Play Captains on Play Streets: A Community-University Playful Learning and Teen Leadership Collaboration

Molly Schlesinger,Kathy Hirsh-Pasek,Rebecca Fabiano,Jeremy Sawyer

doi:10.33596/coll.54

Abstract

Playful Learning Landscapes (PLL) merges playful learning pedagogy with community spaces to create playful learning opportunities for children, families, and communities. Prior PLL projects have demonstrated effectiveness in enhancing social interaction between children and caregivers by creating opportunities for social interaction derived from the learning sciences literature. In the present case study, a university-based team of PLL researchers partnered with a local community-based organization (CBO) that provides educational, skill building, and job training opportunities for teens in low-income neighborhoods. PLL provided consultation and training to transform the CBO’s Play Captains program into a Playful Learning program where local teenagers led playful learning activities for children on city streets (Play Streets) that were closed to vehicular traffic by Philadelphia’s Parks and Rec department. The teen Play Captains also conducted research observations of children on streets and completed surveys that assessed their own personal growth as a result of their experiences as Play Captains. Results suggest considerable social interaction and use of learning language among children on the Play Streets where Play Captains ran playful learning activities and significant increases in Play Captains’ self-confidence and understanding the benefits of playful learning. We discuss key lessons learned that can help to inform future university-community playful learning collaborations.

Highlights

Children’s experiences in school are critical to development, growing research indicates equal importance of opportunities available to children during the 80% of their waking hours spent outside of school (Meltzoff, Kuhl, Movellan, & Sejnowski, 2009)
We present a case study of a university-community partnership integrating cross-age peer mentoring, positive youth development, and evidence from the learning sciences into a communitybased playful learning program (Karcher, 2009)
This case study aimed to examine the impact of playful learning programming for youth on the Play Streets of Philadelphia, as well as to assess the growth of the teens who ran these activities

Summary

Introduction

Children’s experiences in school are critical to development, growing research indicates equal importance of opportunities available to children during the 80% of their waking hours spent outside of school (Meltzoff, Kuhl, Movellan, & Sejnowski, 2009). Budget cuts dramatically impact schools that routinely face limitations like minimal supplies, unsafe buildings, overfilled classrooms, and a lack of resources to address children’s social-emotional and health needs This educational austerity especially impacts children living in economically precarious situations increasing the challenge of providing children with the basic skills to thrive. With exposure to activities that complement in-school learning, children living in high-poverty environments make gains similar to their higher-income peers during the summer, or at least show a small loss (Slates, Alexander, Entwisle, & Olson, 2012) This suggests that playful learning in community settings may be especially valuable during the summer, as implemented in the current case study. Community members spent increased time at the libraries, engaged in more social interactions, used greater literacy and spatial talk, and displayed more positive affect in the playful learning library spaces than previously (Hassinger-Das, Zosh, Hansen, Talarowski, Zmich, Golinkoff, & Hirsh-Pasek, 2020)

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion