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Category: Schools & Learning
Staying self-regulated in the classroom: The role of children’s executive functions and situational factors
24 July 2024
We wanted to explore how an individual child's self-regulation might vary between different activities.
Creating Classrooms for Change: Developing cognitive flexibility in schools in Rwanda
1 March 2024
This research looked at how schools in Rwanda foster students’ skills for adaptability - their capacity to create, innovate and adjust to shifting circumstances. It uses the psychological lens of cognitive flexibility. Findings highlight teachers’ activities to make lessons more practical and participatory, but also the ongoing obstacles posed by overcrowded classes, resource constraints, inadequate training and limited contact time.
The complex possibilities of play in schools
5 December 2023
In this lecture Dr James Biddulph and Aimee Durning (University of Cambridge Primary School) discuss play’s place in the curriculum, and how they have used play to nurture and promote mental wellness for some of the most vulnerable children within their school community. This presentation was recorded on 7th September 2023 as part of the […]
Playful approaches to research
5 December 2023
In this workshop, Dr Beth Barker, Dr Kelsey Graber, and PhD students Sydney Conroy and Carolyn Mazzei (PEDAL) discuss how play itself can be used as an ethos and a tool to support our explorations of play, development, and learning in childhood during our research studies. They discuss ways that play factors into our research […]
Play in South African autism schools: why are formalised ethical processes important?
3 May 2023
Why are culturally sensitive approaches to research ethics so important?
An Introduction to the TRAIL (Teachers Reflecting on Agency in Learning) Programme
1 December 2022
Teachers Reflecting on Agency in Learning (TRAIL) is a professional development programme designed to support early years and primary educators in implementing rigorous, child-centred practices that promote agency in children. Many educators are unsure how to balance their role as a guide in children’s learning with children’s exploration and curiosity. In TRAIL, we support educators […]
Ruptured school trajectories: understanding the impact of COVID-19 on school dropout, socio-emotional and academic learning using a longitudinal design
1 December 2022
Stephen Bayley, Prof Paul Ramchandani, Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre, Addis Ababa University, RISE Ethiopia
Exploring the Perceptions of Teachers and Parents on the Use of Play-Based Pedagogy in Kenya
8 September 2022
In this talk, PEDAL PhD student Domnick Okullo presents their doctoral research project – which explores teachers’ and parents’ perceptions of the use of play-based learning in preschools in Kenya. This presentation was recorded on the 8th September 2022 as part of the PEDAL Play Conference, an event which brought together play researchers interested in […]
Pedagogy of Play: What Playful Learning Involves (And Why It Is Important)
8 September 2022
Around the world, research trends are showing that there is more play and playfulness in schools. From age four to fourteen (and beyond), children are leading their own learning, exploring the unknown, and finding joy in facing challenges at school. However, most students beyond early childhood do not currently have the opportunity to learn playfully […]
Scoping the evidence: Hands-on learning with physical manipulatives
6 July 2022
How can physical manipulatives encourage children's active engagement in everyday learning?