If You Are an Early Childhood Educator or a Parent Who...
-
Is ready to give the children in your life an authentic childhood full of play and learning . . . then this course is for you.
-
Is ready to more fully understand how children “teach” themselves through their play . . . then this course is for you.
-
Is ready to know how to specifically support children as they learn through play . . . then this course is for you.
-
Is ready to support children to be curious, self-motivated, and to think for themselves . . . then this course is for you.
-
Is ready to be the kind of loving, respectful, and authoritative (as opposed to authoritarian) adult that children most need . . . then this course is definitely for you.
Scroll Down For A Deeper Look At What Will Be Covered In This Course
Live Course Kickoff:
September 24, 8:00am PT with Teacher Tom
Teacher Tom will get the party started in a live Zoom session, and set the stage for how to get the most out of this short but intensive program.
EPISODE 1:
Why We Even Bother Educating Young Children
We begin by taking a step back and asking a big question: why do we bother educating children in the first place? We will explore the role of education in self-governing societies, how our current system of schooling gets it wrong, and why Teacher Tom believes that play-based learning is the only way to really prepare children for their role as citizens.
EPISODE 2:
Play, Community, and Democracy
On the second day we consider the importance of community in play-based learning, especially for our youngest children: why it’s central to children’s social and emotional development and how this connects us to our hunter-gatherer ancestors. We will look at the history of childhood and play and make a brief survey of the evolution of the science behind it, and discuss how play and community/democracy go hand-in-hand before launching into our deeper thinking about what we mean when we say “play.”
EPISODE 3:
What Play Is
Day three begins with our deep dive into the characteristics of play, focusing first on why play must be open-ended rather than close-ended, what it means to “flow,” and how to create an open-ended play environment. We will look at play as the manifestation of the human instinct to educate itself through curiosity, how children really “teach” themselves, and how to create an environment in which children ask and answer their own questions. We will also examine the absolute necessity of ‘risky play’ and how we can foster it in a risk-averse society.
EPISODE 4:
How Children 'Teach' Themselves Through Play
Many of the loudest critics of play-based education ask, “But how will children learn the value of hard work?” On day four we will discuss how play helps children understand the link between failure, perseverance, and success; why children prefer “life itself” over things like toys; why a play-based environment must be holistic and inclusive; and the necessity of mess, including the social mess of bickering.
EPISODE 5:
The Role of the Adult
On this day we will explore what it means to be a play-based educator or parent, and answer the question “So if the children teach themselves, what does the adult do?” We will think deeply about our environments, the importance of observation and research, how to use language to create space for children to do their own thinking, and will discuss when and how to insert ourselves into the children’s play.
EPISODE 6:
Putting it All Together
We conclude with a discussion about what your play-based environment might look like and how our days might look. We will explore the roles of rules, punishments and rewards, and how “natural consequences” are the best way for children to learn about living and working with others in a community.
How This Course Works
*Even if you do not complete the course on October 1st, you have lifetime access. You'll receive the certificate automatically once you have watched every episode of the course and downloaded and filled-in your reflection guides.
REGISTER NOWAbout Teacher Tom
Tom "Teacher Tom" Hobson is an early childhood educator, international speaker, education consultant, teacher of teachers, parent educator, and author. He is best known, however, for his namesake blog Teacher Tom's Blog, where he has posted daily for over a decade, chronicling the life and times of his little preschool in the rain-soaked Pacific Northwest corner of the USA.
For nearly two decades, Teacher Tom was the sole employee of the Woodland Park Cooperative School, a parent-owned and operated school, knit together by Teacher Tom's democratic, progressive play-based pedagogy.
Today, Teacher Tom shares his play-based pedagogy through online courses for early childhood educators and parents; produces online early childhood conferences, e.g., Teacher Tom's Play Summit 2021 and 2022; consults with organizations about his "Family Schools" program; and inspires early years audiences around the world (Greece, UK, Iceland, Australia, China, Vietnam, New Zealand, Canada, and across the US) both virtually and in-person with his engaging views on early childhood education, play, and pedagogy.
He has authored two bestselling books, aptly named Teacher Tom's First Book, and Teacher Tom's Second Book.
For nearly two decades, Teacher Tom was the sole employee of the Woodland Park Cooperative School, a parent-owned and operated school, knit together by Teacher Tom's democratic, progressive play-based pedagogy.
