The PlayLab celebrates 2020

What a year 2020 has been! We ended the year with a remote celebration and hosted a joint PhD event with the KINDknow Centre, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. Marilyn, Prabhat and Glykeria delivered their keynote at the Early Childhood Voices 2020 Conference, and we published more research papers.

Joint PhD event with the KINDknow Centre, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences

The Conceptual PlayLab, Monash University held a joint PhD event with KINDknow Centre, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences to promote international collaborations, networking and the building of research leadership.

Over two days in late November, we focussed on the cultural-historical concept of "crisis" and how it can be theoretically discussed and methodologically used in empirical research in diverse ways.

We were grateful to Associate Professor Alicja R. Sadownik, of Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and Kindergarten Knowledge Center for Systemic Research on Diversity and Sustainable Futures, for her keynote presentation on Research as an arena for migrant families’ dealing with crises of transitions to ECEC in another socio-cultural context, and to Drs. Glykeria Fragkiadaki and Prabhat Rai, of the Conceptual PlayLab, Monash University,for their keynote presentation on  Collective imagination and concept formation in play.

The PhD students also got more experience presenting their work and receiving feedback in a collegial and supportive environment, as well as being exposed to, and learning from each other's work.

Early Childhood Voices Conference Keynote

Marilyn, Glykeria and Prabhat presented one of the keynotes at the Early Childhood Voices Conference 2020, which was virtually organised by Charles Sturt University. The keynote focussed on how to create new research models for supporting early childhood research. The presentation is available here.

Latest papers

Our latest papers are now available online with open access.

1) Methodological Challenges of Studying Children in a Living Laboratory: Case example of Conceptual PlayLab

2) Programmatic research in the Conceptual PlayLab: STEM PlayWorld as an educational experiment and as a source of development. Subscribe to the journal for free to access the paper.

You can also access our latest working papers from the Conceptual PlayLab publications page.

We wish you a wonderful end of year break with your friends and family. See you in an even bigger 2021!

See our newsletter for further details.

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If you are an early childhood educator who would like to have an opportunity to participate in the Conceptual PlayLab research activities in the future, you can register your interest and join our private Facebook group - Conceptual PlayWorlds for Educators. You can also access free resources for educators. 

If you are a parent who would like to have an opportunity to participate in the Conceptual PlayLab research activities in the future, you can register your interest. You can also access free resources for families.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Other resources

Conceptual PlayWorld website
TeachSpace
Lens
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Open Invitation to attend our free joint PhD event with KINDknow Centre, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences

We are very excited to announce that the The Conceptual PlayLab, Monash University in collaboration with KINDknow Centre, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences is hosting a free scholarly event to support PhD students.

Purpose International collaborations, networking and the building of research leadership

Theme Presenting scholarly research - Research in crisis contexts

 

Focus of the event

This event is designed to open up a space for dialogue on concepts used in a number of theoretical traditions. One of these traditions is cultural-historical theory, but there are other theoretical interpretations of crisis. 

We welcome a broad range of theories for this event, and will cluster our presentations so that the concept of crisis can be shown in a diversity of ways (Day 1) and with a narrowing to cultural-historical framework (Day 2), culminating in a key presentation and discussion led by Dr Glykeria Fragkiadaki and Dr Prabhat Rai to bring together the 2 days. 

Presenters and participants will collectively discuss concepts in relation to their empirical studies. The event aims to advance thinking on concepts and promote international exchange, international research community building and networking, and to actively support the development of research leadership skills.

Date 26th – 27th of November, 2020

Day 1 26th November, 2020: 7.30-9.05 am CEST (GMT+1) & 5.30-7.05 pm AEDT (GMT+11) 

Zoom link Click here to join   

Keynote Research as an arena for migrant families’ dealing with crises of transitions to ECEC in another socio-cultural context by Associate Professor Alicja R. Sadownik, of Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and Kindergarten Knowledge Center for Systemic Research on Diversity and Sustainable Futures.

Day 2 27th November, 2020: 7.30-9.00am CEST (GMT+1) & 5.30-7.05 pm AEDT (GMT+11)

Zoom link Click here to join

Keynote Collective imagination and concept formation in play by Dr Glykeria Fragkiadaki and Dr Prabhat Rai, of the Conceptual PlayLab, Monash University.

Presenters

Poster paper presenters will be organised to share their work in relation to a set of

questions – What is aim of your research? What is the method/concepts used? What is the

(expected) result? What impact can/do/could the results have? The discussant will ask these

questions and the poster presenter will respond to these questions (rather than give a

presentation).

Please email Yuwen Ma or Yuejiu Wang if in Australia or Maria Grindheim if in Norway to express your interest in participating in this exciting 2 part day event.

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See our newsletter for further details about our app launch and other activities.

