Observing and Expanding Block Play for Infants and Toddlers
Presenter
Sarah Longwell-Stevens, Early Childhood Coach, NY Early Childhood Professional Development Institute
Session / Time
- Breakout Session I
- Thursday, April 26, 10:45 a.m. - noon
- Amersfort Room
Description
In this workshop participants will explore how infants and toddlers work with blocks to explore the world around them and construct meaning. Through observing children in videos, reflection, group discussions participants will consider the development of block building skills in these early years and how to support them in the classroom.
Often what we think of as "block play" doesn't begin until children are of preschool age. But children can be exploring, wondering and joyfully constructing and using blocks from infancy. Exploring what block play for very young children looks like and how to support children in their engagement of this material helps early childhood professionals better understand these explorations and how to expand them meaningfully.
Goals / Content / Intentionality
In this workshop participants will explore how infants and toddlers work with blocks to explore the world around them and construct meaning. Through observing children in videos, reflection, group discussions participants will consider the development of block building skills in these early years and how to support them in the classroom.
To look closer at how very young children interact with blocks and see the depth of meaning making children construct through this play.
Sarah Longwell-Stevens, Early Childhood Coach, NY Early Childhood Professional Development Institute
Presenter Bio
Beverly Falk, Ed.D., Professor and Director of the Graduate Programs in Early Childhood Education at The School of Education, The City College of New York
Beverly Falk, Ed.D., is Professor and Director of the Graduate Programs in Early Childhood Education at The School of Education, The City College of New York. She has served in a variety of educational roles: classroom teacher, public school founder and director, district administrator, research, and consultant — at the school, district, state, and national levels. Her scholarship centers on early childhood education, performance assessment, teacher education, and teacher research. Throughout her career, her work has focused on supporting understandings about how children learn so as to ensure that our youngest, most vulnerable citizens — especially those in historically underserved diverse urban communities — have access to high quality learning opportunities.
The founding editor of The New Educator, a quarterly peer-reviewed journal about educator preparation, Dr. Falk is the author of more than 150 publications. Her most recent books are Defending Childhood: Keeping the Promise of Early Education (Teachers College Press, 2012); Teaching Matters: Stories from Inside City Schools, co-authored with Megan Blumenreich (The New Press, 2012); Teaching the Way Children Learn (Teachers College Press, 2008) and High Quality Early Learning for a Changing World: What Educators Need to Know and Do (Teachers College Press, 2018).
Presenter Bio
Sarah Longwell-Stevens, NY Early Childhood Professional Development Institute
An educator for the past 20 years, Sarah has worked in a wide variety of roles in capacities. She has worked with children from birth to middle school in museums, elementary schools, private preschools, daycares, and home based settings. In all of these roles her work has revolved around observing children and creating responsive play based curricula that follows children's interests while fostering discovery, joy, and wonder in the world. She holds two Masters Degrees from Bank Street College of Education in Museum/Childhood Education and in Infant/Toddler Development/Special Education. For the past eight years she has supported adults; helping parents, teachers, and school administrators develop their skills and capacities to work with the young children in their lives. Currently as an Early Childhood Coach for PDI Sarah works as a coach with classroom teachers and school administrators to bring the same sense of joy and exploration to their work with children and teachers.
