EDEM 6603 Teaching for Joy: Play, Movement, and the Imagination in the Elementary Classroom

Teaching for Joy: Play, Movement, and the Imagination in the Elementary Classroom is organized to provide advanced candidates with explorations into the research and practices that support playful learning as a pedagogical choice. Through play, students build classroom communities, explore real and imagined scenarios, nurture cross-cultural friendships, cultivate their curiosity, and take educative risks. Together, candidates will design PK-5 environments with playful learning so that PK-5th graders leave elementary school ready to use their creativity, imagination, and problem-solving abilities to meet and exceed the college and career readiness markers for academic and professional achievement throughout their lives. In addition to reading materials, this course also has a required Play Kit component that students will need to assemble themselves. A short checklist of items will be provided. Be prepared to play.

Registration Name

Teaching for Joy

Lecture Hours

3

Lab Hours

0

Credits

3

Offered

Athens and Demorest: Fall

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon the completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Evaluate school and curriculum models that emphasize playful pedagogies.
2. Incorporate opportunities for play and performance in PK-5 content lessons.
3. Explain how play supports social, emotional, cognitive, physical, and creative development and exploration.
4. Explore the relationships between play and students’ cultural contexts.
5. Identify and discuss opportunities that children in your classroom, school, and community have for play.