If you are an early childhood educator who would like to have an opportunity to participate in the Conceptual PlayLab research activities in the future, you can register your interest and join our private Facebook group - Conceptual PlayWorlds for Educators. You can also access free resources for educators. 

If you are a parent who would like to have an opportunity to participate in the Conceptual PlayLab research activities in the future, you can register your interest. You can also access free resources for families.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Other resources

Conceptual PlayWorld website
TeachSpace
Lens
Free app download

Sign up to receive our newsletters

Special edition featuring the PlayLab's visiting scholar Dr. Elaine Soares França from Brazil

In this post we present a spotlight on our special visiting scholar Dr. Elaine Franca from Brazil welcome our latest PhD student Monique Parkes. 

The Conceptual PlayLab brings visitors from all of the world and Australia

This year, we are fortunate to have with us Dr. Elaine Soares França, a visiting scholar from Brazil.

Elaine holds a Bachelor of Science Education degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, and a Masters and a Ph.D. in Education from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). She is also a Science teacher in a Laboratory School at UFMG. She has extensive teaching experience as a primary and secondary years educator. She has also been a tutor to several Professional Development Programs for primary and secondary years educators (in Portuguese only).

In her masters degree study entitled “Differences in the science classroom: knowing the elementary school teachers’ practices” (abstract in English), she characterized practices of science teachers. In this study the focus was on aspects related to the goal of promoting science for all, including urban students with learning difficulties.

In her doctorate degree study entitled “Building relationships between science and imagination throughout a classroom’s first three years in elementary school” (abstract in English), she investigated how relations between science and imagination are built in a classroom at Primary School. 

The theoretical methodological approach in both studies were based on elements from ethnography of education. These elements are informed by Interactional Ethnography, and Discourse Analysis, specifically, Microethnography. 

She used the notion of creative activity proposed by Vygotsky to develop broader and deeper understanding of how imagination occurs in science classes. By approaching science in the primary years with Childhood’s Sociology perspective and Cultural-historical psychology, she was able to evidence how children’s knowledge is important, makes sense, can help the group to engage in scientific activities, and support the construction of school science knowledge (abstract in English).

Her current postdoctoral research study's main objective is to investigate the analytical frameworks of the Conceptual PlayLab research group of Monash University, relating the approach that the Australian group has been developing data that emerged from a study conducted in a Brazilian school. The plan is also to establish a partnership with researchers from Conceptual PlayLab, whose work has greatly contributed to the academic discussions on the theme in focus. 

Since arriving in Melbourne in January, she has been able to visit Scienceworks, State Library Victoria, Sea Life Melbourne, and Melbourne Museum. Elaine found these amazing places are rich resources to learn science and improve imagination to better understand the world. She is hoping to be able to see more of Victoria when restrictions are further eased.

Elaine has fully immersed herself in the PlayLab, contributed to our in PhD Days, and she presented her doctoral thesis to us. Her participation in the weekly Study Group meetings and the different discussions and readings promoted by the PlayLab throughout this year has been great for the PhD community. Before March, she also helped with data collection at a Playgroup.  

Elaine said that it has been very enriching for her to learn about Australian education and she hopes to be able to remain connected with the discussions and work developed by PlayLab next year, after she leaves for Brazil in January 2021. We will certainly miss her and definitely hope to stay in touch!

Our team is still growing

We are thrilled to welcome our new PhD student Monique Parkes to the Conceptual PlayLab team. Monique has worked in several roles as an early childhood educator and teacher in Melbourne and Bangkok. Amongst the many things she is involved in, she is passionate about lifting the bar for Early Childhood Education, play, early intervention, nature, sustainability, and social issues concerning women. She is particularly interested in contemporary matters and progressivism. We’re looking forward to seeing the results of her research on STEM learning and development in early childhood educational settings.

See our newsletter for further details about our app launch and other activities.

We would love to hear from you about what this research means to you and if you would like to get involved.

If you are an early childhood educator who would like to have an opportunity to participate in the Conceptual PlayLab research activities in the future, you can register your interest and join our private Facebook group - Conceptual PlayWorlds for Educators. You can also access free resources for educators, including our STEM PlayWorlds for Infants and Toddlers video. 

If you are a parent who would like to have an opportunity to participate in the Conceptual PlayLab research activities in the future, you can register your interest. You can also access free resources for families.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Other resources

Conceptual PlayWorld website
TeachSpace
Lens
Free app download

Sign up to receive our newsletters

Our new Conceptual PlayWorld app has launched!

How do we develop scientific curiosity, mathematical logic & design and engineering thinking in young children?

As you have read on our webpage, the Conceptual PlayWorld is a new way to help children form concepts in STEM. It’s based on world-class research and designed around play.

Both parents and educators can use the model to create a new world based on a beloved story. 

In these imaginary worlds, adults and children take journeys, navigate challenges and solve problems.

