Early Childhood Faculty Present on Play-Based Curriculum at STEM Conference

St. Margaret’s Early Childhood School director Cris Lozon and Early Childhood School teacher Jennifer Hardison presented last week at the Early Childhood STEM Conference in Pasadena, sharing St. Margaret’s play-based, research-based approach to early-childhood education and a long-term project that stemmed from it.

The presentation was titled “Up, Up And Away: An Interdisciplinary Kite Study With Preschoolers” and started with Dr. Lozon sharing the theories and extensive research that set the foundation for the practices at St. Margaret’s Early Childhood School.

Mrs. Hardison then detailed how she took her classroom’s interest in kites and turned it into a long-term study that used science and engineering practices and enhanced several cross-cutting concepts. The project even captured the attention of an Upper School world history class who visited often during their own study of the Knowledge Revolution.

“It was very well-received,” Dr. Lozon said of the presentation. “The attendees’ interests and questions after our session centered on how we are able to do the work we do using play. We talked about our schedule, our parent education, and how watching children's play informs our work in the classroom with a negotiated emergent curriculum.”

 

Dr. Lozon and Mrs. Hardison also shared details of the project at the Association for Constructivist Teaching Conference earlier this school year at the University of Michigan, alongside Early Childhood School teacher Debbie Herrera.