles. Through cycles of trying, reflecting and trying again, teachers can become more intentional and responsive in the moment.”
To learn more about Play Studio for Teachers or to use the available resources, visit the Play Studio website.