It’s a new idea, and to support the process, we have launched a new app! This app has been developed in partnership with Moses Wan and Jonathan Li from the Faculty of Engineering at Monash, and Dasha Spasojevic, Tom Morgan and Jason Crow from Monash Art Design and Architecture. It is 100% free, and is designed to help you learn and experience world-class research for yourself.

The photos below show Marilyn with Professor Elizabeth Croft, Dean of Monash Engineering; Moses Wan, Conceptual PlayWorld app developer; and Marilyn with Dr. Jonathan Li, Senior Lecturer/Associate Dean Education at Monash Engineering. 

Conceptual PlayWorld app to support educators and families

This app helps you plan and implement a PlayWorld through your smartphone. It can be used in the family-home setting, just as successfully as in the classroom or early childhood settings.

This is what you will see when you open up the app.

The Conceptual PlayWorld App is your trusty companion when creating imaginary play scenarios. It helps you design a world where children are invited to go with you on exploratory journeys, navigate challenges and solve problems. 

Watch our video for further details on this app and other apps that are coming soon.

Coming soon!

Conceptual PlayWorld app in VR to support families

We also have another app which gives you the immersive experience of a PlayWorld through virtual reality.

The application’s home base is a family home.

For first time users, there is a complete tutorial. It takes the user through the app, allowing them to try each type of interaction. The tutorial is always available for the user to return to at any point.

Once the user has an understanding of the theory, they are able to immediately experience a Conceptual PlayWorld in action, through 360 degrees footage.

The main room contains 3 doors, with each door dedicated to a step in creating a Conceptual PlayWorld.

Behind the doors, you’ll find interactive scenes that contain animations, pop-ups and even the option for the user to experience the footage from a adult’s height, or at a child’s perspective.

And finally, back in the main room, there is a TV screen where the user can access the latest videos that show a range of Conceptual PlayWorlds in action. Examples can be seen of infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and even school age children with their educators going on STEM journeys.

At this point, the app has been used in live demonstrations, and, through testing as well as feedback, all our apps will continue to improve.

Under development

Also under development is an Augmented Reality app to support children's understanding of spatial relations.

For more details, please see our newsletter.

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We would love to hear from you about what this research means to you and if you would like to get involved.

If you are an early childhood educator who would like to have an opportunity to participate in the Conceptual PlayLab research activities in the future, you can register your interest and join our private Facebook group - Conceptual PlayWorlds for Educators. You can also access free resources for educators. 

If you are a parent who would like to have an opportunity to participate in the Conceptual PlayLab research activities in the future, you can register your interest. You can also access free resources for families.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Other resources

Conceptual PlayWorld website
TeachSpace
Lens
Free app download

Sign up to receive our newsletters

Reimagining early childhood for the 21st century: one year on, findings from the Conceptual PlayLab

Our public presentation Reimagining early childhood for the 21st century: one year on, findings from the Conceptual PlayLab was a great success, and last month we welcomed another PhD student to our team. We keep developing new ways to embrace technology for learning.

Our team is growing

We are thrilled to welcome our new PhD student Sharon McCormack to the Conceptual PlayLab team. Sharon is a committed and experienced educator, with a passion for learning and teaching.  Sharon’s experience stems from educational leadership roles across various sectors, including a wide range of diverse Melbourne school communities over the past four decades. We look forward to seeing the results of her research on STEM learning and development in family settings.

Public presentation: Reimagining early childhood for the 21st century: one year on, findings from the Conceptual PlayLab

We celebrated online, the outcomes of Australia’s first Programmatic Study about STEM concept formation in homes and play-based settings, one year on from its inception. Important topics and take away messages were discussed such as: Gender justice in STEM, “STEM is for me” identity, the STEM pipeline begins during infancy, supporting families in challenging times, research synergies with the discipline of engineering, VR, and AR innovations.

The presentation was facilitated by Professor Amanda Berry - Monash Education Associate Dean of Research, and featured:

Marilyn Fleer, Tanya Stephenson, Glykeria Fragkiadaki, Prabhat Rai, from the Faculty of Education and Jonathan Li and Ha Dang from the Faculty of Engineering

On May 13th, 560 viewers out of 758 live stream registrations watched the live public lecture followed by an online Q&A, on YouTube and via ongoing discussions on Twitter.

To date there have been more than 4,880 views on YouTube.  Geographic data from YouTube scopes participants from all over the world.  Due to COVID-19 restrictions, academics, early childhood educators, parents, practitioners, and other participants, gained access from the comfort of home to important worldwide research outcomes that are changing the way young children learn and develop in STEM while playing and imagining. Watch the event here.

