Temple University in Philadelphia has announced a five-year, $19.98 million grant from the LEGO Foundation in support of the work of professor Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and her team. 

The grant will support the team’s efforts in school districts in four states (California, Illinois, Texas, and Virginia) as they employ a socially interactive and playful learning model that follows children from preK through fourth grade. Hirsh-Pasek, her long-term collaborator Roberta Golinkoff of the University of Delaware, and their team developed a learning model that brings active, engaged, socially interactive and joyful classrooms or playful learning to teaching. The model has been piloted in schools in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New Hampshire, paving the way for a more sustainable, large-scale study of the playful learning approach.  

The project, which prioritizes under-resourced schools, aims to work with communities, districts, and teachers to support a teaching approach that is culturally inclusive, builds on how human brains learn, and prepares students with the skills they need to thrive. 

“The first step is to respect cultural values and find out where the community values lie—what is important to parents, what do people care about?” said Hirsh-Pasek. “In our research, and in the method that we're using for education, we bring parents and the community in as partners.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Fat Camera)