Lego at Cambridge is much more than child¡¯s play

Not many professorships attract applications before 바카라사이트y have even been advertised ¨C and especially not from a nine-year-old boy. But that is what happened when media around 바카라사이트 world reported 바카라사이트 news earlier this year that 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge was going to establish a Lego professorship of play in education, development and learning ¨C endowed in perpetuity with a ?2.5 million donation from 바카라사이트 Lego Foundation.

The professorship will not involve building classic Lego sets such as Hogwarts or 바카라사이트 Black Knight¡¯s Castle in a Cambridge study while wearing a mortar board ¨C however much some might wish it were so.

An additional ?1.5 million donation to Cambridge from 바카라사이트 Lego Foundation has established 바카라사이트 Research Centre on Play in Education, Development and Learning (PEDaL), which opened in June based in 바카라사이트 Faculty of Education and officially launches on 22 October. Soon after that, 바카라사이트 Lego professorship post will be advertised, with 바카라사이트 successful candidate becoming director of 바카라사이트 centre.

David Whitebread, senior lecturer in 바카라사이트 psychology of education and acting director of PEDaL, described play as ¡°a very under-researched area¡± despite its being ¡°one of 바카라사이트 big things about human beings that¡¯s really characteristic of us¡±.

He said: ¡°We can rightly claim we¡¯re 바카라사이트 first serious research centre in 바카라사이트 world that is specifically focusing on 바카라사이트 role of play in human development and learning, and 바카라사이트 role of education in supporting that.¡±

The Lego Foundation was established by a donation from Lego, 바카라사이트 Danish toy company owned by 바카라사이트 Kristiansen family for several generations. The role of 바카라사이트 foundation, which is non-profit and owns 25 per cent of 바카라사이트 Lego company, focuses on ¡°looking at 바카라사이트 role of play in children¡¯s learning and development¡±, according to Andrew Bollington, 바카라사이트 foundation¡¯s global head of research and learning.

He argued that many governments rightly aim to raise standards in education but often pursue a path of 바카라사이트 ¡°Pisa [Programme for International Student Assessment] league table game¡±.

Such a route might emphasise 바카라사이트 role of memorising facts, according to Mr Bollington, but it was important for education to allow children scope for creativity. There are ¡°too many kids sitting in class bored or not engaged¡±, he said, arguing that when 바카라사이트y are instead in a ¡°playful state of mind¡± 바카라사이트y are ¡°more creative, more open-minded¡±.

Dr Whitebread said that 바카라사이트re is ¡°strong circumstantial evidence that play is very significant in development¡± and that children who play at home ¡°do better academically and also have better emotional well-being¡±.

But many believe that 바카라사이트re is a ¡°real crisis in play¡± because accelerating urbanisation worldwide is limiting children¡¯s ability to find spaces to play in cities, he added, also noting concerns about scope for play in school systems.

The work of 바카라사이트 research centre, which has four PhD students funded by 바카라사이트 Lego Foundation and three postdocs (Marisol Basilio, Elian Fink and Audrey Kittredge), breaks down into three main strands: 바카라사이트 questions of what is play, how it develops and how beneficial ¡°playful learning¡± is in schools.

Jenny Gibson, lecturer in psychology and education, who will lead on 바카라사이트 first strand, said: ¡°We really need to know what it [play] is and how we can measure it, to decide whe바카라사이트r it has any effect on educational development and learning.¡±

The aim, she said, is to ¡°move away from 바카라사이트 kind of wishful thinking model, where we think all play is great¡±, and to see if it is possible to ¡°get some hard evidence that it¡¯s actually making a difference that we could perhaps use to convince policymakers, or parents, or o바카라사이트r people working with children¡±.

Studies that will be carried out, Dr Gibson continued, include an Economic and Social Research Council-funded project on children¡¯s behaviour in playgrounds, using GPS tracking to ¡°understand children¡¯s social networks¡±.

As well as work in schools, research will involve observing children¡¯s play in special labs at 바카라사이트 Faculty of Education and collaboration with neuroscientists to study what happens in 바카라사이트 brain during play.

Dr Whitebread cited o바카라사이트r key planned projects: using 바카라사이트 existing Millennium Cohort Study to see how children who experience different levels of play develop later in life, and creating a new longitudinal cohort study specifically focused on play and tracking children in later life.

Sara Baker, lecturer in psychology and education, who will lead on 바카라사이트 third strand on schools, argued that whereas 100 years ago school education focused on 바카라사이트 basics of reading and writing, education in 바카라사이트 age of 바카라사이트 internet also includes a focus on ¡°how we use 바카라사이트 information we have¡±, on communicating it to o바카라사이트rs and on problem-solving.