Today, Teacher Tom shares his play-based pedagogy through online courses for early childhood educators and parents; produces online early childhood conferences, e.g., Teacher Tom's Play Summit 2021 and 2022; consults with organizations about his "Family Schools" program; and inspires early years audiences around the world (Greece, UK, Iceland, Australia, China, Vietnam, New Zealand, Canada, and across the US) both virtually and in-person with his engaging views on early childhood education, play, and pedagogy.
He has authored two bestselling books, aptly named Teacher Tom's First Book, and Teacher Tom's Second Book.
Register for Teacher Tom's Play-Based Learning -- Summer Camp!
$129 USD / person
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Lifetime Access
- Six video modules (delivered in two batches. Episodes 1-3 on September 24th and Episodes 4-6 on September 30th)
-
Six Reflection Guides/Workbooks to record your own thoughts and insights
- Online community to share questions, insights, and ideas
- High quality coaching for self directed learning wherever and whenever it's convenient
- Live Course Kick-Off webinar with Teacher Tom on Thursday, September 24th at 8:00am Pacific Time
Group Discount Pricing
Groups of 5 users or more receive a 20% discount off of the $129.00 per person.
Schools and ECE program directors, please contact [email protected] about larger groups (100 persons and higher) to discuss additional discounts and bespoke PD programs for your community.
Schools and ECE program directors, please contact [email protected] about larger groups (100 persons and higher) to discuss additional discounts and bespoke PD programs for your community.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
-
Who is this course for?
While it is specifically designed for early childhood educators, directors, and childcare owners, parents and grandparents of young children will also find it invaluable too.
-
What will the course cover?
We will examine the (real) purpose of education, the role of community, the history of play, what play is and how it educates, the role of the teacher/adult, the role of the environment/classroom, and the role of rules/agreements.
-
What will I learn?
Like with anything worth doing, you will get out of it what you put into it. This course is designed in the spirit of play-based learning in that I eschew direct instruction, “how to’s,” tick boxes, and lists of learning objectives. Instead, my approach is to assume that you are a motivated, intelligent, committed adult. I share my best thinking, tell stories, and ask probing questions intended to make you think about yourself, the children in your life, what you can do given your own unique situation; and, of course, to inspire you!
-
Do I need any special qualifications?
Absolutely! This is a course for self-motivated educators and parents who want the children in their life to have an authentic childhood full of learning and play; who want to learn to be partners in that learning; and who are willing to honestly examine and reconsider their beliefs about children and learning.
-
Will this course really offer you something better and different?
I guarantee that you have never taken a course like this one. It will challenge you, it will probably even make you mad at times, but it will also cause you to think and grow. Most importantly, it will enable you to offer children in your class or at home an authentic childhood with learning through play where it belongs, at the very center of their lives.
-
When does the course start?
The course starts on September 24th!
-
How does it work?
You'll get access to the course content over a two-week period, starting on September 24th. You'll receive six mini workbooks along with the six video episodes. You can watch those episodes at any time that’s convenient for you, as long as you do so prior to the next batch. We will all be working through the material together as a cohort. You have lifetime access, but you’ll have more fun if you keep up with the cohort.
-
How much time will I need to spend?
Each episode contains about forty five minutes of video in bite sized chunks. You’ll watch these and then spend another 15 minutes or so filling out your reflection guide/workbook. In total, you’ll be investing about one hour for each episode.
-
Do I have to attend at a particular time?
No. You can watch the sessions and work through the reflection guide any time that is convenient for you; after that you can share your insights and ideas in our online community area and Teacher Tom will comment and “cheer you on.”
-
How long will I have access to the content?
You will have lifetime access and can go back to it as often as you like.
-
Where does the course community connect?
Our virtual meet-up place is our course site on Thinkific.com, where we will share insights, ask questions, and celebrate successes.
-
Will we be tracking your progress?
You bet! Not only is this necessary for issuing your proof of completion certificate, but it is part of keeping us all accountable.
-
Will I get personal feedback from Teacher Tom?
Yes! I will do my best to respond to all comments in our course community area in Thinkific, so please participate! You'll get more out of it, and you'll have more fun.
-
Can I get professional development credits?
Yes! After you complete the course, you will be emailed a 6-Hour Certificate of Attendance in your name and signed by me.
-
What does the course cost?
The cost is USD $129