A PEDAGOGY OF PLAY Supporting playful learning in classrooms and schools

Our perspective on playful learning The ideas in this book are based on the literature about learning and play, insights from educators and researchers around the globe, and collaborative research conducted with teachers and school leaders in Denmark, South Africa, the U. [...] We end the book with the PoP Toolbox—eighteen tools and resources to support playful learning in classrooms and schools and two guides to support your and your colleagues’ explorations of playful learning. [...] An invitation to play We invite you to read this book with a playful mindset and to view the ideas, examples, and tools as opportunities to ask, “What if?” We invite you to engage with the book with a sense of possibility—to use our ideas to experiment, collaborate, and engage in the joy of learning. [...] Yet there is solid and growing evidence regarding the importance of play in learning.23 In the next chapter, we take a detailed look at the theory and research about the relationship between play and learning and how play supports learning. [...] In the middle is guided play, where students can explore and direct their learning while educators provide scaffolding and direction in service of learning goals.27 Determining the right amount of adult involvement in learning experiences— providing learners guidance and choice—is part of the art of supporting playful learning in schools.