Exciting Virtual Reality (VR) app

We are super excited to be developing VR apps as educational tools for families, early childhood education and primary school teachers, to learn about Conceptual PlayWorlds and how to implement one in their classroom or family home.  Developed by the outstanding Monash University, Faculty of Engineering student Abbey McLean, this VR app allows the user to feel as though they are entering the space of a Conceptual PlayWorld of adults and children based on the children’s book, Rosie’s Walk.  Within the 3D environment, videos appear on a TV screen to guide through the five steps of creating your own Conceptual PlayWorld. This is coming soon!

Our newsletter contains further details.

We would love to hear from you about what this research means to you and if you would like to get involved.

If you are an early childhood educator who would like to have an opportunity to participate in the Conceptual PlayLab research activities in the future, you can register your interest and join our private Facebook group - Conceptual PlayWorlds for Educators. You can also access free resources for educators, including our STEM PlayWorlds for Infants and Toddlers video. 

If you are a parent who would like to have an opportunity to participate in the Conceptual PlayLab research activities in the future, you can register your interest. You can also access free resources for families.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Other resources

Conceptual PlayWorld website
TeachSpace
Lens
Free app download

Sign up to receive our newsletters

The Conceptual PLayLab - exciting news - one year on

After spending the summer focussed on analysing our research data, writing research papers and planning our study designs for 2020, the PlayLab is again open!

Two more PhD students joined our team

Our new scholarship holders PhD students Gillian O’ Connor and Marija Sliogeris are warmly welcomed to the Conceptual PlayLab!  Gillian has a background in psychology and education. As part of the Conceptual PlayLab, Gillian’s research will follow the pathways of STEM concept formation in Early Years.  

Marija has a background as a primary school and special education teacher. Marija’s research with the Conceptual PlayLab, will focus on educators’ professional development as they build their own conceptual understandings of play and learning in STEM, and put these into practice.

Public presentation: Reimagining early childhood for the 21st century: one year on, findings from the Conceptual PlayLab

Marilyn and the team are delighted to invite you to join us on 13th May as we reveal our findings one year on from the launch of the Conceptual PlayLab.  Come and find out what the 21st century holds in store for early childhood STEM education.

Date:  Wednesday 13 May 2020

Time:  6:30pm – 8:00pm

This event is fully online via live stream and is free, but registration is essential. (link removed as event has passed)

Post event update - the video is now available here.

Continuing our collaboration with different organisations to nurture STEM interests in every young child

Keeping our research connected and accessible to the local community is a priority for the Conceptual PlayLab. We welcomed groups from Royal Botanic Gardens and representatives from the City of Casey. 

We also participated in a podcast with Playgroup Victoria. Their series of podcasts inspires families to create engaging settings for children’s learning and development of STEM in the home through play and imagination.

It is important to establish these synergies within informal settings to encourage a love of STEM for every young child!

South Australia Department of Education

Marilyn and Glykeria attended Adelaide’s Education Leaders’ Day 2020. Thank you to Department of Education, Government of South Australia, for inviting Conceptual PlayLab to attend this event.

 

Marilyn and Glykeria hosted a Deeper Learning Masterclass and a Rapid Upskill Masterclass, focusing on advancing the quality of teaching and the impact for learning in Early Childhood Settings in SA. The event was a fabulous resource of inspiration for Education Leaders! New insights were given about the connection between everyday concept and scientific concepts and a refreshing professional learning experience about play- based learning in STEM. The Masterclass ended up with one of the participants mentioning that “Three little pigs, will never be the same again!”

Working with the Victorian Government and Department of Education and Training

We welcomed Jen Nicholls, Manager and Fiona McClure from the Victorian DET to the PlayLab, where we explored a shared vision and pioneered conversations towards establishing a strong early childhood educational system in Victoria, for all children from birth to eight years! 

A professional video for the Victorian Government and the Department of Education and Training was created by Marilyn and the Conceptual PlayLab to support pioneering work introducing 3-year-old kindergarten programs in Victoria.  An extra year of play-based learning is added to Victorian children’s education! This video has been designed to support leaders in strengthening understandings and supporting them in the important work they do in leading teams. The video is part of a series of videos produced by DET. This particular video gives

• a brief overview of the latest thinking about child development
• Highlights new thinking about play and learning
• Presents an evidence-based model of practice for supporting the work of educators working in multi-age groups settings – called Conceptual PlayWorlds.

Our newsletter contains further details.

We would love to hear from you about what this research means to you and if you would like to get involved.

If you are an early childhood educator who would like to have an opportunity to participate in the Conceptual PlayLab research activities in the future, you can register your interest and join our private Facebook group - Conceptual PlayWorlds for Educators. You can also access free resources for educators, including our STEM PlayWorlds for Infants and Toddlers video. 

If you are a parent who would like to have an opportunity to participate in the Conceptual PlayLab research activities in the future, you can register your interest. You can also access free resources for families.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Other resources

Conceptual PlayWorld website
TeachSpace
Lens
Free app download

Sign up to receive our newsletters