“ In times of stress and worry , play is often the first thing to go away , but if we ’ re thinking about self-care and prioritizing well-being , then play is the thing we need .” Christa Cooke
“ In times of stress and worry , play is often the first thing to go away , but if we ’ re thinking about self-care and prioritizing well-being , then play is the thing we need .” Christa Cooke
Christa Cooke
Kindergarten teacher Christa Cooke attended the 2024 National Conference on the Value of Play . This year ’ s theme was The Future of Play , and the conference brought together a wide range of professionals , from teachers to museum employees , landscape architects , nonprofit workers , and even an active-duty member of the U . S . Coast Guard .
“ It was exciting to see so many positive and innovative things happening all over the country , and there were even a few presenters from Finland , England , and Turkey ,” Cooke says .
She valued the perspective shared by a teacher from Ohio who presented on writing in the kindergarten classroom .
“ She shared how she made changes to her instruction and constantly reflected on the types of writing her students were interested in ,” says Cooke . “ We had a conversation about how to work within a structure but also be responsive to your students , even if that means taking risks and challenging yourself to try something different , and how to model that for new teachers .”
Along with hearing about new ideas and lessons that offered inspiration for her own teaching , Cooke says she felt validated by hearing about practices that mirrored those already in practice , either in her kindergarten classroom or at Falk .
Writer and educator Carla Gull presented on “ loose parts ” play — providing children with moveable , natural , open-ended materials — and described incorporating nature into play by including sticks , leaves , rocks , and water . These concepts were familiar to Cooke because of Falk experiences like Playlab and Falk Woods , but the presentation also gave her a new way to think about children ’ s play .
Perhaps just as important , adult play was the focus of several workshops Cooke attended .
“ In times of stress and worry , play is often the first thing to go away , but if we ’ re thinking about self-care and prioritizing well-being , then play is the thing we need ,” she says . “ I was very excited about two presenters who gave practical tips around adult play and the importance of movement breaks because they ’ re good not only for your body but also your brain .”
In one session , attendees stood up and walked backwards in a circle . In another , they stuck their tongues out .
“ It ’ s about doing something different ,” Cooke says . “ Your brain needs to pivot .”
Upon returning to Falk , Cooke created a document containing notes , book titles , article links , and other resources that she shared with her colleagues . She expects to spend some time digesting what she learned about adult play , movement , and self-care in hopes of bringing it into her teaching practice in the new school year .
In the past , she has used Falk ’ s professional development funds to attend other teacher conferences , Cooke says , adding that they ’ re great for “ poking holes in your thinking .”
“ But I loved that people came to this conference from other areas of expertise ,” she says . “ You don ’ t realize all the common threads until you ’ re all sitting in a room together .”
Sophie Esswein
Sophie Esswein is in her second year teaching music at Falk . Over the summer , she used professional development funds to take a Level I training course in the Orff-Schulwerk method , a play-based approach to teaching music .
In the Orff-Schulwerk approach , students learn through imitation , exploration , and improvisation . Students might learn folk dances or new instrumental techniques , then explore and improvise with those new ideas .
“ At its core , Orff has this idea that students imitate what teachers do , then they have time to explore whatever that concept is ,” says Esswein , who took classes at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville through the American Orff-Schulwerk Association ( AOSA ). “ A lot of the learning happens in sitting with that exploration .”
Esswein was familiar with the Orff-Schulwerk method from her undergraduate training in music education , but completing the AOSA Level I training expanded her idea of what it could be . The course also provided her with an immense trove of ideas and activities that she took with her into the new school year , from folk dances and songs to activities she could try with her students .
FALK LABORATORY SCHOOL | UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH 11