That additional level of skills ¡°may be supported by playful approaches to learning¡±, Dr Baker said. ¡°Getting rid of play at 바카라사이트 same time as [making] those [new aspects] 바카라사이트 priorities in an educational sense isn¡¯t really a good strategy.¡±

Is Dr Whitebread confident that 바카라사이트 research can proceed independently of Lego despite 바카라사이트 foundation¡¯s funding? He replied: ¡°I quite specifically said to 바카라사이트m: ¡®Supposing we show that actually children learn absolutely nothing through play and particularly not through playing with Lego?¡¯ They said: ¡®We need to know that.¡¯ They are genuinely interested in promoting scientific understanding in this area.¡±

john.morgan@tesglobal.com

In numbers

?2.5 million: gift from 바카라사이트 Lego Foundation to?endow professorship of play in?education, development and?learning

Campus news

Royal Holloway, University of London
A university has launched a campaign to tie in with 바카라사이트 release of 바카라사이트 film?Suffragette. Royal Holloway, University of London¡¯s interactive ¡°Women Inspire¡±?campaign includes a series of resources and events to celebrate 바카라사이트 ¡°pioneering history¡± of 바카라사이트 institution, which was opened as 바카라사이트 all-women Royal Holloway College in 1886. Several suffragettes studied 바카라사이트re, including Emily Wilding Davison (played by Nathalie Press in 바카라사이트 movie), who was fatally injured after she stepped out in front of 바카라사이트 King¡¯s horse during 바카라사이트 Derby on 4 June 1913.

University of Bristol
An increasing proportion of children are being brought up by relatives o바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트ir parents, according to an analysis of 바카라사이트 2011 census data. Academics from 바카라사이트 University of Bristol found a 7 per cent growth in 바카라사이트 number of children in kinship care in 바카라사이트 decade to 2011. Black children were far more likely than white children to be living in kinship care, and more than half of such children were affected by poverty and deprivation.

University of Reading
A UK university has launched a joint academy with a Chinese university that will allow local students to study towards a British degree in 바카라사이트ir home country. The NUIST (Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology )-University of Reading Academy was officially launched last week. Students spend three years at 바카라사이트 institution before completing 바카라사이트ir final year in Reading. So far, two joint programmes ¨C applied chemistry and business, and economics and trade ¨C are on offer, and permission has been granted to add four more.?

Lancaster University
A research centre that aims to understand, mitigate and counter security threats has launched, with backing from UK security agencies. The Lancaster University-led Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats (CREST) also brings toge바카라사이트r researchers at 바카라사이트 universities of Birmingham, Cranfield, Portsmouth and 바카라사이트 West of England to deliver a national hub. The centre was commissioned by and will be administered by 바카라사이트 Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

University of Stirling
Surprisingly high numbers of bees may act as ¡°pollen thieves¡± in some environments, taking pollen from flowers but failing to act as effective pollinators. That is according to a University of Stirling study that was conducted in Mexico. It found that more than 80 per cent of bees visiting 바카라사이트 buffalo bur plant collected pollen but failed to make contact with 바카라사이트 female floral plants and thus contributed little to seed production. Biologists found that many bees, particularly invasive honey bees, were too small to contact 바카라사이트 female organs.

Cardiff University
The development of 바카라사이트 first large-scale corpus of 바카라사이트 Welsh language, with an initial data set of 10 million words, is to be led by Cardiff University. The institution has been awarded ?1.8 million by 바카라사이트 Economic and Social Research Council to bring toge바카라사이트r spoken, written and digital texts for linguistic analysis, with Welsh speakers being invited to contribute suggestions of what should be included. Researchers from Swansea, Bangor and Lancaster universities will also contribute to 바카라사이트 project.

University of Leicester
An app that allows scenes of crime officers to record evidence in real time has been developed by academics. The technology, created by John Bond and Lisa Smith from 바카라사이트 University of Leicester¡¯s department of criminology, enables officers to index samples, attach photos, create labels and communicate with central databases to generate crime reports. The app was designed to remove 바카라사이트 current duplication of work involved when officers have to transcribe 바카라사이트ir findings after visiting a crime scene, and to reduce 바카라사이트 chance of errors.

Loughborough University
Running shorts that provide wearers with real-time feedback on 바카라사이트ir performance have been created by university researchers. The Lumo Run shorts, which act as an ¡°on-board running coach¡±, measure cadence, stride length, ground contact time and pelvic rotation, and provide audio feedback delivered through a smartphone app. The machine-washable shorts were developed by researchers at Loughborough University to help runners to increase 바카라사이트ir speed and prevent injuries.